It wasn’t until around 2012, when Professor Peter O’Sullivan introduced his work on cognitive functional therapy, that I felt there was finally another respected voice beginning to question the long-standing dogma of “core stability.”
See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YezBG_NdLgs&t=178s
Prof Peter O’Sullivan and Core Stability – April 2012
Up until that point, I had stood fairly alone in opposing the idea that the human system is governed by a “core” that must be strengthened to improve function, performance, or resolve back pain.
Throughout my entire athletic career—including winning Mr Universe in 1994 and setting multiple state and national powerlifting records—I never once engaged in isolated abdominal or “core” exercises.
People would often ask: “What did you do for your abs?” My answer was always the same: “If I told you, you would not believe me.” “Well, try me,” they might say. I would then reply, “Nothing.” They would laugh and say “bullshit”. And I would reply: “I told you—you wouldn’t believe me.”
Professor Peter O’Sullivan approaches this topic through an anatomical and clinical lens, and I would strongly encourage people to explore his work.
However, my perspective has always come from a complex adaptive systems viewpoint. All living systems are complex, adaptive, and information-driven.
Take a tree, for example. A tree is not stabilised by a “core”. It is stabilised by its root system—a vast, responsive network interacting continuously with the environment. That root system dynamically adapts to wind, soil conditions, water distribution, and gravitational forces. Interestingly, its architecture closely resembles that of the human nervous system. Stability, therefore, is not imposed from a central structure—it emerges from distributed, adaptive interactions.
There is no meaningful mathematical or biological model that supports the idea of isolating a “core” within such a system to control it. High-level performance in any elite athlete depends on the seamless flow of information and energy throughout the entire system. A classical ballerina, for instance, would never be caught performing rigid, isolated abdominal bracing as a training focus. Why? Because they understand—intuitively and through practice—that this region must remain responsive, not rigid, to allow fluidity, timing, and expression.
Excessive abdominal tension is not a performance strategy—it is typically a protective response. It arises during threat, uncertainty, or sudden perturbation. If an elite sprinter were to consciously “brace their core” mid-race, they would immediately disrupt coordination, reduce efficiency, and impair force transfer into the ground. Likewise, a tennis player serving at high velocity does not rigidly contract their trunk—they rely on timing, sequencing, and elastic energy transfer across the whole system.
I’ve often been told, “You couldn’t possibly have deadlifted 300 kg without bracing your core.” My response is simple. My body produces the exact level of tone required—no more, no less—when it is functioning optimally. I never over-tensed. I never forced rigidity. I maintained composure, controlled arousal, and often lifted with a smile on my face. That is not just performance—that is system integrity in action.
Decades later, I have never suffered chronic back pain. My hips and knees remain in excellent working condition, despite ongoing high physical demands. The only injuries I’ve sustained to my knees were acute incidents—twice while lifting patients with spinal cord injuries, when external factors caused uncontrolled load and awkward joint stress. Both times, my recovery was rapid. Why? Because I refused to adopt compensatory patterns. I did not limp.
Limping is not just a physical act—it is a neurological imprint that reinforces inefficient, protective movement strategies and disrupts system-wide coordination. To be clear here—I am not trying to challenge anyone’s “core beliefs”. I am simply sharing a lifetime of lived experience, coaching practice, and observation.
Even when coaching A-grade rugby league teams, I never prescribed isolated core exercises. And yet, injury rates remained consistently low.
Where the science is now catching up
Modern research is increasingly aligning with this perspective:
- The concept of “core stability” as isolated muscle control is being questioned, with greater emphasis on whole-body coordination and variability
- Excessive co-contraction and rigidity have been linked to pain and reduced movement efficiency
- Healthy systems demonstrate adaptive variability, not stiffness
- The nervous system prioritises task efficiency and environmental interaction, not muscle isolation
A little real-world context from today.
Today (Friday 20/3/26), I went down to the beach with no plan. Just to move and to challenge myself some. What unfolded were 50 antigravity sprints over 30 metres up approximately a 30° incline with jog back intervals. Performed in sets of five, with around 30 seconds’ recovery between efforts.
There was no forcing.
No psyching myself up.
No overthinking.
Just composure.
Just movement.
Just responding to what felt right in the moment.
When I finished, I didn’t collapse or feel like I had “emptied the tank”. I simply walked away—as if nothing extraordinary had happened. Came home, had a shower, relaxed… and sat down to write this.
One seamless flow from high-intensity output into quiet stillness—with no need to separate the two. This is something I’ve come to understand over many years:
Don’t make a big deal out of effort—no matter how intense it may appear.
Your body is not something you need to fight or conquer.
It is something you ask to perform.
And how it responds is largely influenced by the state you bring into that moment.
There was no rigid plan today—just like most days. I simply showed up… and this was the outcome.
Closing
The body is not held together by a “core”. It is organised through information, perception, and adaptive response. And when that system is allowed to function as it was designed, strength, stability, and performance are no longer something you try to create. They are something that naturally emerge.
When the system is organised, intensity is no longer something you endure. It becomes something you move through.
If you like my post, please share this information. Have a nice flow weekend, everyone.
Some photos of my physique, minus ab work over my 40-year competitive career from 1983 to 2023.