Core Inspiration

The Core Performance: The Revolutionary Workout Program to Transform Your Body & Your Life
by Mark Verstegen, Pete Williams

Core Performance, the breakthrough fitness program that has already shipped more than 50,000 copies in hardcover, is the first program that delivers strength and muscle mass, endurance and a lean body, balance and flexibility, athletic quickness and power - all in less than an hour a day. How? By giving you a personal coach who has worked with some of the most famous and successful athletes in the world today.

The intense focus on the muscles of your core - abs, lower back, hips, and thighs - will help you stand taller and prevent the back pain from which most people eventually suffer. The detailed nutrition section guarantees that you'll feed your muscles, starve your fat, and get boundless energy when you need it most. This program is like nothing you've ever seen before - it enables you to totally transform your body in just 12 weeks. The potential is within you, and the power to unleash that potential is within Core Performance.

Over the past decade, I've helped people from all walks of life perform better–not just in sports but also in their daily lives. I've shown them a program that not only helps them look fitter, it serves as a lifelong formula to maximize performance and help maintain a high quality of life well into their senior years.

You might believe you're already benefiting from a program of diet and exercise. I'm sure you are, to some degree. After all, you've taken the biggest step by committing to better health, and that alone is empowering. But if there's one common denominator I've seen in kids, seniors, working adults–even professional athletes–it's that they do not work out properly, or at least as efficiently as they could. Because of the misinformation they've been fed by the media and marketers, they reap only a fraction of the reward and leave themselves vulnerable to physical ailments down the road.

Take my coauthor, Pete Williams. Pete looks as if he's in decent shape for a guy in his midthirties. He played sports in high school, and now, as a working adult and father, he lifts weights or runs 4 days a week. But he always has been frustrated by his inability to generate much power, whether it be hitting a baseball or performing martial-arts routines. Despite countless golf lessons, he has found that he cannot get any lift on a ball off the tee.

I asked Pete if he had any physical ailments, and, not surprisingly, he mentioned that his back tightens up while driving. He's constantly squirming in the seat. On long rides, he has to get out and stretch after just an hour.

Not long after he arrived at Athletes' Performance, the cutting-edge training center I own and operate in Tempe, Arizona, I had him hop up on a padded table and lie on his back. I asked him to raise his left leg as high as he could, and he struggled to lift it 45 degrees. I had him put the leg down and then extend it to his left. It barely moved.

I've seen elderly and obese people perform better. By now, some of our interns had gathered around, marveling at this utter lack of flexibility. Professional tennis player Mary Pierce, who happened to be getting stretched and massaged at the next table, casually pulled a leg back so that her toe touched her shoulder.

"There you have it," Pete said, nodding toward Mary. "The difference between a professional athlete and a sportswriter."

"Wrong!" I shouted. I grabbed a rope, wrapped it around Pete's foot, and had him perform the same stretches, this time raising his leg up on his own, then moving it farther by gently assisting with the rope for 2 seconds while exhaling at the end of the stretch. I helped him push at the end, and after just 10 challenging minutes, Pete was able to lift each of his legs nearly 90 degrees.

For 20 years, Pete has been under the impression that he could not physically stretch his hamstrings more than 45 degrees. As a result, his performance in sports suffered, and he developed back problems. But after 10 minutes of our program, he learned that there was no reason he could not–with work–become as flexible as he wanted to be.

The following day, Pete was working out alongside baseball star Roberto Alomar, performing the identical strength and movement routines. Pete still had a long way to go to improve his flexibility, but by seeing what he could do in such a short time the previous day, he had gained the confidence to do more. In less than 24 hours, Pete had transformed from a sportswriter who interviewed Robbie to an athlete who could train with him. Pete will never play in the major leagues, of course, but there's no reason he can't develop the same flexibility, joint stability, and physical power of an elite athlete.

This program was originally designed to help professional athletes, but anyone can benefit from the same techniques, which you'll learn in this book. Obviously, you don't have the same amount of time to devote to training as a pro athlete, which is why we've streamlined the program. We like to think of this book as our "greatest hits" version. I know my professional athletes will agree with me when I say that if a sportswriter can follow this program, then anyone can.

