How to Engage Your Core During a Workout — and Why These Muscles Are So Important
Key takeaways:
Your core includes the abdominals, obliques, hip flexors, lower- and mid-back muscles, and pelvic floor muscles. These muscles stabilize your torso and protect your spine.
You engage your core involuntarily during many daily activities. But learning how to engage your core purposely can improve exercise performance. It can also protect your spine when you lift heavy objects.
Lower back pain, poor posture, and difficulty standing are signs that you may have a weak core.
A strong core is one of the keys to musculoskeletal health and well-being. The muscles around your midsection or core help stabilize the body and support the spine. Whether you're an athlete or an office worker, having a strong core can help you perform and feel better.
And knowing how to engage your core muscles can make it easier to do daily activities, improve athletic performance, and help prevent injuries.
What are the core muscles?
Your core extends from your groin up to your rib cage and encompasses your entire torso — front, back, and sides. The main muscles of the core include:
Rectus abdominis: Also known as the six-pack, this is a long, flat sheath of muscle extending from your lower ribs to your pubic bone. The main function of the rectus abdominis is to flex the torso, which allows you to do things like crunches. It also helps you bend to the side.
Transversus abdominis: This muscle is located underneath the rectus abdominis and is involved in abdominal compression. It’s activated when you pull your belly button in toward your spine and when you forcefully exhale.
Obliques: These muscles are located on the sides of your torso. The external and internal obliques assist with torso rotation and bending to the side. For example, the obliques are one of the main muscle groups activated during a golf swing.
Erector spinae: These muscles run along either side of the spine, from the upper back to the tailbone. They’re in charge of back extension, like when you stand up from a bent-over position or bend backward.
Multifidus muscle group: This is a series of muscle bundles that runs along the entire spine, from the skull to the sacrum, and is primarily responsible for spinal stabilization.
Pelvic floor: The pelvic floor muscles, along with ligaments and fascia, hold together the pelvic organs — the uterus, bladder, vagina, and bowel. They’re involved in urination, defecation, and sex.
Quadratus lumborum: This muscle is in the lower back and opposes the abdominal muscles. It’s involved in postural control and bending backward.
Diaphragm: Located below the lungs, the diaphragm is the main muscle involved in breathing. It expands and contracts with each breath.
Hip flexors: These small muscles are located on the front of your upper thigh and help with hip stabilization and flexing. When you march in place, your hip flexors allow you to lift your legs off the ground.
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How to engage your core
Engaging your core means activating or contracting all your torso muscles. Most likely, you've engaged your core many times before; you just weren't aware of it. You engage your core muscles automatically during many biological processes, such as breathing and passing a bowel movement.
You can also engage these muscles on purpose to avoid injury and generate power. For example, when you lift weights in the gym or pick up a heavy box, engaging your core can help protect your lumbar spine and make the movement easier.
Various techniques can help you learn how to engage your core. Here are a couple of them:
Abdominal bracing
Abdominal bracing is an isometric exercise. It involves tensing your abdominal muscles while keeping your spine, pelvis, and ribs still. The easiest way to do it is to imagine bracing yourself for a punch in the stomach. Squeeze all of the muscles in your midsection with even pressure. You're doing the exercise correctly if your core is stable and you feel pressure throughout your muscles.
Abdominal hollowing, or drawing in
Abdominal hollowing, or drawing in, involves marked contraction of the abdominal muscles, especially the transverse abdominis between the ribs and the pelvis. This one is easy to do while standing, sitting, or lying down. All you have to do is draw your belly button in toward your spine. It's best done at the end of an exhale.
How to tell if your core is engaged
Engaging your core involves more than pulling your ab muscles toward your spine. When your core is properly engaged, you will feel equal pressure around your midsection, from your ribs to your pelvis. Your entire midsection should feel like one solid structure. And you shouldn't have trouble breathing normally. It's a very subtle action. And it takes practice to get it right.
When your core is engaged, you'll find it easier to keep a neutral spine during exercises such as planks or bird dogs. You may also find it easier to lift heavy weights without arching or straining your back, whether you're in the gym or doing yard work or other day-to-day tasks.
What are the signs of a weak core?
Inactivity, injury, or surgery may cause you to have weak core muscles. Whatever the cause, there are a few telltale signs that your core muscles are not working as well as they could be.
Lower back pain: The lower back bears a lot of the weight of your upper body, making it prone to weakness, wear and tear, and injuries. There are many possible causes of lower back pain, including weak core muscles. A 2019 study found a link between abdominal muscle weakness and lower back pain in older women.
Balance problems: Your core plays a key role in keeping you balanced by stabilizing your spine. According to the same 2019 study, older women with lower back pain and weak core muscles also had a higher risk of falls. Balance exercises –– including those that activate core muscles –– can help keep you steady.
Poor posture: Your posture is how you hold your body while moving, sitting, or standing still. Weak core muscles can lead to poor posture, such as rounding your back or shoulders and slumping forward. Fortunately, targeted exercises can strengthen your core and help you maintain good posture.
Reduced functional ability: Core strength is critical for functional ability, which allows you to do daily activities with ease. If you have trouble standing for brief periods or getting into or out of a chair without support, it may be a sign that your core muscles are weak.
How to strengthen your core
Core exercises — not just abdominal exercises — should be part of your regular workout program. Doing too many abdominal exercises and neglecting other core muscles can cause imbalances. Below are some of the best core exercises to include in your routine. Focus on engaging your core during these targeted, strength-building moves.
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Forearm plank
The forearm plank is a great way for beginners to build core muscle strength.
Step 1: Start in a push-up position, but with your forearms on the floor parallel to each other and your palms facing down. Align your shoulders over your elbows.
Step 2: Engage your core by contracting your abs, obliques, lower back, glutes, and thighs.
Step 3: Keep your body in a straight line from your head to your heels. Do not allow your hips to sag or spike up.
Step 4: Hold for 30 seconds before lowering to the floor.
Hollow body hold
The hollow body hold exercise uses core muscles that are sometimes ignored, including the transverse abdominis and erector spinae.
Step 1: Lie on your back and extend your arms over your head alongside your ears.
Step 2: Press your feet together and contract your abdominal muscles, glutes, and thighs.
Step 3: Lift your upper and lower body off the floor, coming into a banana shape with your arms and feet in the air.
Step 4: Keep your lower back pressed into the floor, your core muscles engaged, your neck long, and your gaze at the ceiling.
Step 5: Hold for 30 seconds, breathing normally.
Step 6: Repeat two more times.
Superman
Supermans use lower back and hip muscles.
Step 1: Lie on your stomach with your arms extended overhead and your palms facing down.
Step 2: Contract your core muscles, especially your lower back and glutes.
Step 3: Lift your upper and lower body off the floor so you're balancing on your pelvis. Keep your neck long and relaxed.
Step 4: Hold for 30 seconds and repeat 2 to 3 times.
The bottom line
You engage your core muscles involuntarily during various daily activities. But learning how to engage your core on purpose can help you perform better in sports and prevent injury.
When you learn how to engage your core, you’ll find you can generate more power and move more efficiently. It’s important to include core-strengthening exercises in your workout routine so that you can reap the rewards of a strong torso.
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References
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Kravitz, L. (n.d.). SuperAbs resource manual.
Madokoro, S., et al. (2020). Effect of the abdominal draw-in maneuver and bracing on abdominal muscle thickness and the associated subjective difficulty in healthy individuals. Healthcare.
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