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STILL IN MOTION
Because slowing down isn’t in the plan.
THIS WEEK'S STORY
For most of my thirties and forties, my core training looked like this: crunches, planks, maybe some leg raises when I was feeling ambitious. I thought of “core” and “abs” as essentially the same thing.
They are not the same thing.
The abs — the rectus abdominis, the six-pack muscle — are the most visible part of the core. They flex the spine forward. That’s their primary job. And after 60, repeatedly flexing the spine forward under load is, in most cases, exactly the wrong thing to be training.
The core in its complete form is a canister: the diaphragm on top, the pelvic floor on the bottom, the deep abdominals wrapping around the sides and front, and the multifidus — a deep spinal muscle — across the back. Its job is not to flex the spine. Its job is to stabilize the spine while the limbs do the work.
That distinction matters more at 65 than it did at 35, because the intervertebral discs have less water content, the deep stabilizing muscles have often been undertrained for decades, and spinal structures are more vulnerable to compressive and shear forces under faulty loading.
Once I understood what the core was actually for, everything changed. The exercises got quieter, slower, and more demanding in a way that had nothing to do with reps or sweat.
THE MAIN MESSAGE
After 60, core training should be built around three principles:
-- Anti-flexion and anti-extension. The spine’s primary stability job is resisting unwanted movement, not producing it. Exercises that challenge you to keep the spine neutral while forces try to bend or extend it — planks, dead bugs, carries — train exactly this capacity.
-- Anti-rotation. Many of the forces that challenge spinal stability in daily life are rotational: picking something up while twisted, catching yourself mid-fall, reaching across the body with load. Training the core to resist rotation is what protects the spine during these moments.
-- Intra-abdominal pressure management. The deep core — diaphragm, transverse abdominis, pelvic floor — creates a pressurized canister around the spine during effort. Learning to generate and hold this pressure through breath and bracing makes every other exercise you do safer and more effective.
What this means in practice: crunches and sit-ups load the lumbar spine in flexion under the weight of the torso. For most people over 60 with any disc history or lower back sensitivity, the risk-to-benefit ratio is unfavorable. The most effective core exercises for active adults over 60 are movements where the core’s job is to hold still while something else moves.
A strong, stable core reduces lower back pain, improves performance in every other strength exercise, and protects the spine during falls and awkward movements. You just have to train the right thing.
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Stretch of the Week: Child’s Pose with Side Reach
Why: Decompresses the lumbar spine and stretches the lats and quadratus lumborum — the deep lateral back muscles that chronically shorten and contribute to lower back stiffness and lateral core weakness.
How to do it:
Kneel on a mat and sit your hips back toward your heels
Walk both hands forward and let your chest drop toward the ground
From there, walk both hands to the right and hold — feel the stretch along the left side of your torso
Hold 30–40 seconds, then walk hands to the left
2 rounds each side
Tuesday’s issue goes deeper with three variations for different levels of lateral torso and QL restriction.
Strength Move of the Week: Dead Bug
Purpose: Trains the deep core to stabilize the spine against the forces created by moving opposite limbs simultaneously — one of the most fundamental patterns for spinal protection in daily movement.
How to do it:
Lie on your back, knees bent at 90 degrees, feet off the floor, arms pointing toward the ceiling
Press your lower back firmly into the floor and hold it there throughout
Slowly extend your right arm overhead while simultaneously extending your left leg toward the floor
Both limbs hover just above the floor — do not touch down
Return to start, then repeat with the opposite arm and leg
5–6 reps per side, 2–3 sets
Thursday’s issue expands with three Dead Bug progressions from beginner to advanced, plus the breathing cue that makes all the difference.
Suggested Equipment: Exercise Mat with Alignment Lines
A mat with printed alignment guides provides instant feedback during floor-based core work — whether the hips are drifting during dead bugs, whether the spine is neutral during planks. Small detail, meaningful difference.
Saturday’s issue covers the full equipment picture for core health: what tools actually help and which ones are marketing dressed as fitness.
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THE TAKEAWAY
Stop training your abs. Start training your core. The muscles that matter most for spinal health after 60 are the ones that hold the spine still when everything else is trying to move it. Train that capacity deliberately, and your back — and everything attached to it — will work better for decades.
YOUR TURN
Do you have a core routine? Has lower back discomfort ever been a limiting factor in your training? Reply and tell me what’s been your experience. Issue #32 is already in progress.
Still moving forward,
— The SIM60 Team
simsixty.com · Educational content only. Not medical advice.
