A strong, stable, functional core is about a lot more than having visible abs or a six-pack—something that isn’t always realistically attainable and may or may not be something you’re interested in working towards as part of your fitness journey.
The benefits of performing regular ab exercises are, though, profound. Our core is one of the most overlooked muscle groups that is vital in everything from helping us balance, letting us bend, twist and lean, and stabilising our spines to ensure that simple everyday tasks like picking up a shopping bag or tying our laces is never a challenge.
Discussions about the importance of engaging the core are common in the gym. Still, if you don’t know what that means, why it matters, or how to do it, I’ve explained here all you need to know about the value of core strength and why your intention and focus are just as important as the number of crunches or sit ups you perform.
Why Every Person of Every Age Should Pay Attention to Their Core Strength
Without going into detail about muscle structure and anatomy, we use our core for literally every movement you can imagine. The ‘core’ is a name we use to describe a whole group of muscles, which includes:
- Abdominals, or abs: the muscles that line your abdominal wall. They are often confused as the only muscle group that makes up the core!
- Obliques: the muscles on either side of your abdomen.
- The diaphragm: essential for breathing and contracts and expands when we take deep breaths.
- Pelvic floor muscles: support the bladder, bowel, and uterus in women and are instrumental in maintaining healthy bladder functions as we age.
- Hip flexors: tiny muscles in the upper thigh that allow us to bend and lift our legs or hinge our hips.
- Trunk extensors: responsible for allowing us to sit or stand upright, and play a role in posture, bending and spinal health.
If every element of this muscle group is strong, stable, and flexible, you might find you can train harder in the gym without losing form. Importantly, you’ll also be able to stand up from a seated position, get in and out of the bath, or lift a child without feeling a strain or putting yourself at risk of injury.
This is why core strength is so fundamental, but it’s often confused with a quest for a six-pack and visible abdominals, hence the key reason any fitness routine intended to help you develop a stable core can be misinterpreted!
How and Why to Engage Your Core When Performing Ab Exercises
Engaging your core means you are intentional and deliberate in using your core muscles. This is particularly important if you’re not used to ab exercises or are performing a movement for the first time.
We naturally like to find short cuts, so if, for example, you are doing a sit-up with your feet tucked under an object and aren’t concentrating on using your core strength to create the movement, you might not realise you’re actually utilising muscles in your legs and not using your core at all.
Like most of the muscle groups in our bodies, the core works as one unit, which means you’re not aiming to work one specific muscle, nor can you train only your abdominals to get that elusive six pack if the other muscles aren’t performing.
When you engage your core, you’re doing several things simultaneously:
- Minimising the risk of injury, ensuring you’re warm and your muscles are primed for movement.
- Improving the effectiveness of the exercise you’re about to complete.
- Preventing strain or pressure on your back and checking that you’re performing the exercise with proper control.
Even if you have good genetics and a naturally aesthetic set of abdominal muscles, when you engage those muscle groups, you can help prevent injuries and back strain. Back strain is very common when the core muscles are weak or not engaged, which ultimately means your back bears the load of the movement.
Straightforward Ways to Engage Your Core and Target Your Abdominal Region
You’re likely very familiar with all the popular ab exercises out there, and I won’t go through them in any detail here. However, there is a note of caution that performing hundreds or thousands of repetitions of sit-ups and crunches isn’t as effective as performing smaller, high-quality, properly controlled sets with a fully engaged core.
It’s also well worth speaking with me or your personal trainer if you’re adding core work to your routine for the first time. As with any new movement, safety, injury prevention, and customisation are crucial.
There are countless variations that might be better suited to you and give you a safer, progressive way to build stronger abs without pushing yourself too hard, too fast. That said, engaging your core needn’t be strenuous, and you can choose from a few different ways to achieve this.
Engaging Your Core With an Abdominal Draw Exercise
As one example, an abdominal draw is often the easiest option because you can perform this movement either lying on your back with bent legs or while sitting up straight. Take a deep breath and relax before exhaling, pulling your stomach in, and imagining your belly button pulling backwards to touch your spine.
This isn’t the same as holding your breath. You should still be able to breathe normally, but you will feel the muscles on each side of your abdomen tighten, which tells you that your core is engaging.
Depending on your current strength and fitness levels, you could also try movements like a bridge, plank, or dead bug and work towards building a core that is dynamically stable, can support your body as you move, and will help you stay mobile, fit, and active for years to come.
Starting with proper engagement is something never to compromise on. When you’ve mastered activating your core and then performing your preferred ab exercise, you’ll quickly see why great movements, done right, are always more powerful. For personalised guidance and expert tips, get in touch.
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