A friend emailed the other day. She’s hit her 50s and said ‘enough is enough’ and joined a small boutique club offering personal training. Having spent two days balancing on one leg, lifting light weights on the Bosu and creating giant arcs overhead with a ball she wanted to know my opinion of “core” training.

Core training should be part of everybody’s exercise program. It helps improve balance (something that diminishes with age) and may prevent back pain and injury, which if you live long enough eventually be on your list of physical ailments. However, I don’t believe it should take up your entire workout!

Twenty or so years ago I remember looking around the club and seeing at least 20 stairclimbers, all being used and some with waiting lists. I recall Cory Everson telling me how the stairstepper contributed to that “dimple” on the side of her glutes. Just this afternoon I looked around my club’s 50+ cardio machines and counted four steppers, off to a corner, and all collecting dust.

That’s the way of the fickle fitness world, I told my friend. Today’s buzzword is “core” and no trainer wants to look like they aren’t abreast of the latest trend.

My friend wasn’t seeking a glute dimple–she would be happy if she could see a little flexion in her backside again! What she really needs is a basic weight training program to build strength and bone density, some tips on using the heart monitor to get more fat burning out of her cardio, and a good flexibility cooldown.

As for core, I told her to get a stability ball and sit on it at her desk. As for those exercises she’s already learned at the club, do them at home on small balance board during the TV commercials. But when she’s paying for the time she spends in the club she should be using the cardio and weight equipment that isn’t suited to home use.

Core is excellent, but let us trainers not forget that a 50+ year old woman coming to a club deconditioned is most likely looking for fat loss and better mobility and strength. Get a handle on that, then impress her with your knowledge of core movements.

I told my friend to tell her trainer what she wants. It’s no different than telling your doctor what you suspect and requesting the tests you want, then taking the next logical step forward. Developing baseline skeletal muscle strength should precede fine-tuning the torque muscles of the torso. Just ask your mechanic: if the tires of the car are deflated who cares if the timing is correct?

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