Whether it is running, swimming, weight lifting or aerobics, fitness experts say the center of all exercise routines is the core - the abdominal, back and muscles around the pelvis - which is the seat of stability, strength and power.

Adding in exercise routines to strengthen the core can help the runner go faster, the basketball player jump higher and the everyday exerciser more easily do routine tasks from loading the car to cleaning the tub.

"The core is everything except for arms, legs and head," said Daniel Taylor, co-author with Greg Brittenham of the new book "Conditioning to the Core."

It is the mainstay of the body, according to Taylor, who is the head strength and conditioning coach at Siena College in upstate New York.

"People need to get away from saying 'I'm going to do abs today' and take a larger view," said Taylor, whose book contains more than 300 exercises, ranging from planks, squats and lunges to medicine ball and kettlebell throws presented in progressive routines.

"A lot of times people get stuck in one or two routines and get good at them," he said. "You've got to make things more challenging to keep progressing."

Taylor said everything is linked to the core.

"If you jump it's transferred to the core. If you want to be a better recreational running, strengthening the core will help because your anchor is better," he explained.

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Center of all exercise routines is the core: Experts