The Ultimate Guide to Engaging Your Core for Better Fitness and Everyday Activities

By Stacy Robinson February 27, 2024 2 mins read 114 Views

You've heard the term bandied around at the gym, in yoga classes, or maybe even from your trainer: "Engage your core." But what does it mean? Understanding how to engage your core helps not just with workouts but with your daily activities as well.

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What Does It Mean to Engage Your Core?

Engaging your core means tensing all the muscles of your midsection so they can stabilize your body, allowing you to carry out a range of movements. It's not just about flexing your abs, but recruiting all the muscles in your core, including the transverse abdominis.

Tips for Engaging Your Core

If you're unsure how to engage your core, try doing a quick cough. That squeeze at the end of your cough is your core engagement. You can also try bracing for a punch in the stomach or putting your hands on your stomach to feel the muscles engage. Practice other core movements like pushing out, sucking in, and tightening to differentiate the muscles.

How to Engage Your Core Step-by-Step

Here's a five-step procedure on how to engage your core:

Find a comfortable stance.
Breathe appropriately.
Take a deeper diaphragmatic breath.
Pull your stomach to your spine as you exhale.
Hold for a second.

Benefits of Core Engagement

Engaging your core has numerous benefits, including increased balance, strength, energy, and power. It can also help alleviate back pain and promote better posture.

Exercises to Practice Core Engagement

Engaging your core takes time and practice. Start with easier exercises like supine 90-degree leg holds and marching in place, then progress to more advanced exercises like alternating supine heel taps and dead bugs.

When Should You Engage Your Core?

Ideally, you should engage your core any time you move, whether during exercise or everyday activities. Core exercises can help train your muscles to engage properly and carry over into daily life activities.

Remember that intentional control of your body, coupled with automatic activation, works together to strengthen your core and improve your overall physical health.