--- title: Core Exercises For Runners: Planks Will Reduce Low Back Pain description: Having a strong deep core improves running performance and reduces low back pain, according to new research from Ohio State University. canonical: https://time.com/5087662/running-plank-core-exercise/ author: Jamie Ducharme article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-05T15:59:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:58:14.914Z article:section: Health og:title: This One Exercise Helps You Become a Better Runner og:description: It may be the key to reducing low back pain og:url: https://time.com/5087662/running-plank-core-exercise/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt65e2263c71642a61/698878bde20a872a7da8f06a/sneakers-shoes-sport-fitness-running-health.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2500 og:image:height: 1406 og:image:alt: sneakers-shoes-sport-fitness-running-health-exercise-motto-stock og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This One Exercise Helps You Become a Better Runner twitter:description: It may be the key to reducing low back pain twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt65e2263c71642a61/698878bde20a872a7da8f06a/sneakers-shoes-sport-fitness-running-health.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This One Exercise Helps You Become a Better Runner > Sponsored content. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators.  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Jan 5, 2018 3:59 PM UTC  Molly Cranna for TIME  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Jan 5, 2018 3:59 PM UTC As good as running is for your health, it can come with some unpleasant side effects, from shin splints to chronic low back pain. But for back pain, at least, researchers at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center may have a one-step solution: Strengthen your deep core. In a new [study published in the _Journal of Biomechanics_](http://www.jbiomech.com/article/S0021-9290%2817%2930692-9/pdf), the researchers examined the way athletes’ bones and muscles interact when they run. They scaled a generic computer model of the human body to match a person’s height and weight measurements, then used motion detection technology and force-measuring floor plates to monitor every element of the person’s stride as they ran. Then, working under the assumption that the body tries to minimize how much energy it uses while running, they used computer simulation to virtually tweak the movement of different body parts and “estimate what muscle forces would cause everything to be in balance,” explains Ajit Chaudhari, an associate professor of physical therapy, biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering and orthopedic surgery at Ohio State and the study’s lead author. They found that if the deep core muscles — those that run along the length of the spine and sit beneath the muscles that make for a visible six-pack — were slacking, superficial muscles, such as the abdominals, were forced to take on more of the work. “That would suggest that they are going to get fatigued faster, because they’re just doing more work,” Chaudhari says. “In theory, if you had the deep core muscles contributing, you’re sharing the load among more muscles, which theoretically could allow you to have better performance or better endurance.” Engaging the deep core may also reduce strain on the spine and the possible resulting low back pain, he says. Most people have weak deep core muscles, but sit-ups and crunches won’t cut it if you’re trying to strengthen this area, Chaudhari says. Instead, practice static core-stabilizing moves, ideally on an uneven surface. The best exercise to build a stronger deep core, therefore, is the plank, he says.  Planks, especially on uneven surfaces, fire up the deep core. 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