Working out your core muscles

What is the "Core?"
The body's core area is much more than the abdominal area, or the "6-pack". As the center of your body, the core functions to stabilize the trunk while the arms and legs move the body during various movements. 
Working out core muscles is important, in order to:
1) reduce loading on the spine
2) transfer force from the lower body to the upper body (and vice versa)

Having a strong, stable core helps to reduce the risk of injury.

How can you strengthen core stability?
Traditionally, people have exercised core muscles through sit-ups, crunches, etc. However, current research appears to indicate that there may be some safety concerns with such exercises, and thus replacements have been developed, with a preference for more functional exercises, such as planks, hip thrusts, or weighted carries