Previously, this concept was not familiar to anyone, because such terms were only found in specialized publications. Today such information has become publicly available, and ee use helps to achieve high results in sports and bodybuilding. Our article covers issues related to cortical muscles – their function, location and meaning, as well as the main types of exercises to strengthen them.
What are bark muscles
Bark muscles are a set of deep muscles whose main function is to keep the spine, pelvis and thighs stable. The importance of this muscle complex is reflected in its name, because English “core” means “core”, “center”. Kop holds the internal organs, forms the posture, serves as a transfer link of effort in all movements of the arms and legs.
The cortical muscle complex includes:
- straight, transverse, oblique press muscles;
- leading muscles, as well as the muscles of the back of the thighs;
- gluteal muscles – medium and small;
- lumbar thoracic fascia;
- subacute and beak-shaped brachial muscles.
Cora forms a kind of corset under the “clothes” of superficial muscles. It doesn’t have a very noticeable effect on the muscular relief, but with its poor development, training other muscle groups won’t be effective. Moreover, with a weak cortex there is a very high risk of injury at power training. This is due to the fact that all motor impulses during exercise are transmitted through the muscles of the cortex, and if they are weak and can not compensate for high loads, it is applied directly to the spine and joints, injuring them.
Strengthening the bark muscles is a top priority.
Knowing what cortical muscles are and what role they play, it is impossible not to recognize that their training should be a priority for everyone who cares about their physical condition.
Many newcomers make a gross mistake by coming to the gym with zero training and immediately grabbing the big weights. With this behavior, the desire to quickly acquire muscles often turns into injuries to the back and joints. And the main reason for this is the weakness of muscle stabilizers.
It has been noticed that people who train with their own weight almost never get injured in training. This is due to the fact that exercises with their own weight perfectly contribute to strengthening the muscles of the cortex. And if, having reached good physical shape with the help of such exercises, come to the gym, the risk of injury will be minimal even when working with iron. Strong cortex protects the spine and hip joints from the traumatic effects of high loads.
In any exercise of strength training, the cortical muscles are included in the work first and the force is transmitted to the arms or legs and applied to the projectile through them. To achieve progress in training, the load must be systematically increased, which means that with each increase in load the requirements for strength of muscle-stabilizers also increase. Consequently, it is necessary to strengthen the muscles of the cortex at all times. It is necessary that their strength parameters are ahead of the level of training of other muscles. Only under this condition one can provide maximum protection from injuries.
That’s why it’s necessary to pump cortical muscles for everybody – both those who are going to come to the gym and those who have already achieved high results in bodybuilding.
Ho injury prevention in training is not the only reason to strengthen the cortex. Those who are far from strength sport and bodybuilding will also benefit from these exercises. After all, strong stabilizers contribute to the formation of correct posture – a very important component of the beauty of the figure. In addition, exercises for this muscle complex improve the spine, stimulate the intestines, improve blood circulation in the small pelvis, have a general health effect.
Basic principles of training
Exercises on cortical muscles are mostly static. Their essence is to hold certain body positions until the muscles are completely exhausted. This feature is due to the fact that the stabilizing muscles are not designed to control the limbs, but mainly to hold static positions, which is required in a static training.
The basic principles of training stabilizing muscles do not differ in any way from the features of power training of other muscle groups:
- To build up strength, each approach in an exercise must end with a burning sensation in the muscles when it is already impossible to continue the exercise.
- The number of approaches in each exercise is from 2 to 4, with an interval not exceeding 1 minute.
- It is necessary to control the correctness of the exercise, because wrong actions can reduce the effectiveness of the training and even harm it.
- If the performance is not difficult, the exercise should be more difficult.
- It is necessary to pay equal attention to the training of all muscles in the cortex so that the muscle corset develops evenly. Otherwise, the spinal column will experience deforming loads, which can lead to injury.
- Each workout should be started by warming up and finished by stretching the muscles being worked on.
- It is desirable to combine strength training with moderate cardio loads.
- Nutrition should be balanced, containing an optimal amount of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals.
- The training program should be periodically updated, increasing ee intensity – change and complicate exercises, increase the number of approaches, reduce intervals.
- It is necessary to keep an optimal drinking regime.
Although training cortical muscles helps to improve posture, but it does not happen automatically, the correct position of the spine and shoulders should be maintained by volitional force until it becomes a habit.
Exercises at home
The good exercises for cortical development are that they require a little free space on the floor and nothing else. However, the presence of fitball will be a big plus, because it requires balancing, which loads the stabilizers even more effectively.
There is no better exercise in the ratio of simplicity to efficiency than the usual, familiar bar. All that matters is that it is really a bar, not an arc or a corner. You can check the correctness of the exercise by putting a stick on the back.
Planck is suitable for people with any level of physical training. Untrained will hold ee 30 seconds, trained – 2 minutes or more, and the benefits for both will be the same. For complication, it is possible to use options with fitball, with raising arm, leg, both arm and opposite leg.
The same applies to the side bar, which can be made more complicated by placing a weightlifter on the upper side. The oblique muscles of the press curl in the side bar work well. It is important to remember that the side bar as well as the “asymmetrical” types of straight bar should be done on both sides in the same number of approaches.
This exercise is also called the buttock bridge. In this exercise it is necessary to make sure that the body and hips are in line, and that the muscles of the buttocks, back muscles are tensed more than the front of the hip. The bridge can be made more complex by raising the leg or putting both legs on a fitball game.
Exercise in the gym
You can also do exercises for cortical muscles in the gym on simulators. In particular, it is hyperextension and ee complex variant with a weighting agent on the scapular area. Hyperextension should be done slowly, not sprawlingly, without excessive deflection in the lower back.
Hip drive muscles, which are part of the cortical muscles, develop well on the legs training machine. During training on it, the pelvic floor muscles are also included in the work, which improves blood supply to the pelvic organs, and y men serves to prevent prostatitis.
Training aimed at developing cortical muscles does not require any projectiles and does not take much time. To perform them, only self-discipline is needed. Having studied only 2-3 months, you can feel and see a noticeable improvement in your fitness. 3a this time not only the body will prepare for higher physical activity, but also will become a habit of systematic training. This will help you quickly adapt to the exercises in the gym and successfully continue building the body of your dreams.