What’s Your Core?
Whats the core?
The idea of the core is often misunderstood in various exercise classes, fitness publications, and even personal training sessions. Many fitness instructors simply tell you to tighten your core by sucking in your stomach, but that doesn't actually represent a proper functional core contraction. The core is not just about your abs; it involves a coordinated and protective contraction that goes beyond engaging the external abdominal muscles. The core is involved in almost every movement of the body.
Think of your core as a pressurized and adaptable container, like a can or a soda can, located in the center of your body. It always needs to maintain adequate pressure and support. Without it, you wouldn't be able to cough, laugh, have bowel movements, sneeze, or maintain continence.
The top part of your core is the diaphragm, which is the muscle involved in breathing. The lower part consists of the pelvic floor muscles. The front of your core includes the abdominal wall, specifically the Transverse Abdominis muscle, while the back part consists of the back muscles, particularly the Multifidus muscle.
If any of the core muscles, including the pelvic floor, become weak or damaged, it can affect the coordinated action of the core. This can be problematic during activities that increase internal abdominal pressure, such as exercise or coughing. Excessive pressure can overload the pelvic floor muscles, leading to urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, lumbar disc herniation, or other issues related to decreased core coordination and strength.
Breathing plays a crucial role in core activation. When you inhale, the diaphragm moves downward, creating space for your lungs to expand. This downward movement also pushes your abdominal and pelvic organs lower, engaging the pelvic floor at the bottom of your core. On the exhale, the diaphragm recoils, forcing air out of the lungs and creating more space within the core, causing the pelvic floor to elevate.
It's important to note that core function is counterintuitive to what many people believe. Contrary to the notion of exhaling and relaxing simultaneously, your core should be gently engaged as you exhale to optimize efficiency. Avoid holding your breath during exertion or exercise, as it creates downward pressure. Remember, if you can't breathe properly while performing an exercise, it's best to avoid it.
When it comes to the abdominal wall muscles, the rectus abdominis is the most external muscle at the front. Merely focusing on developing a six-pack through exercises like crunches and sit-ups won't necessarily give you a flat stomach or improve core weakness. In fact, relying on breath-holding techniques and training without proper deep core engagement and coordination can have adverse effects. So, it's advisable to avoid crunches unless you understand how to coordinate your deep core and avoid breath-holding.
The least recognized but crucial muscle in the abdominal wall is the Transverse Abdominis. It can be thought of as a pair of spanx that flatten your stomach while providing support for your organs and spine. Isolating this muscle can be challenging without proper guidance from a knowledgeable instructor.
The back part of your core is the lumbar spine, along with its connective tissue, with the multifidus muscle providing the most support. Similar to the Transverse Abdominis, activating the multifidus muscle can be frustrating without proper cues.
Always remember to exert effort on the exhale when practicing core exercises.
To recruit and engage the Transverse Abdominis, imagine a magnet pulling the inside of your pelvic bones together, as if closing two book covers.
For the pelvic floor muscles, contract them by drawing the muscles from behind your pubic bone to your tailbone and then gently drawing the left and right sides of the pelvic floor together, as if closing a drawstring bag. You can also isolate different parts of the pelvic floor by visualizing pulling your tailbone towards your pubic bone, as if making your vagina shorter, similar to stopping the flow of gas. For the front of the pelvic floor, imagine closing a set of imaginary theater curtains that meet in the middle.