Pete's like a lot of people who think they're in good shape because they work out regularly and eat right–at least by the standards popularized by fad-diet plans and so-called "experts." In reality, if Pete hadn't made some dramatic changes, he was looking at serious back problems down the road–and there are few physical ailments that hinder you in life like a bad back.

Except maybe hip problems. Pete's hips were so tight and inflexible that he might have one day needed a hip replacement. He might have thrown out his back picking up his infant son. It was obvious why he couldn't drive a baseball, hit a golf ball, or deliver powerful karate kicks; his body was incapable of performing these core movements.

No amount of batting practice or golf lessons can compensate for a body that can't perform functional movements. Poor Pete. Since childhood, he had been lifting weights, running, and knocking himself out on the driving range and in the batting cage, when what he really needed was to work on his pillar strength, developing the muscles around the hips, lower back, torso, abs, and shoulder blades.

The worst part of it is that Pete has a tremendous work ethic and probably thought he just had to work harder to perform better. He followed what he thought were sound training methods that, indeed, gave him a degree of muscle, fitness, and endurance. But by training body parts instead of body movements–the area we focus on in our program– not only was he not making the most of his time, he was setting himself up for physical problems in the future.

He needed a better program. Which is where Core Performance comes in. Yes, we designed this for professional athletes–they represent the bulk of our business, after all–but this same program will benefit you regardless of where you are in life, what sport you play, or even if you don't play sports at all.

Think of your body as a computer. It's a remarkable piece of hardware. It also comes with a lot of powerful software, much of which we'd like to use better if only we knew how. Like a computer, the body comes down with viruses and glitches in its programming that slow it down. Core Performance shows you how to best program all of your software to get the most out of the hardware while ridding the body of glitches and viruses so that it operates at maximum power and reaches its ultimate potential.

Everyone I've worked with–from kids and working adults to seniors and pros–has lost body fat, improved flexibility, become more powerful, and strengthened and stabilized his joints. Those who were working out previously found that they were addressing only a fraction of the areas they needed to address in order to maximize performance.

Most important, they discovered that they could make improvements in all of these areas and do it efficiently, in a small block of time, and enjoy the process.

If you're like me, you're not a professional athlete. You're someone with responsibilities, both professional and personal, that create heavy demands on your time. But like an athlete, you have goals, dreams, and a desire to improve. Your body is the vehicle for your success, and I'm here to show you how to make that vehicle run with the most power and efficiency possible.

The main reason I decided to write this book is that I see a nation of people setting themselves up for long-term problems. We become less active all the time, spending more time in front of the television and the computer. Kids no longer play unless it's an organized activity, and even that's disappearing. Many schools have eliminated physical-education classes.

Working adults have less time to exercise than ever before. As a result, we're seeing an increase in type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and hip-replacement surgeries. Modern medicine has enabled people to live longer than ever before, but their quality of life is decreasing all the time.

A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine revealed that people who are overweight at age 40 are likely to die at least 3 years sooner than those who are not overweight. Other studies suggest that overweight children are likely to be overweight adults. If we don't stop this epidemic, it's possible that life expectancies actually could decrease in the coming years–even with modern medical advances.

When people do commit to a program of nutrition and exercise, it's usually a quick-fix solution that takes pounds off quickly but fails to address these long-term issues. You might end up with a thinner physique (however temporarily), but you'll almost certainly fail to create a body that's more powerful and resistant to injury.

We need to turn our focus away from just looking better. Wouldn't you also like to perform better in all areas of your life?

It's a simple question, I know, but I'm often surprised at the confused looks I get when I talk to people who are considering training with me. They figure I'm going to help them develop a leaner physique and become stronger.

I do that, of course, and that will happen if you commit to this program. But why put in all that time and effort solely to look better and, perhaps, feel better? Wouldn't you rather perform better?

Wouldn't you rather experience more success and fulfillment at work? At play? In dealing with your friends and family? Wouldn't you rather have a body that not only looks good but also is capable of thriving in sports and performing the grueling physical tasks of everyday life?

