It is common to hear people talk about the core of the body as a synonym for the abdominal muscles. While the abs are definitely included in the core muscles and would be targeted with core exercises, the core actually refers to much more. There is quite a bit of confusion and controversy over the exact muscles that are included when you talk about the "core," but the abdominals and lower back will always be included.

The good news is you don't have to win the argument regarding the exact muscles included in the core. You can perform core exercises and get great results if you just understand what core muscles are and what they are supposed to do for your body.

To help you understand core exercises and muscles better, consider some fast facts about the core of your body:

The core muscles are not there to look great in a swimsuit. They have a very important functional job: body stabilization. In order to stand up straight, bend, twist and move throughout your daily life, you need strong, flexible core muscles.

Your spine is also supported by your core muscles.

Every time you move your body, you are utilizing your core muscles. Therefore, proper core exercises will make moving around in daily life easier.

In order to function properly in the stabilization capacity, your core muscles have to work together. They also need to work with other muscles throughout the body. You may isolate muscles when you do some core exercises or ab exercises, but ultimately you want to train your muscles to work together efficiently.

The lower back and abdominals are the most important muscles when it comes to teamwork. They should flex and contract together to support your body during movements. When they are out of sync you could face injuries to certain areas of the body.

The best way to encourage teamwork with the core muscles is to perform core exercises that target the entire core of the body. You can still work individual muscles to gain strength, but you should regularly do core exercises that work the entire core section of the body.

Many exercises for other parts of the body or the entire body can also function as indirect core exercises. Since the core muscles must stabilize the body during these exercises, they can get a pretty good workout even when they are not directly being targeted.

The goal is to perform core exercises to fatigue. This means you work your core muscles until they start to feel tired and you cannot keep going. If you can dig deep mentally and push harder you aren't there yet. You should feel unable to continue when your muscles fatigue. However safety does come first, so you want to ensure you still have good form. Once your technique or form fails then make that the end of that set of reps.

For most people 12 to 15 reps of challenging core exercises should typically fatigue the core muscles.

The best core exercises will fatigue the muscles by forcing them to do their job stabilizing the body.

It isn't necessary to know exactly what muscles are included in the core or to name all of those muscles. What is important is to work your core in unison and train them to work together to stabilize your body and protect your spine.