If you’ve ever worked out with a personal trainer or in a group fitness class,
you’ve likely heard your instructor say something along the lines of brace your core!
Engage your abs! Or, flex your abs! Though there’s clearly a great assortment of ways to say it,
all these phrases mean the same thing: Engage your core. Hi viewers and welcome back to Bestie!
Engaging the core is quite possibly the most misunderstood and incorrectly executed of muscle
actions. Most people think that you can engage your core by sucking in the stomach or tensing a
six-pack, but that isn’t it. In today’s video, we will tell you what it really means to engage your
core. Watch till the end because we’ll also be talking about the best exercises for it,
types of muscles that are a part of the core and the best ways to do it.
What exactly is the core?
Your core is more than six-pack abs, which, by the way we all have. It comprises layers
of muscle on your stomach, back, and butt, which support your pelvis and spine. These muscles work
as a team to keep your posture tall and your back safe from any strain or unwanted forces
that can cause pain or injury down the road. In a nutshell, your core exists to help your
torso turn and to resist rotation. For example: it helps you hold your ground during a crazy concert.
Your core is the secret ingredient to having your best workout ever.
Whether you're swinging a kettlebell or hitting spin class, engaging the core
allows you to work other muscle groups in a more effective and efficient way. Ever try
to crank up the weight in a dumbbell shoulder press and find yourself majorly arching your
back? Cue the core. By zipping up your abs and squeezing your butt, your spine is way
more protected and your shoulders are able to move through a safer range of motion.
Outside of the gym, a strong core helps to resist a slouched posture,
which doesn't look good on anyone. As we age, it gets harder to resist the force
of gravity and poor posture habits that have been developed through the years.
Building a strong core as early as possible will help combat stooping and relieve smaller
muscles from doing the brunt of the work that really belongs to the core.
How would you rate your core strength? Strong? Weak?
Tell us quickly down below in the comments section.
Moving on, what muscles make up your core?
Rectus abdominis: The most well-known ab muscle, the rectus abdominis is the muscle responsible
for the coveted six-pack. It’s a long, flat muscle that extends from your pubic bone to
your sixth and seventh ribs. Your rectus abdominis is primarily responsible for bending your spine.
External obliques: These are the muscles on either side of your rectus abdominis.
They lie underneath what people call “love handles.” Your external obliques allow you
to twist your torso, bend sideways, flex your spine, and compress your abdomen.
Internal obliques: Your internal obliques lie just below your external obliques.
And have the same functions as them.
Transverse abdominis: This is the deepest layer of muscle in your abdomen.
It completely wraps around your torso and extends from your ribs to your pelvis. Unlike the other
ab muscles, your transverse abdominis isn’t responsible for moving your spine or hips.
But it does stabilize your spine, compress your organs, and support your abdominal wall.
Latissimus dorsi: Commonly called your “lats,” these muscles run along both
sides of your spine from just below your shoulder blades to your pelvis.
Your lats help you stabilize your back, especially when extending your shoulders.
They also contribute to your ability to twist side to side.
Erector spinae: You have erector spinae muscles on each side of your spine,
and they extend the entire length of your back. These muscles are responsible for
extending and rotating your back, as well as side-to-side movement.
These are considered postural muscles and, to some degree, are always at work.
Your hip muscles and glutes also contribute to core stabilization,
but not quite as much as the ones that we just talked about.
So, how exactly do you engage your core?
The simplest way to engage your core is to brace yourself as if you’re expecting
a strong punch to the torso, and then breathe into your stomach. Your core engages naturally
right before you laugh or cough, so if you initiate one of these actions,
you’ll get an idea of how it should feel when your core is engaged.
Sucking in your stomach and holding your breath are the most common mistakes people make when told
to engage their core. Truthfully, this is pretty much the exact opposite of how to do it correctly.
Rather than sucking your stomach in, you need to focus on pulling your navel
up and in towards your spine. When you do this, your abs should feel
tightened but you should still be able to move and breath as normal.
A good position for engaging your core is on all fours. In this position, pull your abs up and in
towards your spine and keep your torso still whilst you exhale. Focusing on your breathing
is a really important part of how to engage your core correctly. You can’t engage your core
whilst holding your breath, so it’s important to keep breathing normally whilst holding your abs.
