The "New" Core - why stability matters more than crunches By Anneli McCullagh Pilates Instructor

Crunches are what most people think about when they think about abdominal exercises, and that "abs" equals "core".

Your core is quite a bit more than that - it creates stability in the trunk of your body as other parts move, or stability when you add load by carrying or lifting. In short, keeping the trunk of your body strong and able to withstand the force from any movement that you do; and strength to keep you moving in all ways you want to.

The area of your core is your stomach, your waist, your back muscles, your glutes, your inside thigh muscles, your pelvic floor muscles - all working together. You can then see that only focusing on your stomach flexing up in a crunch doesn't involve enough of the rest of your core.

This is why in Pilates, when we focus on the core, we do so much more than curl ups. For many, neck problems and osteoporosis can prevent from actually doing any curl ups at all. We can still build the entire Pilates classes around core strength!

In Table Top where you are on hands and knees, and extend & lift opposite arm and leg, it is your core that allows for that lift to happen without you losing your balance.

If you are standing on one leg and find that you are swaying, try thinking of having a corset of strength all the way around your waist, and notice that you feel a little bit more stable.

A good posture also keeps you more stable, and again, it is through keeping your body working through different positions, including standing, that you find the strength to maintain your balance. Crunches alone won't be able to do this!

Practically, say that you want to focus on strength for playing tennis - you will need to find flexibility to rotate your spin without injuring your lower back, as well as strength around the shoulders and in your back. All of this involves connecting stability with movement - all the main components of working from a Pilates perspective.

Being able to maintain your stamina is also part of Pilates - it is keeping movements flowing, rather than a stop and start again approach. Again, giving you an extra bit of stability.

Crunches can be fun too, but do add more to achieve strength!