Core strength vs. core endurance

Could you define the difference between core strength and core endurance for us? Maybe I'm way behind the curve here, but it sounds as though you are splitting hairs.

i agree. i am a collegiate coach, and i find what you are saying to be quite accurate. it's funny that you use the term "objectives" b/c i use that all the time in coaching.

anyways, you have to look at the demands of the race.

in cross country, for example, the athlete is running 8k-10k to race. the core has to be able to support the athlete for approx 24-35 minutes (faster 8k to slower 10k types), with an average of 30 minutes. the athlete should be able to hold the "prone iso abs" aka "the plank" for the same amount of time they intend to race. however, the athlete is moving during running, called locomotion, so the legs should be moving. theres some great exercises that ryan hall is shown performing in the video that was made about him on godtube.com.

you hold the plank position and do opposite arm and leg reaches. that exercises will meet the following objectives:

1. core stability

2. balance

3. hand-foot-eye coordination

4. upper body stability strength

5. aerobic energy system development (3 sets of the exercises lasting 5 minutes each, 15 minutes total= aerobic energy)

I've never seen anyone come even close to 24 minutes of plank

Great post. Could you provide the link to the Ryan Hall vid? I can't seem to find it( maybe coffee hasn't kicked in yet...) Thank you!

I think that's it.

R.L. Scribner wrote:

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=e593f8eba239bada1a0c

I think that's it.

Thanks, but that wasn't it.

What are the marks all over Josh Cox's torso?

I've heard a lot more of this kind of training taking place. Just like it is with our running training - long and steady is the name of the game for our strength training (for distance runners). I know the Madison group (Teg, Solinsky, etc.) has talked in interviews about using their own body weight for long slow core stability exercises - a lot like the Ryan Hall stuff in the video above mentioned before.

I used to think I was doing so much for myself by quickly ripping out like 3x 25 situps and calling it a day (about 5 minutes of work).

Well, you know the difference between strength and endurance in terms of muscular training, right? I'll give you an analogy. Push-ups train your pecs to lift a little bit of weight many times, whereas high weight bench press to failure trains your pecs to lift a lot of weight a few times. The core is just muscle, it can be trained in different ways just like everything else.

The assumption is that as endurance athletes, we should train all our muscles for endurance. I don't think that's true. Obviously, some endurance is important, especially for longer distances, but I think strength is important too. Sit-ups and crunches don't do much to train strength.

Outlaw, that's a very creative exercise. I'll have to try it on Monday. It's nicely running-specific. But that wasn't strictly the sort of thing I was talking about, as planks are still more geared towards endurance, especially if you're doing 15 minutes of them.

I can't find the video either.

Hey, a fellow Wisconsinite. Where are you located? Any links to the interviews?

Too many terms.