“The roughest storms prove the strength of our anchors”.
It commonly understood that we are only as strong as our foundation. Foundation is defined as the natural or prepared ground or base on which some structure rests. Synonyms for foundation are root, base, origin, nucleus, heart, and core.
In order to clothe ourselves in the full armor of God, a solid, rooted, and grounded foundation is required to even pick it up, put it on, and to wear it (Ephesians 6:10-17).
THE IMPORTANCE OF PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL CORE TRAINING
This understanding and definition of foundation are important to carry over into having a strong, functional, and stable core physically and spiritually. There seems to be a parallel between the wisdom of strengthening one’s physical core and tending to one’s spiritual core. If you strengthen the core, the rest of your body and spirit will be strengthened as well. Our bodies are not just flesh, blood, water, and organs; they are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 speaks to our bodies as the ‘temple of the Holy Spirit’ and commands us to ‘Honor God’ with our bodies. So, the focus of core training should be to strengthen it physically and spiritually to be a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
The enduring life is a solid life built over time – and physical training feeds into this.
As we exercise, we train our bodies, minds, and spirits, and our fitness levels in each area improve accordingly. One could say all training is core training.
What is the core?
The core from a strictly physical standpoint is much more than your abdominal muscles. The core refers to the center of your body, from your hips to your shoulders. This area includes the three anchor points which are the basis for all movement.
So, a dysfunctional core can produce or allow for dysfunctional and/or poor- quality movement. A weak core is a fundamental problem inherent to inefficient movement that may lead to predictable patterns of injury. Basically, the most important role of our core musculature is to protect our spine and prevent injury.
A healthy and well-trained core musculature does a wonderful job of keeping our spine in a safe and stable position. The purpose of core training is to collectively strengthen the deep and superficial muscles that stabilize, align, and move the trunk of the body, especially the abdominal and muscles of the back.
How do we train effectively?
Contrary to what you may expect, the standard PE class sit-ups and crunches are not the only exercises to effectively train your core. Core training can be broken down into three categories: stabilization, dynamic stabilization, and integrated stabilization. Each of these categories is dependent on the other, thus some form of mastery is required to move on to the next.
STABILIZATION will challenge you with static positions and very minimal movement. This will require stability and alignment of the anchor points from the engagement of all the deep and superficial core muscles. The muscles of the shoulder girdle, trunk, and hips. Imagine you are ready to receive a gut punch.
The DYNAMIC STABILIZATION phase is similar but now movement is added with the arms and/or legs while maintaining the stability in the core.
The INTEGRATED STABILIZATION phase involves movement of the entire body. When we play sports and perform activities of daily living we are moving in the integrated phase. In this phase, there are more moving parts, but stability and alignment are maintained. In addition, you can load the movements unilaterally to emulate real life. Think of the gardener or landscaper who carries mulch bags on one shoulder whilst walking, or a parent carrying a child at the hip and groceries in the other hand hanging low.
Here is some core exercises for all three areas of focus:
Stabilization
Faith: relying in truth, the way, and life of Jesus Christ
- High Plank Opposite Arm + Leg Lift
- Low Plank Static Oblique Crunch
- Low Side Plank Leg Lifted
Dynamic Stabilization
Love: thru the Holy Spirit we truly can love any and everybody
- Palms to Elbow Planks
- Pallof Press/ Rotation
- Bear Plank Bottle Opener
Integrated stabilization
Hope: the promises of God, and the coming of the Lord
1. Turkish Get-Up
As Alisa Keeton wrote in The Wellness Revelation, “engage your core (both the physical and the spiritual), keep your eyes on Christ…” With Keeton’s words in mind, let’s invest in a solid foundation and core to align all the parts of our lives with Christ.
Ron McDonald Jr. (Platoon 10) is a business owner as Nutrition Coach and Head Trainer at Orangetheory Fitness. He lives in Maryland (Suburbs of Washington, DC) with his wife of 20 years, their two kids (Jordan and Jahlen). He loves being a Fitness Teacher Gospel Preacher (of course), traveling, watching movies, playing basketball, and spending time with his wife.
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Amia’s Cardio Dance- “Fearless”
This class is all cardio and all dance. Get ready to move to the beat and shake yourself free! (Philippians 3:13)
6 Responses
Where can we see what these planks and suggestions look like?
Look up the exercises on Youtube!
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