When we think of having a strong core, we tend to think of images of people with flat tummies and six-pack abs.
But having a strong core is not just about looks. Your core is in the center of your body, and it functions to stabilize the trunk while your arms and legs move. Much of your body’s strength and balance comes from your core.
You need a strong core for good overall health but also for playing tennis and pickleball, running, strength training, and several other sports and physical activities.
The Paseo Club is a social club in the Santa Clarita Valley that has supported residents in good health and wellness for twenty years. We offer personal training, small group training, and group fitness classes in cardio, mobility, yoga, Pilates, and weights.
In this article, you will learn the importance of having a strong core, how your core affects back health, how to activate your core in day-to-day activities, and what classes at the Paseo Club target your core.
Why is having a strong core so important?
Your core consists of the chest, back, abdominals, obliques, hips, pelvic floor, diaphragm, and glutes. It is necessary to have a healthy, active lifestyle. A strong core supports your body in several ways.
- Improves posture
- Enhances flexibility
- Improves running form
- Helps to maintain balance
- Minimizes the chance of falls
- Improves your form while you exercise
- Strengthens your lower back and reduces pain
- Increases ease in functional movements such as turning, bending, and lifting
Does having a weak core affect back pain?
A weak core can lead you to have multiple areas of vulnerability, potentially causing you pain and increasing your risk of injury.
Approximately 90% of low back pain diagnoses are non-specific, meaning they are from unknown causes. Research has shown that a strong abdominal core directly corresponds to lower rates of back pain.
A study published in PubMed states, “Core stability is essential for proper load balance within the pelvis, spine, and kinetic chain, and core stability exercise (CSE) is an exercise treatment regimen for lower back pain conditions.”
The study found that after performing core exercises three times per week for six weeks, there was improved physical function and activity for people with lower back pain.
How can we engage our core in day-to-day activities?
It is easy to slump our shoulders at our desks and relax our tummies forward, creating an arch in our lower backs. But you can strengthen your core in your daily life by engaging your muscles and maintaining proper posture. Bringing attention to these areas of the body takes time and practice.
- Begin by bringing your belly button gently inward
- Move the top of your pelvis back and the bottom of your pelvis slightly forward
- Slide your shoulder blades down and flat against your upper back
These steps help to align your spine and activate your core. Do this as you work, make dinner, sit in the car, and during most other activities.
What classes at the Paseo Club are best for strengthening the core?
Target your core in a fitness class to build strength and stability. It will tone your waistline, aid you in other sports, diminish back pain, and lower your chance of injury.
Many classes at the Paseo Club will help improve your core strength.
1. Pilates Mat
Pilates Mat class focuses on stability, posture, and proper breath control. Each class will work on strength and flexibility, with an emphasis on challenging the core muscles with each movement. All movements are taught in a slow and controlled manner. This class is performed on a yoga mat.
Time: Monday 10:45-11:30 am, Wednesday 9:15-10:00 am, and Thursday 10-10:45 am
2. Pilates Reformer for All Levels
Pilates Reformer helps you create long, lean muscles and improves posture by mobilizing your spine through several ranges of motion, including flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation by using the REFORMER machine.
Train with small props such as weights, the Pilates ring, and balls. This 45-minute class will fly by with endless exercise possibilities so be prepared to have fun while improving your flexibility, muscle tone, and core strength! This class is appropriate for people of all levels. This is a small group training class.
Morning Times:
Monday 7-8 am and 8:30-9:15 am
Tuesday 7-7:45 am and 9:45-10:30 am
Wednesday 6-6:45 am, 8:30-9:30 am, and 9:45-10:30 am
Thursday 8:30-9:30 am and 9:45-10:30 am
Friday 7-7:45 am, 8:30-9:30, and 9:45-10:45 am
Saturday 8:30-9:15 am and 9:45-10:45 am
Afternoon/Evening Times:
Monday 4-4:45 pm and 5-5:45 pm
Tuesday 5-5:45
Wednesday 4-4:45 pm and 5-5:45 pm
Thursday 4-4:45 pm and 5-5:45 pm
3. Core Tone and Strength
Core Tone and Strength class will teach you bodyweight exercises to strengthen your abs, and lower back, tone your shoulders, and stretch to increase flexibility and lengthen muscles.
Time: Friday 7-7:45 am
4. TRX & Core
TRX & Core uses suspension trainer equipment to maximize core stability and growth. The loops and pulley system forces you to use your center to remain stable as you move. You are not only working the major muscles but enhancing all those stabilizer muscles as well. The challenging workouts use your own body weight as resistance and are designed to tone your midsection, improve your posture, and give you better balance. This is a small group training class.
Time: Friday 8:30-9:30 am
5. Cardio and Core Extreme
Cardio and Core Extreme give you all of the cardio bursts with none of the weight! Your body is the weapon in this 45-minute class. We will focus on blasts of cardio energy and quick recovery to maximize your heart rate and calorie burn. Spend the last 15 minutes of class torching your core for that overall burn. The class will change every week so you will never get bored. Bring a mat.
Time: Tuesday 8:30 - 9:15 am
Strengthening your core for better health
We often neglect our core by hunching over our phones, sloping into our office chairs, and melting onto the sofa for a Netflix session.
Developing core strength positively affects all movement — functional and athletic. Engaging the core throughout the day and then hitting it hard in fitness and Pilates classes are great ways to get more trim, stay safer as you age, and mitigate pain and injury.
The Paseo Club is a social club in the Santa Clarita Valley that helps members of all ages and interests to stay healthy and active. We offer tennis, pickleball, swimming, and fitness programs.
If you love Pilates, we not only have Reformer and Mat Pilates for all levels, but we also have intermediate and advanced Pilates, Pilates Reformer Blood Flow Restriction Training, Pilates Reformer Stretch, and Pilates with Props. All reformer Pilates classes have a maximum of eight students so you can receive personalized attention and guidance.
If you want to belong to a health-minded community, then the Paseo Club may be the place for you. We offer dozens of social events every month, so you have plenty of time to socialize and relax.
Schedule a tour today so you can discover all eight acres of our facility and meet members and staff. We hope to see you soon!
