CORE TRAINING

           When thinking about or discussing your core it often helps to use an analogy.  Your core is like the foundation of a house.  If the foundation is solid then the house that sits upon it will stand tall.  If your core is solid then your body will perform at its highest level both inside and outside of the gym.  If the foundation is cracked then the house will crumble over time.  If your core is weak then your body will break down leading to injury and lost training time.
  The core is often thought to be just your abdominal muscles.  Technically your core is comprised of all the muscles between you hips and your shoulders.  Some of these muscles such as the rectus abdominus and hip flexors people are fairly familiar with but who has ever heard of their transverse abdominus or their erector spinae muscles.  Even the muscles you might never have heard of deserve proper attention when training the core.
Having a strong core has numerous benefits.  Athletes will see improved performances and decreased rates of injury.  CrossFitters will see improved technique, strength gains and decreased WOD time.  Average people will see improved quality of life, body composition changes and increased energy levels.  The key to all of these improvements can be found in the increased efficiency of movement derived from a stronger core.  This in turn leads to better body control and coordination.
Likewise having a weak core can lead to a number of different injuries.  Chief among these issues are lower back strain, disc injuries, hip pain, pulled hamstrings and shoulder injuries.  Weak core muscles are often found in the posterior chain.  Simply put people tend not to focus as much on the muscles that they cannot see in the mirror.  Everyone likes to train their abs because they want to see a washboard stomach.
The key to training the core muscles is to understand their role and how they function.  Most muscles within the core are designed to eliminate unwanted movement.  If you only train these muscles to perform flexion then they will be unable to handle the stresses of an overhead squat which requires tremendous midline stabilization.  When performing core to extremity movements, think about any athletic movement, the muscles of the core must fire in a coordinated fashion and this must be controlled.  There is a specific sequence that these muscles must work and this is developed through the proper mobility and stability training.
Mobilization and stabilization of the core must be worked into every workout.  The best and easiest way to do this is through a functional warm-up.  Start with some form of cardiovascular exercise to increase blood flow and soft tissue temperature.  Then start activating your core through dynamic stretching and core work.  Choose exercises that will target the muscles you are going to use in your workout.  If it is leg day make sure you stretch and work the muscles of the hips -- hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings and quads.