New exercise series: 'Don't move the middle', out shortly

These are the support notes for an exercise series I will shortly be posting: 'Don't move the middle'.
Gym has never been known for its subtlety.  Big is best and more is always more.  There's a time for going big but you cannot build without a stable foundation.
Humans have an unstable segment in the middle of the body that allows us to bend and twist.  It's called the core.  This is the area above the pelvis and below the lowest rib.  There are no bones in the core segment aside from the vertebral column, so a special arrangement of muscular tension and pressure is needed to limit inherent instability and keep the spine safe.  The central position of the core segment, between the legs and the shoulders, also means core stiffness is a limiting factor in whole body power.  High core stiffness is needed for the body to produce and control large forces.
As in everything at Sport Performance, we like to begin at the beginning.  The two basic properties of correct core stability/ stiffness are: correct breathing, and neutral lumbopelvic shape.  Abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing is essential to promote activity in the deep core musculature.  Don't hold your breath when you're exercising at low intensities and never when you're performing core stability/ strengthening exercise and postural control activities generally.
The lumbar spine is designed to move independently of the pelvis, in which it sits via the sacrum, so that we can bend over, reach back etc. but when we flex at the hip under high load (e.g. squatting or deadlifting) and transmit large forces down/ up the body, e.g. when sprinting or jumping, lumbopelvic motion needs to be synchronous and neutral, or shearing and compression forces may damage lumbar tissues.  Alongside correct breathing rhythm, setting and holding the pelvis and lumbar spine in a neutral anatomic shape is a key training target of core stability conditioning.
'Don't move the middle' means what is implies: set neutral lumbar and pelvic position before starting each exercise, and then hold that shape throughout.  Holding correct shape is the point of each exercise.  Movement is not the goal but the challenge.  You may regulate tempo - slow is good - and range of motion.  Rest is also good.  There is a small plate involved in all the exercises.  Having adopted a readiness position, the small plate (500g) is placed on your lower back and your goal is to prevent it from falling off. 
The series is also posted to Facebook: sportperformancenz, and you're welcome to post any questions.