Also: The link between football and brain damage; Simple items that help strengthen your core.

March 26, 2015 March 26, 2015 Core workout can cause muscle soreness Many popular workouts that aim to strengthen your arms, legs, and abs give short shrift to many of the muscles that form your body's core (the group of muscles that form the sturdy central link connecting your upper and lower body). Strong core muscles are essential to improving performance in almost any sport — and are the secret to sidestepping debilitating back pain. If you haven't been working your core muscles regularly — or if you challenge yourself with a new set of exercises — expect to feel a little soreness as you get used to your new routine. Get your copy of Core Exercises Want to bring more power to athletic pursuits? Build up your balance and stability? Or are you simply hoping to make everyday acts like bending, turning, and reaching easier? A strong, flexible core underpins all these goals. Core muscles need to be strong, yet flexible, and core fitness should be part of every exercise program. Extremely sore muscles a day or two after a core workout means you probably overdid it and might need to dial down your workout a bit. Next time, try to finish just one full set of each exercise in the workout. You might also do fewer repetitions (reps) of the exercises you find especially hard. Once you can do reps without much soreness, build strength by adding one more rep of the harder exercises in each session until you're doing the full number of reps comfortably. Then try adding a second set. If your muscles feel really sore within 24 to 48 hours of adding a burst of core work, cut back on the number of reps. For example, say you are doing planks, the modern alternative to pushups. Instead of trying to do four front planks a day, start with one. Stick with that for a few days, then add a second plank. When you're comfortable at that level — that is, not feeling a lot of muscle soreness — add a third plank. And so on. If even one plank knocks you out, cut back on how long you hold it: instead of 30 seconds, try 10 seconds for several days, then try 15 or 20 seconds, and so on. Delayed-onset muscle soreness is a normal response to working your muscles. Usually, it peaks 24 to 48 hours after a workout before gradually easing, then disappearing entirely in another day or so. But if you experience sudden, sharp, or long-lasting pain, check with your doctor. For more on how to safely and effectively strengthen your core, buy Core Exercises, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School. Share this story: News and Views from the Harvard Health Blog Editorial calls for more research on link between football and brain damage Is brain damage an inevitable consequence of American football, an avoidable risk of it, or neither? An editorial published yesterday in the medical journal BMJ poses those provocative questions, which the Football Players Health Study at Harvard University hopes to answer. The right stuff: These simple items can help you strengthen your core You needn't spend a cent on fancy equipment to get a good workout. A standing core workout and floor core workout rely on body weight alone. With the help of some simple equipment, you can diversify and ramp up your workouts. To start, consider buying only what you need for the specific workout you'd like to do. If you have a gym membership, use the facility's equipment. Here is a description of all of the equipment used in the six workouts designed by Harvard experts and found in our report Core Exercises. Chair. Choose a sturdy chair that won't tip over easily. A plain wooden dining chair without arms or heavy padding works well. Mat. Use a nonslip, well-padded mat. Yoga mats are readily available. A thick carpet or towels will do in a pinch. Yoga strap. This is a non-elastic cotton or nylon strap of six feet or longer that helps you position your body properly during certain stretches, or while doing the easier variation of a stretch. Choose a strap with a D-ring or buckle fastener on one end. This allows you to put a loop around a foot or leg and then grasp the other end of the strap. Medicine balls. Similar in size to a soccer ball or basketball, medicine balls come in different weights. Some have a handle on top. A 4-pound to 6-pound medicine ball is a good start for most people. Bosu. A Bosu Balance Trainer is essentially half a stability ball mounted on a heavy rubber platform that holds the ball firmly in place. Share this story: Featured in this issue Core Exercises Featured content: • The importance of your core • Safety first • Posture, alignment, and angles: Striking the right pose • Getting started • Special Bonus Section: Setting goals and motivating yourself •  ... and more! 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