The Myths and Truths of Core Exercises

Nowadays, everyone into working out is talking about core exercises. Many gym classes and workout videos are focusing on this. Pilates, especially, focuses a lot on core strengthening exercises. Core exercises target the stomach muscles and strengthen them. Because of this, it is often implied--or straight out said--that core exercises will help you get a nice, flat stomach. That's probably a big part of why the core movement is so popular--after all, who doesn't want a nice, flat stomach? But core exercises actually will not help you achieve this goal.

Core exercises do have benefits, of course, but flattening your stomach is not one of those benefits. If you have fat on your stomach that you'd like to get rid of, there are no spot exercises you can do to get rid of it. It's been said before, but I'll say it again: you just cannot lose weight in one specific spot. If you really want a nice flat stomach, you have to lose the weight all over, through things like cardiovascular workouts and controlling your diet. And while core exercises can be toning, rather than flattening your tummy, they will actually cause the muscles going down the center of your stomach to become raised. After all, when you strengthen a muscle, it gets bigger. Think of someone who has a six pack---the ab muscles stick out in that case. So if you are doing core exercises and not working on losing weight overall, the muscles you're developing underneath the fat may be pushing the fat out further. And if you are doing core exercises as well as losing the stomach fat, the exercises will still eventually lead to a raised tummy instead of a flat one.

However, if you are going for the muscular look--like a mini-six pack--then core exercises are exactly what you want to be doing. They are also beneficial in that core muscles help stabilize you when you are performing athletic activities. Strong core muscles can help prevent back injuries and keep the low back protected. They have also been shown to help improve posture.

So core exercises can be quite beneficial, and it's not a bad idea to do them. But you should ignore the hype surrounding them and be aware of the truth. Don't expect them to give you a nice, flat stomach, or help you lose your stomach fat.