Absence Makes The Heart Weaker

Training for functionality requires my entire body to assist. Primarily my core both abdominals and back muscles. Training in absence of the stabilizers makes you weaker. What do I mean by this? Well, when you perform concentrated biceps curls you isolate the biceps without using the core to stabilize you. Great exercise though if you want pretty looking muscles, so have at it.

Also, assistance through substances such as anabolic steroids will increase the growth of muscle tissue but it leaves behind the stabilizers, the tendons and bones. You may have heard of people tearing a muscle. Often this is because the muscle has grown so fast that the tendons are left weak and therefore snap under the pressure of weightlifting in any form.

Tendons and bones respond and grow as necessary and by lifting heavy weight. There is very little chemical assistance for them. So remember these little guys when working out.

Often people with lower back pain will reason that they have a weak back and therefore perform more back exercises. This is the opposite of what you should do. Instead, it means that your back is doing too much work and trying to hold the fort up on it's own. The abdominals are what you need to work on. They are the other half of your foundation, your core. A house has walls and if one wall falls it puts pressure on the other walls to hold but eventually it will fall. Same with your core, if too much stress is being put on your back it need to work overtime to keep you from falling, as it were. So, strengthen the abs and your back pain will substantially decrease if not fade completely. Worked for me.

Exercises that encourage the body's full range of body motion require your stabilizers to hold you firm. Just try pilates out and they'll tell you the same. Some great exercises for functionality are dead lifts, squats, dips, pull ups, rows. Any variation of these exercises will be supported by your core and overall your body will become more functional.

Think about your stabilizers and bring them to the party when exercising and I promise you will grow stronger better. Kia kaha! Love and respect, Reuben.