Tai Chi to the Core!

For many years we were told that the key to core strength was a series of exercises that target the external or wall muscles while completely ignoring the deepest (closest to the spine) of the core muscles. This external, aesthetic approach to muscle development often caused an imbalance in the core muscles sets with resulting core instability; some muscles becoming well defined while others are almost completely ignored by this type of training. I have seen this myself when working with some large, strong people such as football players. They have such strong, well developed upper bodies that the core does not fully engage under load. When I put them in a posture and load that fully engages the core, they are very often very surprised at their core weakness and are driven to move back towards their known strength.

Proper Alignment is Key to Proper Core Development...
I have trained in many different modalities over the years. Different types of crunches, back strengthening, Inverted sit ups, with and without weights, back machines, leg lifts, you name it, I tortured myself with it. In all honesty, it was not until I met Dr. Chen, my Tai Chi Master, that I began to learn what true core strength was all about. He showed me how weak my core was and what I needed to do to improve it. Over time, with consistent yet gentle, effort I was beginning to feel a difference in my overall strength, speed, endurance and stamina. Even though I gave up running, rope work and my other intense cardio pursuits, I feel stronger now than I ever have. One of the main things I have learned is that without proper postural alignment, you will not be able to reach the core muscles and therefore miss the opportunity to strengthen them effectively. This true of any exercise you choose to pursue and is always a significant point of focus in good Tai Chi Training.

Tai Chi's slow and gentle approach to training...
In Tai Chi, we are not trying to build an Adonis type body; we want to make the body we have as efficient and healthy as possible. The combination of deep breathing, slow, gentle, relaxed movements while in a strongly emphasized posture are how we gain our healthy rewards. When you move into a balance stance and become shaky, most people will push past this shaky state, trying hard to stay up, fighting their bodies the entire way. The muscles being confused as to their specific role in the movement cause the shakiness. If you focus your mental energy and move slowly you can more effectively communicate to the muscles, serving to strengthen and stabilize a balanced stance.

Strength Training after the age of 55...
There have been many studies published discussing the increased risk of spinal injury and damage in people after the age of 55.
Spinal Stenosis describes the narrowing of the spinal canal which can compress the spinal cord and nerves. Another common challenge as we age is Degenerative Disease Disc which is a slow, dehydration, hardening, weakening of the spinal discs.

There are several important suggestions on how aging adults can protect their spine as they age which includes limiting or eliminating certain types of back strengthening exercises. No more back lifts and twisting, especially with weights. No more lurching the body around to get that nice little "crackle" from our own version of a Chiropractic adjustment. The things we did when we were younger can cause significant damage in the presence of the spinal challenges I mentioned above. This in no way means that we should stop exercising, it simply means we have to be selective as to what is good exercise for our bodies. As an example, I found one of my students throwing his leg back and forth violently (across the body) while supporting himself on the wall before class one day. Maybe at age 20 this type of cross-angle, forced stretch would have been ok but at this gentleman's age, it can cause severe stress to an already weakened spinal base. As a matter of fact, I had just the week before massaged his lower back because of the significant pain he was experiencing.

Tai Chi is like flowing water...So is our body...
It has been said that watching a Tai Chi Master is like watching a river flow gracefully down stream; smooth, continuous and yet patient, still, quite. Lean muscle tissue contains about 75% water. Blood contains 83% water, body fat contains 25% water and bone has 22% water. Literally every function in the human body requires water to operate properly. So why is it so hard to get people to drink water! While I have only circumstantial evidence and hypothetical reasoning at my disposal, I strongly believe that the degenerative nature of the diseases of the aging are directly related to the fact that about 80% of the population leads their life dehydrated. 80%! Just look at the symptom list on the link for dehydration to see what I mean. Consider doing this experiment - Take a fresh strawberry and cut a 1/4" slice out of it, place it on a paper towel and leave it on the counter overnight. That fresh, juicy strawberry will be shriveled, tough and dried out. In essence, dehydrated. The same thing that happens to our spinal discs, ligaments, cartilage and eventually muscles as we age. I have mentioned before that the body is a survivor. When it is given no choice, it will prioritize and shut down any system it needs to to help the core human survive. Consider what happens to a victim of shock whereby the body begins a systematic shutdown to protect the internal organs in the event of a trauma. If we spend our time dehydrated, eventually we leave the body no choice but to draw the necessary fluids from its own tissues. This is true with bone loss as well. When there is not enough calcium available for the processes, the bones will begin to suffer the degradation which can lead to osteoperosis.

So as we work to develop our core strength, keep a strong posture, keep your nutrition levels up and by all means drink plenty of water!

Please also reference my entry on Core Strength for more information.