Whether you recently took a fitness class or work as a health and fitness professional, chances are some of these signs may sound familiar…
“Engage Your Core”
“Pull in your navel”
“Tight Core”
“Belly Inside”
It is common in the gym today to hear these slogans constantly in a whole group fitness or training class.
While the intention of these cues may be correct to cause that “stiffness” in the core needed to produce force, these cues are inaccurate and seductive. Additionally, chronically engaging your core (or keeping your abs in a tight position) can lead to a number of negative consequences — including a weaker core.
In this article, we’ll explain the challenges and potential implications of the above conditions — especially for the prenatal and postpartum population. Next, we’ll share some simple (yet powerful) strategies to earn more effective kernel activation.
Let’s start with a (very simplified) explanation of how the core is designed to work so you can see the difference that happens when you keep your abs pulled in.
Understanding how your core is designed to work
This is best explained with a simple perspective. Imagine that the balloon pictured below represents your core. As air fills the balloon, it expands inward three dimensions. As the air escapes, it contracts.
Your core works similarly. As you inhale, the space in your abdominal cavity should also extends to three dimensions. Then, on exhalation, the space should get smaller.
This limitless expansion and contraction in your core creates a harmonious “pumping mechanism” that regulates intra-abdominal pressure (IAP). IAP is the amount of pressure in the ventricular cavity at any given moment. IAP in itself is not bad. Instead, a certain amount of abdominal pressure is needed so that the core can help speed up, slow down, or stabilize any movement. Trunk stiffness is the key to successfully accomplishing many activities — both during high-performance events and everyday tasks like carrying grocery bags, lifting a child, or pushing a stroller.
However, problems arise when there is very much IAP. Chronically elevated IAP can lead to underlying issues such as; diastasis recti and pelvic floor dysfunction — especially during pregnancy when the IAP is already elevated by the growing abdomen.
Now, let’s see what happens when you keep your belly inside for years.
What happens when you chronically engage your core
To continue our visual analogy, imagine using your hands to squeeze this balloon around the waist, as in the photo below. Note how the waist gets smaller, but the top and bottom bulge outward as the pressure is on Increased and has been redirected up and down.
This is essentially what happens to your core when you hold your abs in a tight position. This tension increases the pressure in the abdominal cavity and pushes it up and down. If it becomes chronic, this has the following consequences:
Upward pressure
Increased upward pressure limits the lungs’ ability to fully expand (below). This forces the body to find another way to get air in. Instead of relying on it diaphragm (which must is the body’s main respiratory muscle), the body is forced to rely on its accessory muscles neck and shoulders to do the work of breathing – a task they are not designed to do. This is known as top breathwhich can lead to higher stress levels, stiffness, movement restriction, and pain on the neck and shoulders.
Pressure down
As you can imagine, downward pressure increases the pressure on the pelvic floor muscles. This can increase the risk of developing pelvic floor dysfunction – especially during pregnancy, when there is already increased pressure on the pelvic floor muscles (and during the postpartum period, when the muscles are still weak and recovering from the trauma of pregnancy and childbirth).
Reduced core activation
Usually, cues to “engage your core” are given with intention increasing core activation — make your deep core muscles work harder and therefore get stronger. However, chronic commitment to reality limits kernel activation. Why; Without full expansion on inhalation (as in that fully inflated balloon), the core cannot achieve maximum contraction on exhalation. You can see it in the image above. When you’re already holding that balloon tight in the middle, there’s not much room to squeeze it further. Therefore, core activation (or the amount of further contraction) is limited.
Four keys to better core activation
Let’s discuss some simple (yet powerful) strategies you can start implementing right away to earn more effective kernel activation.
1. Master the “#1 Most Effective Core Exercise”
The first step is to get your deep core muscles working optimally to achieve that “dynamic pumping” mechanism mentioned above that helps regulate IAP. While this may sound like it’s hard or complicated to do, it really all boils down to way you breathe Breathing with optimal mechanics makes the deep core muscles work in harmony. We call this breathing style 360° Breathing. In addition to helping regulate IAP, 360° breathing has a number of benefits for your entire body — including reduced stress, increased energy and focus, better immunity and digestion, improved posture, and fewer aches and injuries. This is because the way you breathe affects every system in your body. Hence the reason we refer to 360° breathing as the #1 The most effective core exercise. Watch the video below to learn how to perform it.
NOTE: As you learn this exercise, notice the emphasis on Core engagement occurs as a result of exhalation.
2. Exhale on effort
Getting used to 360° breathing alone is only the first step. The real power comes from incorporating it into movement. We achieve this with exhaling in effort. This means that when you do any type of movement that requires you to exert force, you:
- Inhale at the easiest part of the movement: Like lowering to squat, reaching for a bicep curl, or bending over to pick up your baby.
- Exhale to perform the hardest part of the movement: Like getting up from a squat, doing a bicep curl, or picking up your baby.
Exhaling on effort allows you to build the necessary force for a movement in a safe manner that helps regulate the stress on your core. It also helps ensure optimal core activation — by making the commitment As a result of exhalation. This brings us to our third point.
3. Focus on Exhalation (let commitment come as a result)
Another issue with the clues listed at the top of this post is that they do not link the act of “pulling the navel” to exhale. Simply pulling your belly button toward your spine does not effectively activate the core. Additionally, if you draw from the breathe in, could lead to deregulation of IAP. Instead, you want to focus on the exhalation and the engagement will come as a result.
If you’re a health and fitness professional, try using more breath-focused cues — especially ones that will resonate easily with your clients, such as:
- “Blow out all your birthday candles”
- “Blow up a balloon”
As an example of this, watch the video below of a child blowing up a balloon. You can see his abs engage as he exhales and blows air into the balloon. Of course, this child has not been given any direction to “engage at his core.” His focus is simply to pop his balloon and his core is of course engagement.
4. Avoid dochronic Engagement
Obviously, it is advisable to maintain core engagement when performing an exercise such as a plank or other movement that requires a rigid support for a short period. What we are trying to avoid is continuous engagement — such as walking with your stomach in or encouraging your clients to “keep their core tight” throughout whole class or session. Like so many things in life, balance is key.
Want additional resources?
For additional resources to help you exercise safely and Efficiently during pregnancy, explore us educational programs and services. You’ll find a variety of offerings tailored to different needs — from training, to self-directed programs, to the ability to work with an experienced coach.
Or, if you are a health and fitness professionalcheck out ours ProNatal Training & Certification. We offer full prenatal and postnatal certification for those who wish specialize in training this population, along with a “mini-course” for Group Fitness instructors with simple (yet powerful) strategies to support pre- and postnatal members attending group fitness classes.
