Train the CORE to the water!

Josep Silvestre

24 May, 2017

Lately there is a debate on where it is best to train the CORE, whether inside or outside the water. In this article we explain to you that each medium has its advantages and we list in what aspects the training in the pool is more appropriate to work this central part of the body.

What is CORE?

To start talking about CORE training in the water, we must be clear about what we are talking about exactly. The term CORE means nucleus, in its literal translation of English. Behm (2010) define the term as the center of gravity of the body and where all movements begin. It is a set of bones and soft structures (muscles, tendons, joints, ligaments ...) in the area of the hips and lumbo-pelvic. Its function is to maintain optimal postural alignment before, during and after exercise, allowing a reduction of stress at the extremities at the time of moving. It helps us do more, with less effort.

What is better, train it dry or the aquatic environment?

Based on the studies of Masumoto (2004) and Kaneda (2009) we can affirm that CORE is activated more in the aquatic environment when it comes to general movements, due to the resistance of the water and the instability that They generate the currents and the displacements.

On the other hand, in the study of Bressel (2011), muscle activation is compared in specific exercises of CORE, both in the water and in the dry, and this is higher than in the outside.

Therefore, you will work more CORE in the water in global exercises (walking, running, toning, balancing ...), but if we want to do a more specific job of CORE, it is activated on the ground.

CORE work in the aquatic environment in back injuries

The buoyancy in the water drastically reduces the stress by compression in the different tissues of the body. Eliminate around 90% of body weight when we immerse ourselves to the height of the neck. In addition, the hydro-static pressure and the temperature of the water help balance and control the pain respectively (Weller 2009).

Bayraktar, from the Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Izmir, made two studies (2013 and 2016) about differences between a rehabilitation program in the pool and in the ground. At first there were subjects with low back pain, and the second patients who had a lumbar disc herniation. In both studies, both groups (of water and dry) progress and recover without significant differences.

Understanding that the recovery is equally valid in both media, and that in reference to the pain and pressure that is released within the aquatic environment, at least in the initial stages, it is highly recommended to work the CORE in the pool for rehabilitation of pathologies of the lumbar area.

We strengthen CORE swimming

Nedant works the core considerably. To achieve a good body placement and a perfect technical execution, a constant activation of the abdomen is required, which allows us to efficiently transmit the forces. By tightening it, we cause the entire body to move in a block when we apply force to the water. The muscular tension generated at CORE during swimming is not very high, but it is constant, causing positive adaptations, both at the level of strength and stabilization, and at the postural level.

the author

Josep Silvestre

Aquatic Area Technician and the Sports Area of Llinars Sports

Graduate in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences, Master's degree in secondary teacher training and Master's Degree in Physical Activity and Health, specializing in sports readaptation

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