Wouldn't you rather have a body that will resist injury, a body that will be less likely to develop the types of hip and back problems that plague millions of people? Wouldn't you rather follow a nutrition program that will prevent type 2 diabetes and obesity?

Wouldn't you rather have a fit body that's not an end goal but a means to help you establish core values and confidence to reach the highest levels of professional and personal success?

People who follow this program tell me that they're able to perform movements they never thought possible, and you, too, will find that your body will become more flexible, elastic, and explosive than ever before. You'll find you have more stability, which is to say more support around your joints that comes from working the surrounding little muscles that other training programs ignore. You'll also find you enjoy the process and find it easy to integrate into what you're already doing.

We'll accomplish this by training 3 to 6 days a week, for 30 to 60 minutes a day. The program consists of six core routines plus an element of Energy System Development training–what you probably think of as cardio work. Together, they comprise seven units, and you'll do three or four units–or partial units– a day.

We constantly mix up units to challenge your body. Your body needs continual stimulation to avoid falling into a rut. It also needs to recover, which is why 2 to 3 of your 6 days will be lighter in intensity. You'll look forward to these days–referred to as "active rest," "regeneration," or "reload" days–because you're helping your body recover more quickly and avoiding overtraining, which can lead to injury. The program includes a nutritional component based on science, not on quick-fix weight-loss methods.

You will train your entire body on each exercise day, which might be a new concept if you have followed plans that concentrate on certain body parts on designated days. But because we target so many different areas and systems, there's little danger of overtraining your body.

Why will this occur? Because we train movements, not body parts. Many training programs are based on the one-dimensional movements of bodybuilding, exercises designed solely to build a muscle targeted at winning a contest or pleasing a mirror. There's a lot of pushing and pulling, but rarely are the hips, torso, pelvis, and lower back–the key areas of almost all movement–integrated into the training.

Is it any wonder, then, that so many people suffer hip and lower-back problems? It's because they don't train their bodies for these movements. Unless you're training to win a muscle-and-fitness contest, wouldn't you rather spend your time on a program that makes your body more functional, more resistant to injury, and better looking?

I've found that many accomplished athletes don't work out properly until I show them the techniques to become more efficient and to maximize their bodies.

Now, if these athletes are exercising incorrectly, my hunch is that you're probably not making the most of your workouts either. But don't worry. The best part about this plan is that you can quickly learn the same techniques that I've taught them and see dramatic results immediately.

Lots of people work out daily but haven't made improvements in years. They stretch and never become more flexible. They lift the same amount of weight week after week. Instead of focusing on their weaknesses, they continue to work on their strengths, because it makes them feel better. I suppose there's some value in that, but wouldn't you rather turn your weaknesses into strengths?

We need to rediscover and reactivate those core movements that we were born with and see in children. If you watch little kids, you'll see them lunge, twist, crawl, pull, and balance naturally. Somewhere along the line, we stop moving this way and subscribe to workout programs that actually discourage these natural movements.

Core Performance is going to show you the same techniques pro athletes use to maximize performance in sports. The same movements children learn naturally can be used by people like you to craft a more functional body that's leaner, stronger, and more explosive. No matter your age, sex, or athletic involvement, you can create a new body and mental toughness that come from meeting physical challenges and that will propel you to new heights in every element of your life.

Don't get me wrong; you will look great. But in the process you'll make the most of your training time by addressing the structural elements, from joint function to flexibility, mobility, strength, and everything that contributes to your posture. You'll find that you'll literally start to glide through life with a spring in your step instead of plodding along.

I don't mean that just in terms of how you physically walk, but also in the way that people view you and how you perceive your own abilities to accomplish goals, regardless of the challenge.

This is a training regimen. But it's also a way to prepare for the demands of life. You'll be taught a system to perform better, starting with the first chapter. As we go along, you'll learn the secrets of how to improve your fitness level, but more important, your performance level.

INVESTING IN YOURSELF

Your body is the most important investment of your life, and, fortunately, it's something you have control over. If you don't invest in yourself first, the rest of your life's portfolio will suffer. As much as we want to share ourselves with our family, friends, and professional associates, we cannot do so until we take care of ourselves first.

