Core Assessment and Training

Our understanding of the importance of core health for injury prevention, athletic performance, and rehabilitation grows each day. Make sure you can offer your clients safe and effective programs with Core Assessment and Training. In this book, you will learn to assess each client's baseline core function and develop an individualized program to meet his or her needs.

In Core Assessment and Training, expert Jason Brumitt covers all aspects of core training--from basic to advanced core exercises, stretches, and plyometrics. Whether you are a personal trainer, strength coach, or rehabilitation professional, this reference will help you learn these essentials:

- Functional anatomy of the core musculature

- Core assessment and functional testing techniques

- Fundamentals of program design for core training

- Special considerations for core training for various sports and core-specific injuries and conditions

This book covers not only core strength but also flexibility and plyometrics. It includes photos, illustrations, and instructions for more than 120 exercises. Sample exercise routines and a table that lists the exercises by the muscles used offer a basis for program design and provide on-the-spot reference. The accompanying DVD features video demonstrations that help you review proper techniques and protocols for many of the exercises and assessments discussed in the book. All of the information in the book and on the DVD is presented in a logical format with the busy fitness professional in mind.

An online course, also titled Core Assessment and Training, can be purchased to complement and enhance the material presented in the book. The course features interactive case studies with virtual clients that guide you through developing comprehensive core training programs that encompass strengthening, flexibility, endurance and power. You'll gain insight into selecting exercises that are specific to each client's needs and into properly progressing exercises from basic to advanced. You'll also practice identifying indicated and contraindicated exercises for various injuries and health conditions, and in selecting core exercises for different athletes and clients.

Understanding the concepts of core training and analyzing functioning of the core are key components of safe core exercise programs. With Core Assessment and Training, you can master the techniques for assessing each client's needs and design customized training programs for maximum results.

Jason Brumitt, MSPT, SCS, ATC, CSCS*D, is an instructor of physical therapy at Pacific University in Hillsboro, Oregon. He earned his master of science degree in physical therapy from Pacific University and is currently a doctoral candidate at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. Brumitt is board certified in sports physical therapy and certified as an athletic trainer. He is also a certified strength and conditioning specialist with distinction. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he provides clinical rehabilitation services to the student-athletes of Pacific University.

Brumitt is the author of "Ounce of Prevention," a regularly featured column in the National Strength and ConditioningAssociation's (NSCA) Performance Training Journal. He has published numerous articles on sports medicine and strength training in the North American Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, the New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy, Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, Strength and Conditioning Journal, and Athletic Therapy Today. Brumitt has presented lectures on core training at local and national professional conferences as an invited speaker for both the NSCA and the Northwest Athletic Trainers' Association (NWATA).

Brumitt, his wife, and their three children reside in Damascus, Oregon.