9781422286951

stability. Other things are built around their cores. If you didn’t have a core, you’d just be a pile of arms and legs! Many exercises target the chest, stomach, and back, which all make up the torso, the core. Strengthening your core and keeping it healthy has a lot of benefits, plus core exercises can be fun. YOUR CORE PARTS Your core contains most of your organs, like the stomach, heart, lungs, liver, and many more. Vital functions like breathing, digestion, and pumping blood happen in the core. Your organs and their functions are protected by muscles and by your ribs and spine. Make Connections: Core Muscles Here are some of the main muscles that make up your core: • Transverse abdominals: Stomach muscles deep within the core. Abdominals connect the upper part of the core to the lower part. They also help you twist at the waist, and protect organs. • Obliques: Muscles that are located at the waist. They connect up and down the rib cage to help you twist and bend. There are some oblique muscles closer to the surface and some buried deeper. • Erector spinae: Tiny back muscles that are located up and down the spine. They help you stand up straight, twist, and bend. Many people have weak erector spinae muscles and end up with back pain. • Rectus abdominis: This is the muscle we think of as the “six pack” or abs. It is basically like two sheets of muscle running from the bottom of the chest to the lower abdomen. The rectus abdominis helps with breathing and contributes to bending.

What Are Core Workouts?

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