I just rely on yoga and classic weight lifting to work whatever body part it is they call a "core"
I can attest to the fact that it's possible to do both of those activities - for years - without working the core very much at all. I did aikido for years as well, pretty intensively at times, and that is supposed to be ALL about using your core ("hara" in Japanese); but there too, I managed to not use my core very much. Technically, I learned the moves, but never had a clue why it wasn't quite clicking for me.
Seems that some of us develop - without knowing it - what could maybe be called a "core-avoidant" style of moving. So unless someone really spells it out to a person like me, my automatic tendency is to find a way to "get around" engaging my core. It's sort of like having slumped posture. You just learn to do everything with bad posture, and since you get so used to it, it feels "normal." You can even be "in really good shape" this way. I guess you end up recruiting other muscles to fill in for the core. Probably really bad for those over-stressed muscles in the long run, though - and probably a very inefficient, energy-sucking way to move, too.
That's why someone like me definitely does need some kind of focused "core work" and why it feels so difficult and odd at first.
I just rely on yoga and classic weight lifting to work whatever body part it is they call a "core"
I can attest to the fact that it's possible to do both of those activities - for years - without working the core very much at all. I did aikido for years as well, pretty intensively at times, and that is supposed to be ALL about using your core ("hara" in Japanese); but there too, I managed to not use my core very much. Technically, I learned the moves, but never had a clue why it wasn't quite clicking for me.
Seems that some of us develop - without knowing it - what could maybe be called a "core-avoidant" style of moving. So unless someone really spells it out to a person like me, my automatic tendency is to find a way to "get around" engaging my core. It's sort of like having slumped posture. You just learn to do everything with bad posture, and since you get so used to it, it feels "normal." You can even be "in really good shape" this way. I guess you end up recruiting other muscles to fill in for the core. Probably really bad for those over-stressed muscles in the long run, though - and probably a very inefficient, energy-sucking way to move, too.
That's why someone like me definitely does need some kind of focused "core work" and why it feels so difficult and odd at first.
