Core Training For Speed Part I

Alex Maroko

I’ll be the first to admit it, the core training of myself and my athletes used to be REALLY bad.

We mainly used lots of crunches and sit-ups (which  is wrong for athletes on lots of levels), while all of it was in just 1 or 2 planes of motion. Basically we ended up wasting a lot of our core training time and not getting it stronger or more powerful. Clearly, that was unacceptable.

And then, I met Jim “Smitty” Smith. Besides being a top expert to Men’s Fitness magazine and the author of the BEST core training manual ever created Combat Core, Smitty is also one of the coolest guys I know (that’s where the cool in “Cool Core Smitty comes from). And being so stinking cool, he reached out to me and helped me out. He straightened out everything I thought I knew about core training for speed and quickness and flipped it on its ear!

He taught me so many brand-new, cutting-edge, unbelievably effective stuff about core training, I literally had no choice but to start referring to him by his current wickedly brilliant nickname, “Cool Core Smitty”. Plus, he even let me in on a couple truly *unbelievable* secrets about core training that are so good, I can’t even share them here and the only place he “lets them out of the bag” is in Combat Core.

Now, as most people are well aware of, I asked all of my Game Speed VIP subscribers to ask me any and all of their questions about core training on Tuesday and we’ve gotten over 45 questions, just since then (“thanks!” if you sent a question in).

Now, I could have answered these questions and that would have been fine, but then I thought, “Wait, I have personal access to the world’s foremost expert on core training…why not let him answer the questions?”

So  I sent an email to “Cool Core Smitty”, asked him to do it and he immediatly replied back within a couple hours not just with a yes or a no, but with almost 20 of the Core Training Questions answered (is he the man or is he the man?).

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NOTE: I SHOULDN’T BE SAYING THIS: I know Smitty’s best-seller Combat Core is really enticing, but please, DON’T GET IT YET! I’ve been talking with “Cool Core” and I think I’ve talked him into totally and completely hooking the Combat Core package up for you NEXT WEEK. So, again, please do not get Combat Core yet until next week. Just enjoy all of the helpful info below, be a little patient and when you finally do get Combat Core next week, it will all be worth it, I promise!

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Here you go…Part I of Cool Core Smitty answering your biggest and most important core training questions and concerns:

Question 1: What is the best way to screen the core and “Grade it” in order to track progress? Should the screens be different for each sport and if so, where can I find them?

Answer: You can easily grade core proficiency by its ability to perform the standard movement patterns. If you can do more reps, more weight or more speed (without a break in form) you are progressing. If the movement you are “grading” is a static posture, your goal would be to engage it for more time.

As far as sport performance and core strength, the goal is typically the expression of power and it definitely depends upon the sport. Analyze the sporting movement and requirements, then determine what core proficiency is most needed.

Question 2: What about nutrition (for getting a six-pack)?

Answer: Nutrition is of the utmost importance. The biggest myth in the fitness industry is that 1000 crunches a day will get you a ripped six pack. This couldn’t be further from the truth. To see a shredded core, you must obtain a low body fat percentage (%).

Question 3: How often deadlift cause lumbar disc prolapse?

Answer: If deadlifts are performed correctly with good form, appropriate weight according to your strength levels, back injuries are very rare. If you are having problems pulling off the floor and maintaining good form, pull off the rack at an elevated position, ie. rack pulls. As you progress and your flexibility and mobility increase, you can start moving back downward and pull off the floor again.

Question 4: What is the number one core exercise that I should do for sprint track cycling? How many reps and sets and times per week should I do these exercises?

Answer: The is no ONE perfect core exercise. If you are a sprinter track cycler, I would definitely suggest focusing on your posterior chain through hip extension movements, focusing on your upper back with face pulls, rows and external rotation movements and improving your hip mobility.

Question 5: Due to time constraints, my training usually revolves around 2 exercises, the deadlift and the Turkish Get-Up. Am I working my core sufficiently or do I need to do more?

Answer: Both are very good “core” exercises. Compound movements engage the core as a whole and allow it to work as it is supposed to, providing stability and protection to the spine and transferring power. I would suggest some type of back work (pull-ups) supersetted after one of your current exercises. Many trainers believe compound movements are sufficient to train the core. I believe that as well, but also like to engage a more comprehensive training profile by throwing in some other movement patterns that engage the core periodically.

Question 6: How many days should train the abdominals?

Answer: The abdominals (a sub-set of the core) can be trained each of your training days. I would suggest training a different movement pattern on each of these successive training days within the same week, ie. rotation, flexion, lateral flexion, static (resistant to movement), etc.

I know he talks way too “smart” (LOL), so if something didn’t make sense, let me know in the Comments section and I’ll be sure to clear it up for you.

And I will be back on Sunday with Part II of Core Training For Speed with SEVEN more questions answered by our new personal core expert, “Cool Core Smitty”.

-Alex