You Can't Crunch Your Way To Core Strength

In my opinion, the best thing about functional strength and conditioning is that it builds phenomenal core strength and the gains you make translate to real world activities. Doing isolation exercises on weight machines and benches make you better at doing isolation exercises on weight machines and benches. They build strength, sure. But it's a non-functional strength that comes with bulk and limited mobility. Not only that, but you don't build any core strength because when you perform exercises that isolate one or two muscles at a time, the rest of your body is being supported by the equipment you're working on, whether it's a machine, a bench, a leg press, a lat pulldown, a preacher curl bench, whatever... Core strength comes from forcing your body to stabilize itself. This comes from training full body movements with and without resistance. Swinging kettlebells, doing true-form pushups and pullups, rope climbs, medicine ball work, or any of the other 100 or so exercises we do at Dynamic Strength and Conditioning.

There's a misconception that "core strength" comes from doing abdominal crunches or doing off-balance training on Swiss balls or Bosu balls. The abdominal crunch is one of the single most useless exercises ever created and I'm still trying to figure out why anybody would consider off-balance training "functional". Regarding the abdominal crunch, think of it this way. The Rectus Abdominus (six-pack muscles) primary function is to support the spine, it is not to "crunch". So if you want to strengthen the R.A., why would you do it in such a way that the spine is completely supported by laying on the ground? Regarding off-balance training, is training the ability to be off-balance specific to anything other than cirque du soleil? If you want functional training to translate to the real world, then stick with natural movements, loaded or unloaded, and don't try to get too cute with goofy off-balance exercises. 

I haven't done abdominal crunches since I was a misguided kid that didn't know how to train. My only use for a swiss ball is to sit on it as an office chair since it forces good posture. For bulletproof core strength I do pushups, pullups, kettlebell work (swings, turkish getups, windmills, getup situps), hand balancing (which is incredible for core stability), and power wheel work. I've developed incredible core strength as a result which directly translates to performance increases in my cyclocross, road and MTB riding, trail running, nordic skiing, rock climbing (which I need to do again in 2010) and playing.. I can pretty much out-play anybody, trust me :)

Crunch-free for 15 years...

Not only that, the core strength I've developed has made me virtually indestructible. I've had some wicked crashes on the bike, including a 20MPH ass-over-teakettle crash straight into a ditch which left me surprised to be standing and riding my bike home, a direct shot to the shoulder as I crashed into a tree in a race leaving me with just a mild AC separation, and most recently a fall off the rope ladder at the gym where my elbow took the full force of a 9' drop as I came down sideways. Things should have been breaking in each case, but they weren't. I'm definitely going to credit the upper body strength I've developed through functional conditioning for two reasons. First, if I was a beefed up mass of non-functional muscle from doing bench presses and biceps curls I wouldn't be able ride my bike as hard as I do and I certainly wouldn't be traversing the rope ladder at the gym two rungs at a time. Second, because I train my muscles to work together, when my brain sends the message to my muscles, "2 milliseconds to impact!", my muscles know how to work together to protect my body. If I did my strength work with isolation exercises I can guarantee you that I would not have that neuromuscular capability.

Functional strength and conditioning like we do at Dynamic builds superior full body functional strength and a bulletproof core. If you're into training for vanity and a non-functional muscle mass then it's not for you, you wouldn't be able to handle the workouts anyway.. But if you're into building a seriously strong body and mind that allows you to push the limits in your real world activities then I have just the place for you...