Even when we are at a healthy weight and our rectus muscles (6 pack muscles) are very strong, if they are not in balance with the other core muscles you might still have a protruding lower abdomen, and you will likely notice that your stomach bulges or domes upward when you do your core work. Toning the underdeveloped core muscles will correct these imbalances and help prevent injuries like hernias and disc bulges. Strengthening your transverse abdominis, pelvic floor, obliques, erectors, and lats, will also reduce lower back, hip, knee, shoulder, and mid back pain!
The video to the right will help you identify if you have an imbalance and your transverse abdominis is not active enough (for many of us, the rectus abdominis is doing too much work). It also teaches you a helpful cue to activate the transverse abdominis during your core exercises.
You can apply this cue to all the exercises in the video below, which details a challenge that can help you retrain yourself until everything is working together properly.
As the video details, the challenge is to do 10 minutes of core work (split into 3 separate workouts throughout your day) for 22 days. After the challenge, incorporate the various exercises into your weekly workout regimen. If you can make these movements and positions habitual, you will develop a strong, supple, and responsive core.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS from Teacher Maria:
1. SOME IS BETTER THAN NONE! Although the challenge is set up to run for 22 consecutive days, YOU WILL STILL BENEFIT from doing the exercises sporadically, as long as you are doing them more often than not. If you can’t manage all 3 sets in a single day, 1 is still better than none!
2. Work with a mirror, or film yourself to monitor your movement. If you don’t feel like you are doing the exercise-of-the-day correctly, temporarily regress to an easier version or REPEAT THE SAME EXERCISE for several days in a row, until you feel like you are activating the correct muscles.
Preparation for the Functional Core Challenge:
If you aren’t used to using your deep core muscles, it can be really difficult to activate them on command. Vacuums are a great exercise to help you locate and identify some of the muscles you’ll be using for the functional core challenge. These exercises help you contract your diaphragm, control the pressure in your abdominals, and gain strength and control of your abs.
Here are a few different approaches to practicing vacuums, abdominal hollows, or hypopressive breathing. They are all useful, and there is good background information in the description of each one:
