As we are near one month left in summer, beach season is in full swing. For many people, that includes maintaining the spring acquired beach physique, which is where all of our favorite core exercises come in – crunches, scissor kicks, planks, etc. All of us do our very best to keep that midline trim, but what if the key to a strong, tight core was actually found in the back?

According to a new book, Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move with Confidence the back is where it is at. Dr. Eric Goodman and strength coach Peter Park, who co-wrote the book, talk about how most of our daily life is spent in a rounded, hunched position. So by going to the gym and exercising the front of our core muscles we are just reinforcing that contained shape. The book highlights many exercises that work on spinal extension due to how flexed we already are. As Park exclaimed, “You are sticking your butt out on everything.” Exercises focus on deep muscles, which are for stability, and shallow muscles, which are for movement.

The key is getting the two of them to work together to achieve postural stability and core tightness. The authors say the program is designed to supplement whatever workouts you are currently doing, and that twenty minutes spent on your core should be a max. Goodman emphasizes that to achieve this muscular harmony, four back exercises should be done to one front exercise. One bonus to this back first approach is that there is no need to purchase any equipment, which means most of these exercises can be done at home, at the gym, or even on vacation. This makes the addition of these routines easy to integrate, and it will help spice up those workouts.

Finally, this new age take on core strengthening is also helping to reduce back pain! So, if you are eager to learn more, I suggest picking the book up. It is currently $13 on Amazon, so give it a look!