THE CORE OF THE MATTER.

Attention all human beings that walk upright:

You don't need to train like a bodybuilder.

and

Nothing in your body works completely individually.

Thus, you don't need to isolate "individual" areas - unless you are attempting to rehab a particular area, but that's another issue.

If you're not training your body using compound, total-body exercises and movements with a decent amount of core training thrown in, you need to rethink your workout immediately.

How many times have you heard someone say when asked what they're going to work out that day, "I'm doing back and bi's," or "chest and tri's," or "lower body."

Ad nauseam most likely.

I even trained in that fashion myself for many years. Until I got a clue.

Your entire body works in concert. All muscle groups work tangentially with some other closely placed / closely related group.

And the link that brings everything together in health and harmony... your core.

If you have no core strength, you can bench press 305 lbs all day long, but you're really only as strong as your weakest link.

If you blow a tire on the highway, your ability to do a hammer curl doesn't have any bearing on whether or not you will have the core strength (the core strength that is the glue to pull your upper body and lower body strength together) so that you can jack up that vehicle and then crack those lug nuts loose.

This is why our need is so great for FUNCTIONAL fitness. If you're a body builder, great. Do your thing. Most people on the face of the planet aren't and thus they need to train in ways that will support their well-being in day-to-day life.

Most people do the following:

Lie flat all night when sleeping.
Sit at the table and eat breakfast (if they do eat breakfast).
Sit in the car on the way to work.
Sit at their desk all day and wherever they go for lunch they sit there also.
Sit in the car on the way home from work.
Sit at the table and eat dinner.
Sit in front of the television and watch some mindless programming.
Get back in bed and start the cycle all over again.

Where in that scenario was this individual's core (or any other strength for that matter) exercised?

Now ask yourself why most people have back / lower back problems?

Coincidence? I think not.

Everything revolves around your core strength.

Let me say that again.

Everything revolves around your core strength.

Let me say that again.

Everything revolves around your core strength.

Chopping wood. Cleaning house. Putting the tupperware away in the lower cabinet. Loosening and tightening lug nuts. Carrying luggage. Golf. Moving furniture. Oh, and exercising properly.

You, as a want-to-be-healthy-and-enjoy-life-day-to-day type of person do not need to be a bodybuilder and you don't need to train like one. You need to train for functionality and overall wellness.

Find a personal trainer that can help guide you through that. Or if you're experienced enough around the gym, do some reading and refocus your own routines. You'll thank me for it.

Have a strong day.

Bravo out.