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We've all seen him shirtless, whether you've seen him on model magazines or when he scored the winner for the match between Real Madrid and Juventus back in the 2018 UCL.
One thing that sticks out about Cristiano Ronaldo isn't just his natural ability to bang in goal after goal, but also his bulging six pack.
Thinking about core strength? Ronaldo is probably the player that pops into your head.
But is it VITAL to have a six pack to be a world class player like Cristiano Ronaldo?
The truth is, you don't need a six pack, but what you do need is a strong core.
What is your 'Core?'
Many people associate the core region with primarily the abdominal region of the human body, and although that is certainly one of the main parts that make up the core, it isn't the only one.
In actuality, your core is your whole trunk, or everything that includes your torso, your lower back, and your abdominal region.
Too many people consider a six-pack to be an indicator of a strong core, but this isn't always the case. Just like your legs and arms, your abdominal area is just another set of muscles, but the reason why many people don't have visible six packs is because of a high-bodyfat percentage, which is a post for another day.
However, by training those muscles, you can definitely increase the size of those muscles, and make them stronger.
But you shouldn't just be looking to do sit-ups and crunches as your main exercises, since these only primarily work on the muscles on the front of your body.
You also have your lower back, which is severely under looked by many athletes and fitness goers. Your lower back is one of the most important muscles in your body. It's primary role is to stabilize your spine and trunk, especially when performing the demanding movements from sport. If this is week, this is where lower back pain can start to come in, and trust me when I say, when you injure your lower back, it is NOT an easy thing to deal with.
If you only train the front of your body, or the muscles the make up your six pack, and do not strengthen your lower back alongside it, you will suffer from many muscular imbalances which can lead to injuries not only to your abdominal muscles and your lower back, but also other parts of your body like your legs and your upper body.
How? Your core is the main absorber of force, so if your body isn't properly trained, other muscles groups will over compensate for the weakness in your core, which can lead to pulls and strains.
Just because you can do 100 sit-ups doesn't mean you have a strong core.
And with that, we jump into our next point:
The Importance of Core Strength in Sport
Your core has many different functions that translate directly to the pitch. Here are the main functions of your core:
1) To create stability in your body.
Your ability to balance is directly affected on how strong your core is. If you have a strong core, your ability to maintain balance on one leg and produce force unilaterally will be relatively strong.
However if your core is weak, and you don't train your stability component, than you will find it harder to balance yourself in a game, either when dribbling, when jumping and landing, or when fighting for possession using your body.
In order to improve the stability component of your core strength, work on being able to balance on one leg, as well as landing on one leg, producing force from one leg (unilateral plyometrics). Another crucial exercise that builds your body's stability component is planks and plank variations.
Planks are an excellent full body exercise that challenges your entire core region, from your abdominal area, to your obliques, and your lower back.
You can also progress in difficulty with planks fairly easily, either by increasing the time spent up in a plank position, or by throwing in some variations to create more instability, for example, lifting one leg at a time, or one arm at a time, etc.
If you'd like some good variations of the plank to try out for yourself, check out this post on the GoGrind Soccer Instagram Page:
2) To absorb and release force throughout your body.
Every hit you take when fighting for possession, and every time you jump into the air or land on your feet, your core is taking most of the force.
This ties hand in hand with your stability aspect, When you get pushed around by your opponents, your core is acting as your body's support system for your spine and outer limbs so that you don't get injured. It is absorbing that external force and transferring it elsewhere that way your spine isn't harmed in any way.
When you jump into the air, for example when you go up for a header, Your body is releasing internal potential energy in order to explode and push the ground away. This force is generated from your core, and is then released through your legs as you push against gravity.
When you land onto the ground from that jump, you're absorbing that force through your legs as gravity pulls you back down. Your core works to stabilize your body and distribute that absorbed force throughout the rest of your body.
This is why indirect exercises such as plyometrics and compound lifts are important for further development of your core. This is because you are teaching your body to handle that external force, and either produce force, or absorb it and then release that absorbed force.
3) Your core is the center of control for your limbs when sprinting.
As mentioned previously, your core isn't just your abs, it's also your lower back and entire torso.
When an athlete sprints, they are extending at the hip joint, and they are also driving their arms vertically in coordination with the opposite knee.
Your core works in different ways in order to stabilize your spine while you perform the explosive movement of driving your knee high and driving the opposite arm high, as well as to prevent any excess rotation that may lead to injury to your lower back muscles and internal core muscles.
Your core is also absorbing that force generated by your lower body as you push the ground away from you with each step. It allows your body to efficiently exert that force through your strides by absorbing the force generated with each stride, and releasing it with power when your foot comes into contact with the ground.
If your core is weak and untrained, your body won't be able to efficiently transfer power through your sprinting form, which will lead to excess movements that lead to more fatigue, less force generated, and a less explosive reaction with each and every step.
If done consistently, your weak core wouldn't be able to handle the demands of a sprint, and the lack of stabilization and anti-rotational experience could lead to injuries to your lower extremities and lower back as well.
There are many other important functions of your core, but the main, overall function of your core, is to create stability throughout your body as you perform your sport, as well as collect and transfer force in a reactive/explosive way. A strong core will lead to more efficiency in your movements as an athlete, and will allow you to feel stronger on the ball, and off the ball.
How to Train Your Core?
Training your core isn't just doing sit ups, and crunches like most fitness influencers are trying to teach their audience.
There are many different muscles in your core, each needing a different type of exercise in order to be worked and strengthened.
Here are some general exercises for you to try to challenge all areas of your core (Sets and Reps not included)
1) Your abdominal region
Deadbugs
Bent Leg Crunches,
High Boat - Low Boat
Leg Lifts
Flutter Kicks
2) Your Lower Back:
Superman Lifts
Prone Chest Lifts
Hyperextensions
Lower Back Extensions
3) Your Obliques:
Bicycle Crunches
Russian Twists
Windshield Wipers
Anti-Rotational Exercises
4) Your Entire Core (Stability)
Planks
Planks with Leg Lifts
Side Planks
High Planks with Shoulder Tap
Bird-Dogs
Swiss Ball Variations (i.e Stir the Pot)
Those are more direct exercises for your core, and should only be don't 2-3 times per week. Although many people want you to believe that you have to train your core directly every single day, this isn't advisable because your core is made up of a ton of muscles, and like any other muscle, those stressed out muscles need to rest after a workout.
Not to mention your core is also trained by doing heavy compound and functional exercises, such as Squats, Deadlifts, Lunges, Pushups, Pull Ups, etc.
Make sure you are including different types of compound exercises throughout the course of the week to train your abs indirectly.
Plyometrics are also an important part of your core training, since you are teaching your body to absorb and transfer force, so make sure you are including plyometric training 2-3 times a week as well.
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