Core Strength & Stability. Get it right.

I get asked a lot about core strength and stability for sport and what can you do to build the best version of you for your sport. As with everything, start light, isolate your torso and keep the drills simple in terms of which planes of movement you are training and the complexity of their demands. It's really important that you get to know your own body and the limits you can put upon it. If you don't, you run the risk of poor training regimes and injury problems as you will overload yourself simply because you are not listening. As you progress you can go heavier on yourself, integrate upper and/or lower body movement, utilise multiple planes of movement and make the force demands unpredictable and complex. Remember, it's a journey of discovery. Always be learning. Also don't get drawn into the philosophy that states that all you need to do is squat and deadlift to get a stronger core function. Those types of drills only demand lumbar stability in the saggital plane, with a symmetrical load, in a bilateral stance. As a rugby player for example you have to be able to stabilise and produce force on one or two legs, in all three planes of movement, at both high and low speed, in predictable and at this time of year due to the weather for example, very unpredictable environments. when you think about training like that you’ll find you’re onto a personal game changer as I’m still not seeing enough training that develops the body to perform. Start with moving your own bodyweight. What’s the point of lifting heavy if you can’t lift yourself? If you've suffered with injuries in your season, look at that as your start point for your core stability work for the off season. Train out the weakness. #LookAfterYourBody