The core engages naturally as you exhale, so you can use your breath
to engage your core every time you exhale. If you pull your navel up and in during the exhale,
the movement should naturally pull your stomach in and lift your torso.
While breathing is an important part of engaging your core, it is important that
you breathe normally to support your core. Deep belly breathing is not appropriate if you want to
know how to engage your core while sitting, standing, walking or exercising in general.
Here are some good exercises that can help you engage your core.
Pilates: When you think of core strengthening exercises,
you probably think of Pilates straight away. That’s because the aim of Pilates
is to strengthen the core for the benefit of both physical and psychological well being.
Pilates is an excellent exercise for strengthening
and toning muscles as well as improving your posture and increasing flexibility.
Hip Bridge: The Hip bridge isn’t just a good workout for your glutes and your hamstrings,
it will also strengthen your core muscles. When you engage your core during a hip bridge exercise,
the move targets the muscles in your lower back, hips and abdomen as well.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat. Your arms should be down the side of your
body with your palms facing the floor. Engage your core and lift your hips up towards the ceiling to
create a bridge whilst squeezing your glutes. Your shoulders should be on the mat with your chest and
hips raised. Hold the bridge for 3 seconds and then lower your body back to the mat. Repeat
The abdominal draw: Lie on your back with your knees bent. This can also be done sitting up
straight. Suck your stomach in, imagining bringing your belly button to your spine.
You should still be able to breathe but may feel the muscles around your abdomen and sides tighten.
Your back shouldn’t move — make sure it isn’t arched or pushed into the ground.
Hold for 5–10 seconds. Relax. Repeat.
The Bird Dog: Kneel on your hands and knees as if you’re a table. Flatten your back without
arching up or sinking in. Start by reaching one arm out in front of you so that it’s even with
your head and torso. Then extend the opposite leg out, in line with your torso and arm.
Make sure to keep your hips facing down toward the floor, rather than turning out toward the side.
You should feel the muscles in your abdomen and back working.
Hold for 5 seconds, then repeat with the opposite arm and leg.
The Farmer’s Walk: The Farmer’s Walk is similar to a deadlift,
but once you pick the weights up, you walk with them. Despite being one of
the simplest workouts, it is great for improving your core stability.
Stand in the middle of a heavy Farmer’s carry bar, dumbbells and kettlebells work too,
with your feet hip-width apart. While keeping your back straight and bending your knees,
pick up the weight. As you stand upright, engage your core and pull your shoulders back so that
you have a tall posture. Walk forward 10 paces with your arms down your side holding the weight.
Try to make sure the weight moves as little as possible. Continue to pace for 45 to 60 seconds.
The plank: Begin in a pushup position on your hands and toes. If this is too difficult,
you can support yourself on your knees and elbows. Draw your abdomen toward your spine and keep your
buttocks in line with your body. You should feel all the muscles in your abdomen working. Hold this
position for 20–60 seconds. It’s important to note that this exercise puts high loads on your spine.
If you have back pain, it’s advisable to refrain from this exercise.
Apart from strengthening your core, planks have a wide range of health benefits as well. To
know what they are, watch this video titled “Doing Planks Every Day Does This To Your Body”
Now back to what engaging your core really means.
The dead bug: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat.
Tighten your abdominals and keep your back flat as you lift your knees so that your
hips and knees are bent at a 90-degree angle. Slowly tap one toe to the ground and return.
To increase the difficulty level, extend your arms straight up over
your shoulders. As you lower one foot down to the ground,
reach the opposite arm back overhead, keeping your lower back on the floor and your ribs pulled in.
Only extend your leg as far as you can while keeping your back flat. Return and switch sides.
Now that you know what engaging your core means,
it’s very important to do exercises that can help strengthen it. Learn more by:
Watching: 12 Exercises To Build A Rock Solid Core In 4 Weeks
Or
Learning about Easy At Home Abs Workouts
These 2 videos will definitely help you pick the best exercises to build a stronger core.
What’s your favourite core strengthening exercise? Let us know in the comments section below!