Isn't it amazing that people take better, more proactive care of their cars than their bodies? We spend big money on a car and do everything to protect that investment from Day One. We dutifully change the oil every 3,000 miles. We rush to the shop at the first sign of trouble. We buy extended warranties and insurance, all because we want to protect an investment we know will most likely provide us no value after 8 to 10 years.

And yet we visit the doctor or think about our health only when things go wrong. Cars and all the other material things won't make a difference if we don't have the quality of life we want. The richest man in the world can't buy health. There has to be an investment of time and effort in a plan–not just any plan, but one that will provide the greatest return on investment.

Many training plans, like automobiles, are short-term investments. You'll get your body looking good for a wedding, reunion, or trip to the beach, but you won't take the measures to ensure that your body will function well for a lifetime. What good is it to look good in your twenties, thirties, and forties if you're struggling with joint problems and not able to move efficiently when you're in your sixties, seventies, and eighties?

This program is the one you've needed, even if you didn't realize it. Core Performance is a long-term investment in your productivity and wellness. When it comes to your health, you're either going to pay now or pay much more later, and it's a heck of a lot easier and better to make the proper investment now. Once you wait for an injury to occur, you have a potentially chronic problem to deal with, and it's a long road back from there. You could fall into a downward spiral toward disability, poor health, and a low quality of life. But if you start now, you can minimize the risk of those problems.

I call this proactive concept prehabilitation, or prehab. You've no doubt heard of rehabilitation or rehab, the painful, often frustrating regimen of exercises to strengthen an area of the body after injury or surgery. Prehab is a series of exercises, which you will learn in this book, geared toward preventing injuries that require rehab.

You can always buy a new car. Once you ruin your body's original equipment, however, you're in trouble. Think of prehab as your own 3,000-mile maintenance, albeit something you'll do even more often to prevent long-term damage.

When I started working in the performance field, I had little idea of the impact my methods would have beyond the sports realm. Then athletes began telling me how the program changed their mindset and gave them a new approach to every aspect of their lives.

If you are someone who hasn't been working out, this is the perfect place to start. You're a blank canvas, and I'm excited because you haven't developed any bad habits. Whatever your starting point, this program will show you the most efficient path.

Start by tossing aside your preconceived limitations. Take off the blinders and envision what you want to achieve for your body. Don't set ceilings and limitations on what you can do. We have accomplished athletes who come to us and still manage to find new heights through our program. So don't tell me you're incapable.

Please don't get discouraged if this program seems a little awkward to you at first. Like anything new, there's a bit of a learning curve, but this is the straightest shot toward achieving your goals. Every athlete I see, even one who earns tens of millions of dollars, feels a little challenged and intimidated at first. But what makes him successful is that he's willing to make a concerted effort. That's all I'm asking of you.

When athletes arrive at our training center, I have them sign a core covenant pledging maximum effort and commitment to improving quality of life. After all, what's more important than that?

Nothing is accomplished without making a commitment–so do that now. The core covenant is waiting for your signature.

THE CORE COVENANT

Dear Friend:

The purpose of this book is to improve performance. My research and development have been aimed at creating programs to assist you in reaching your goals, regardless of your athletic or competitive background. Core Performance is designed to provide you with the proper means to achieve your desired results.

I'm very proud of the athletes I train and have very high expectations for them. At the same time, I stress that as an athlete you are ultimately responsible for your own performance. Therefore, while you are engaged in Core Performance, I will expect the following:

• Maximum effort
• Honesty
• Excellence
• Consistency
• Enjoyment of the process

Results aren't guaranteed; they're earned. To be sure you get the most out of your Core Performance experience, I ask that you sign this covenant, stating that you're committed to improving performance and are willing to give maximum effort and be honest with yourself so that we may strive for excellence together.

Athlete's Signature: __________________________

Mark Verstegen's Signature:

© 2005 by Joxy LLC. All rights reserved. No Part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

About the Author

Mark Verstegen, is owner of Athletes' Performance in Tempe, Arizona, a training facility that hosts world-class athletes in virtually every major sport.

Pete Williams is a contributing writer to USA Today Sports Weekly and Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal and has written about fitness and performance for many publications.