MiniWorkoutDad Workout: Build A Strong Functional Core

A six pack may look great on the beach or in the mirror but, in daily life, your abdominal muscles play a smaller role than you might think. Anyone who suffers from back pain will know, your unloved lower back is actually far more important to living well than your ‘abs’.

Besides, you can crunch until the cows come home, but your six pack won’t show up until you achieve a very low body fat percentage (which I haven’t). No exercise can burn fat specifically off your belly, so that’s down to diet. 

The fact is, you live a predominantly upright, arms-working-in-front-of-you existence, which means you are a “back chain dominant” mammal. When you’re carrying something in front of you, lifting things from low down, or reaching out, it’s your “rear core” doing the heavy lifting, not your abs.

But, traditional ‘ab’ exercises (crunches, sit-ups, leg raises) strengthen only your frontal muscles. They leave the crucial back chain completely untrained. This creates a “frontal dominance” that actually leaves you more vulnerable to imbalance and injury – the complete opposite of functional strength!

Let’s not forget, the primary function of both your front and rear core muscles is to provide a stable trunk – not curling you up like an armadillo, or arching your back like a banana!

Only a flexible spine connects your hips to your shoulders (and heavy head!). It’s muscular tension that provides forward, backward and sideways stability in your torso.

Like guy ropes (guide lines?) on a tent, your core muscles work by pulling against each other. It’s the relative tension between the muscles that dictates your torso’s posture. Take these muscles away and your head and shoulders would just flop around in whichever direction gravity pulled them. You wouldn’t be able to stand upright and the strength in your arms would be unusable.

To be strong and capable you need to build strength in all these “guy rope” muscles, not just a few at the front for vanity’s sake. And, funnily enough, the best way to do that is to make them do their job – under load. That’s why there is no rolling around on the floor doing crunches, etc., in my workout.

Phase 2 – Front Upper Isometric

Don't lean back
Hands over elbows
Elbows above shoulders

Phase 3 – Front Lower Isometric

Don't lean back
Arms free from sides
Push hands away

Phase 7 – Over head Isometric

Make a strong column
Hold the weight directly over head
Do high knees on the spot for extra difficulty

I’ve just pulled out the three biggest contributors, but all the moves and holds in the workout require some abs and core input. The reason being, you workout on your feet! Adding the weight, which is always at the other end of your spine to your legs, makes your core work harder. It’s obvious really and makes a lot more sense than sit-ups!

Steve — MiniWorkoutDad