If You Don’t Feel It, Does It Really Work?

by Bruce Hymanson, PT, Creator of Bodyblade

We live in an instant world today. With the Internet, cell phones, texting and digital pictures, we wait for almost nothing to see results practically immediately.  Have we also adapted that desire of instantaneous results to our way of thinking when it comes to what we feel? If an exercise isn’t obvious and burning my muscles up, does it still have value?

A few weeks ago, I was teaching a fitness professional about specific core training exercises using Bodyblade. To my surprise, the trainer looked at me to say, “I don’t believe this particular exercise is training my core muscles because I only feel it in my shoulders and arms.” Wow, have we forgotten what the role of the core muscles are in our body? Are we supposed to feel them burning as we exercise? Or should we expect them to turn on as a deep dynamic stabilizing group to dial in only the amount of muscular contraction and stability required for the task at hand?

Our core muscles must provide stability when we are stationary and when we are moving. The deep muscles still communicate and work in contracting, relaxing and co-contracting states as we need them to during volitional movement. The more balanced and accurate our muscles are in the core, the less we are aware of the good work they are doing for us. We can certainly challenge our core muscles to be felt more vigorously and force them into fatigue but it is not a requirement for them to be effective. Quickness and balance of contraction are the key elements when stabilizing the spine and providing a connection for the shoulders and lower extremities.

It is more important to understand the three planes of motion and how to determine which exercises to choose for training the core to be effective during rotation, forward and backward bending or moving from side to side. Think of the core as an orchestra with many small instruments playing together to create this magnificent sound. These muscles are tiny little retro rockets doing their job to stabilize or help mobilize the body from the center out. Next time you think about training your core, think beyond the obvious crunch for the abs and consider the activation of those deep core muscles that love to do their job without screaming at you.

The first Bodyblade Master Instructor training camp took place April 30-May 2 at the Mad Dogg Athletics World Training Center in Venice, CA. Fourteen fitness professionals from across the country gathered together to learn everything they could from the Bodyblade creator himself.

Register for Bodyblade Instructor Training at WSSC, June 3rd, 8:00AM–4:00PM.