Welcome to a series on Strength Training Basics. While we will be focusing on our bodies, I hope that you recognize and always remember that “The Lord is my strength and my shield.” (Psalm 28:7)
No matter how hard we train our physical bodies, it will all be pointless if we do not train our spiritual selves to have a daily relationship with Jesus.
I truly believe we need to strengthen our bodies so that we are ready and physically able to do what He has called us to do.
The Proverbs 31 woman, “…dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong (v17 ESV) – and we’ll get to those arms (and legs) eventually… but first, we need to start with the most important part of the body to strengthen — THE CORE.
This region really consists of everything between the shoulders and the hips – both front and back, and all the way around. The “abs” themselves are actually comprised of 4 different muscles:
- Rectus Abdominis
- External Obliques
- Internal Obliques
- Transverse Abdominis
Don’t worry – there’s not a test! Just know that there are lots of muscles that contribute to the system that provides much of your body’s balance, stabilization, posture and even explosive power. It all comes from the core!
Check out this (quick 2-min) video below for three basic moves (with several modifications) to begin focusing on increasing your core strength.
Starting with the core gives you a firm foundation from which to build the rest of your strength training. We often think of a foundation as being at the bottom of something. But realize here that doesn’t have to be the case. A strong foundation is solid strength from which everything else builds.
Just like our core is what everything else in our body builds off of, Jesus – the firmest of all foundations – doesn’t need to be at the bottom of what we do, He needs to be at the very core.
Wishing you the best as you consider training your core – perhaps from a new perspective!
Everyday Faith + Fitness 