Introducing the Core ― Demystifying the Body of an Athlete

There is no more important area of the body for an athlete than the core.

It’s the engine room, the place where power is generated and then distributed. Strength there makes life easier for shoulders and knees. It produces speed and explosiveness. Endurance and grit. Build the core and you have built the house.

The core is so important. So why has it remained such a medical mystery?
This book will explain that.


Dr. William Meyers has become the nation’s foremost authority on core health. Along with over 40 world renowned expert contributors, Dr. Meyers explains how the core functions, how to build the core’s strength, and how to repair the core when it breaks down.

Through stories and anecdotes about his work with elite athletes, Dr. Meyers will give readers a thorough understanding of the body’s most important contributor to physical success and its widespread influence on the human anatomy. Let’s go inside the locker room, the operating room, and onto the field to trace the arc of a performer’s journey from injury to repair to return.

Introducing the Core: Demystifying the Body of an Athlete consists of five sections:

• Section 1: What has led the experts to this new appreciation of the anatomy
• Section 2: The heart of the core—from muscles to principles to nerves
• Section 3: Brings multiple world-renowned arthroscopists into the overall core picture, providing their perspectives on how the core universe works
• Section 4: Emphasizes the fact that a wide spectrum of professionals treats the core from traditional surgeons to alternative therapists
• Section 5: Brings it all together and points to the new future that is the core

From the Forewords…
“For the past few years, we have really stressed core strength at Duke. It improves an athlete’s base, and that’s vital, because so much emanates from there. Strength, power, and endurance all flow from the core. This book, and the work Bill Meyers has done in the field, will bring good core health to the forefront and help everyone—elite athletes and others—to understand the importance of a strong core for performance and confidence.”
—Michael William Krzyzewski


“The core is the latest thing in physical development and performance. Now, even in baseball, injury patterns you see in the shoulder and elbow are related to core imbalance. This book has been needed for a long time. As much as we talk about the core, it still isn’t a glamorous part of medicine. But the work Bill has done has helped the idea of core strength become more popular, and this book could be what is needed to get it more attention.”
—James Rheuben Andrews

“The timing of this book and the increased recognition of Bill Meyers’ work in the area of core repair, rehabilitation, and development are perfect, because progress in the field of hip and groin injuries in sports medicine has advanced considerably in the past 15 years. Treatment methods of the hip and core are moving on 2 parallel tracks. This is an exciting time, and we still have a long way to go. Orthopedic and general surgeons are looking at the problems and making progress in the treatments that will advance the field. This book is another step in that direction.”
—Bryan Talmadge Kelly