Strength Training for Football - Core Muscle Strength Training

This article will focus on the importance of core muscle strength training and some of the exercises that will help develop those muscle groups.

The core muscles are more than just the abdominals, they are they muscles groups of the torso and trunk. It is from these muscles that the energy, power and speed flow into the extremities. The trunk and torso muscles stabilize spine, pelvis and should girdle. Which is why it is so essential athletes employ a core muscle strength training program as part of the football conditioning.

Benefits:

1. More body control and better balance
2. Better efficiency of movement
3. Power increase from the core and peripheral muscles which are the shoulders legs and arms.
4. Since the core muscles act as shock absorbers in the body, the better conditioned they are, the more the risk of injury is reduced.

Exercises:

1. The Prone Bridge:
Assuming a prone position, balance yourself on your elbows and toe tips. Doing your best to maintain a straight line from head to heels, you will be working the posterior and anterior muscles of the trunk and pelvis.

2. The Lateral Bridge:
This exercise works the abdominal obliques and the transversus abdominus. Start by lying on the left side pressing upwards with your left arm. Maintaining a straight line between your hand and foot will form a bridge, resting on the left elbow will increase the difficulty of the workout. After you have done the left side do the right.

3. The Supine Bridge:
Focusing on the gluteal muscles you want to lay flat on the floor with your hands stretched downward. Rise up so that only your feet, hands, shoulders and head are touching the ground. This exercise will give you more pelvic control.

4. The Pelvic Thrust:
This workout requires you lie flat on your back with your legs positioned at approximately a 90 degree angle. Slowly you want to lift your hips off the floor up towards the ceiling. Lower your hips back down to the floor and repeat the motion several times.

5. The Russian Twist:

1. You start by sitting on the floor having your hips and knees flexed at approximately a 90 degree angle.

2. Keep the hips from rotating with the shoulders as you swing a small dumbbell or medicine ball from left to right.

3. It is important that the arms be kept low near your thighs as you rotate the medicine ball or dumbbell from side to side.

6. The Good Morning Workout:

1. Standing with your feet shoulder width apart, you want your knees slightly bent and about a 20 degree angle.

2. Beginning Position: Your back must be straight and you grab the weight bar with an overhand grip that is should width apart.

3. Keeping the knees bent at the 20 degree angle, bend at the hips and slowly lower the bar to knee height. Gently return to the starting position and repeat the exercise.

4. It is very important to keep your back straight, all movement must come from the hips, in order to facilitate this push your fanny or gluts back as if you were sitting down. Your knees may move forward, do not let them move beyond your toes.

These are just some of the workouts you can perform for core muscle strength training for football. There are many more exercises available and there are core muscle training DVDs available. As with any workout it is advisable to do a warm up and stretching exercise before you begin a hard work out. A post work out stretching program is a good idea, this will help reduce lactate acid in the muscles and reduce muscle soreness.

Check out our Core Muscle Strength Training DVDS
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copy right Andrew Berkey 8-10-10