Discover Strength Maple Grove

Let's set the record straight: humans don’t have a “core”. When someone refers to the “core”, they are simply referring to the musculature of the torso - the obliques, abs, and low back.

Core training does not reduce abdominal fat, produce toned abs, or get you a 6-pack. Abdominal training improves strength and endurance, but not abdominal appearance. The way to toned abs is by improving your overall body composition, and strength training the entire body.

Instead of trying to do as many reps as possible (generally a good thing), or trying to perform one more rep than your last workout to achieve improvement (also a good thing), focus solely on eliminating momentum during the transition or turnaround of each rep. For example, as you lower the weight on the chest press, make your last two inches of range of motion as slow as possible, and as you change directions and start pushing the weight out, make your first two inches of lifting as slow as possible.

Transitioning slowly does three things:

1️⃣ Minimizes momentum so that more motor units and muscle fibers are recruited (this is the foundation of better results).
2️⃣Makes the exercise safer because joints and connective tissue are exposed to less force.
3️⃣Makes the exercise harder, so, you are less likely to “improve” and perform more reps. But of course, your muscles can’t count, and we don’t actually get credit for performing another rep.

In your next workout: One set at a time, one rep at a time, obsess completely with eliminating momentum during the transition of each rep (and accept the fact that you might not perform as many reps).

How does resistance exercise affect body composition compared to other modalities of exercise? Our Discover Strength Podcast Mini-Series episode this week is all about body composition. Listen today to find out more about how this topic directly links with your strength training goals.

Available wherever you listen to podcasts.

Dr. Russell Clayton asserts that exercise is one of our most effective tools for improving so-called “work-life balance.”

Learn more by signing up for weekly emails directly from Discover Strength CEO Luke Carlson in the Learning Center of the Discover Strength website!

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It is easy to want to skip a workout when you are injured. The robust benefits of strength training are too important to miss out on due to an injury or musculoskeletal pain. At the same time, we don’t want to push through pain and in doing so, exacerbate an injury. If you have a localized acute or chronic injury or experiencing musculoskeletal pain during a workout, consider the following four action steps:
1️⃣Consider reducing the weight and significantly slowing down the lifting and lowering speed.
2️⃣Perform the exercise through a pain-free range of motion.
3️⃣Perform a different exercise for the same muscle group.
4️⃣Perform the exercise with the healthy limb only and receive “bi-lateral transfer.”

Strength Training when Injured - Discover Strength It's easy to want to skip a workout when you are injured, but consider these Four Strategies for Effective Strength Training when Injured