As the field of sports performance training continues to advance, workouts are becoming more and more efficient at transferring their benefits to everyday activities. Exercise scientists and innovative trainers are discovering newer and better ways to help people function better in both their sports, and typical human movements.

One critical area that continues to improve rapidly is core training. This is commonly referred to as abdominal (or 'abs') training, but it really involves every muscle located all the way around your lower torso. And this region is linked to the good health and performance of all the muscles of your hips and shoulders, too.

To put it mildly, this is the most important part of anyone's workout. And how you select your exercises makes a world of difference in the results you receive from your overall training.

For those who have not yet converted to a stability-focused core workout routine, and are still clinging to those crunches and sit-ups as the cornerstone of their program, consider this a plea to make the change your body desperately needs.

What fits the criteria of being a core stability exercise? You can use this simple guide to determine whether an exercise does or does not offer a stabilization benefit.

When performing any exercise, pay attention to the positioning of the shoulders and hips. No matter what the drill, if you can draw a straight line from the shoulder to the same-side hip at all times while your core is under tension, then this is a stability exercise.

Admittedly, this is a major simplification. However, it explains why exercises like crunches, sit-ups, side bends with dumbbells, and twists do nothing to improve stabilization of your midsection.

The crunch causes the shoulders to move in front of the hips, the side bend moves them to the left or right, and the commonly performed version of the twist rotates either the shoulders or the hips, but not both together.

All of these exercises do not follow the proper movement patterns that healthy individuals perform in sports, or everyday activities. The body can produce the most force when your midsection has that perfect hip-to-shoulder alignment in every movement imaginable. Any deviation saps much needed power in sports, and puts you in a greater position to be injured.

Two great examples of simple stability-based exercises are the bridge and side bridge (also known as the plank and side plank). Done properly, they both maintain the straight-line position from the hip to the shoulder while using gravity to put a substantial stress on the muscles of the core. This not only builds up the major abdominal muscles, but also forces the smaller stabilizers deep down towards the spine to kick in and do their job. These little guys play a vital role in good posture and many other basic functions, but are not used at all in drills with no stabilization component.

These are just two simple examples of exercises that promote core stability, but there are countless others that offer a host of powerful benefits. Improved core stability will lead to improvements in the health and function of your entire body, not to mention increases in speed, strength and power. Imagine the gains you will realize in your overall health and athletic performance simply by dropping all those exercises that do not offer this incredible package of benefits, and turning to a stability-based mindset.