Dr. Andy Galpin

We have rotation and anti-rotation.

We have extension and anti-extension and lateral flexion and anti-lateral flexion.

And this was a really big change.

And so we consistently saw, well, wait a minute here.

Different goals, different training approaches.

Aesthetics, again, we're going to, in large part, maybe focus a little bit more on movement-based ab exercises for feel and perform, maybe hedging a little bit more in the anti-movement.

So we've established this idea of movement-based training and anti-movement-based training, but we still haven't really fully understood why we default to doing a style of training that is high repetition, high frequency.

because none of our movement-based approaches, none of our other muscles get trained that way.

So why did we get here and what can we learn from that?

Well, we also have to understand the core is different, again, because it does things like mostly avoid movement rather than active movement.

It's also different because it's consistently activated.

So your core muscles are usually at about two to 3% of their maximum voluntary contraction, which is like the most force they can produce when you're standing.

And so again, unlike a tricep or a bicep, your core is going at all times.

Not much, but it is going.

When you do basic activities like lift up your backpack or grab a gallon of water or something like that, your core muscles get up to 30 to 40 to 50% of their force output right away.

Again, most of your other muscles wouldn't get that high that quickly.

Your core will actually get up to basically a hundred percent during a sneeze.

In fact, this happens to me all the time.

It drives my wife nuts, but I'm like vigorous sneezer.

Like I don't, I'm not a baby sneezer.