To really strengthen your core properly, it is incredibly helpful to understand what muscles make up the core. Most know of the muscle that makes up the coveted “six-pack,” and many know of the obliques, but… what else is there?
Think of your INNER CORE as a pop can, and all of these muscles work together to give your trunk stability during movements of the head, arms and legs.
- The top of the pop can is made of your diaphragm, which is the primary muscle in breathing
- The back of the pop can is made of some little spinal muscles called multifidus
- The sides and front of the pop can are made up of the transverse abdominis
- The bottom of the pop can is the pelvic floor muscles, or your Kegel muscles
Your OUTER CORE (not shown here) is made of the rectus abdominis “six-pack” muscle — yes, they are still there — and your obliques (or side crunch muscles), whose job it is to give your trunk movement.
If your core isn’t trained well, especially your inner core / stabilizers, you could go to do some sort of movement (a job normally for your outer core), and your inner core (for stabilizing) may try to get involved in movement instead, leaving no one to stabilize you!
Another problem can occur when in the latter months of pregnancy. Similar to how a pop can get over-pressurized in the freezer, a growing baby can really put pressure on the core, low back, diaphragm, and various nerves, causing all sorts of discomfort and even a few potentially serious problems. This is the reason why many women in the last months of pregnancy experience changes in breathing, back pain, and/or incontinence, and sit-ups alone will not be enough to strengthen the inner core in order to fix or prevent these problems.
Luckily, the inner core can be strengthened! Check out our blogs on simple ways to strengthen your pelvic floor and strengthen your transverse abdominis to really bring stability and reliability to your inner core!
Preventing Low Back Pain by Training the Correct Core Muscles
Low back pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal issues worldwide, affecting more than 80 percent of adults at some point in their lives. While core training can address low back pain, it’s important to first understand how to correctly and safely exercise your core to support your back.
Pregnancy Exercises: Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor, Core & Posture
There are many benefits to exercising while pregnant. Regular exercise during pregnancy will help you stay in shape and support your body as it copes with the physical challenges of pregnancy. A prenatal exercise routine can help alleviate back pain and pelvic pain, boost your mood and energy levels and help you sleep better.
Take Your Core Up Another Notch: A Transverse Abdominis Exercise
Merely activating your transverse (by pulling your belly button toward your spine) is great, but this exercise increases the difficulty and ensures activation of all parts of the muscle, so it is more beneficial. Strengthening your inner core is one of the very best things you can do for whole-body injury prevention. Give this exercise a try!
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