Although people use the words core training and ab exercise interchangeably, there is a subtle difference between the two. Abdominal exercise usually refers to the superficial muscles, such as the rectus abdominus muscles and the obliques. They are performed by either forward flexing or rotating the trunk. These muscles will activate by simply performing the movement. In contrast, your deep core muscles are comprised of your transverse abdominal muscle and your pelvic floor. They are responsible for dynamic balance and postural alignment.
Core Activation Routine
The transverse abdominal muscle is activated during breathing. When you exhale, it presses against the diaphragm to expel the air. practice breathing in and expanding the belly, then breathing out and drawing the navel to your spine. Once you become proficient, as you exhale, draw the abdominals in, breathe normally, and hold the abdominals tightly for 10 seconds. Practice this 10 times daily.
The pelvic floor is the other important deep core muscle. To activate it, perform kegels. Lie on your back and imagine you are going to the bathroom and trying to stop the urine flow.
Basic Core Routine
Once your learn how to activate your core, you can progress to performing some subtle but essential core exercises. Since the transverse abdominal muscle provides spinal stability, you will want to practice using it in various spinal positions. When you are lying on the floor, your spine should be imprinted when you have your legs in the air, and neutral, which means having a tiny natural curve, when at least one leg is one the floor. The pelvic clock is a useful exercise for finding these positions. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Imagine that your pelvis is the face of a clock, with 12 o'clock as the imprinted and 6 o'clock as the neutral position. Move your pelvis back and forth between these two positions. During the imprinted alignment, contract your abdominal muscles. during the neutral position, perform a kegel. Push your left hip into the floor to find the 3 o'clock position, and your right hip to find the 9 o'clock. This is helpful when performing oblique exercises, which require the opposing hip to remain stable.
The dead bug is another part of the basic core routine. Lie on your back with your knees bent. Lift your legs so that your shins are parallel to the floor and your calves are parallel to the ceiling. Inhale to prepare. As you exhale, maintain an imprinted spine and lower your right leg towards the floor. Repeat on the left side. When you become proficient, practice the exercise while lying on a foam roller.
Stability Ball Core Routines
During stability ball training, your core muscles must be active, or you will fall off the ball. Begin by sitting upright on the ball, and lifting your right foot from the floor, and then your left. Keep your pelvis in a stable position. Then, roll back to a crunch position. be sure to engage your core on as you curl your spine, and engage your pelvic floor on the return. Practice oblique exercises by rotating your upper torso to the right and to the left. As you rotate to the right, press down on the left hip, as you did in the pelvic clock. As you rotate to the left, press down on your right hip.
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