How to Engage Your Core
Core engagement is an essential aspect of fitness, often overlooked but vital for achieving overall strength, stability, and health. Whether you’re an experienced athlete or a fitness newbie, understanding how to properly engage your core can improve your performance and prevent injuries.
In this blog post, we will explain what core engagement means, how it benefits your body, and provide tips and exercises to help you activate your core correctly.
What Does Engaging Your Core Mean?
Engaging your core simply means activating the muscles in your abdomen, lower back, and pelvis to stabilize your spine and maintain good posture.
Your core includes several muscles, such as:
- Rectus abdominis (the “six-pack” muscles)
- Transverse abdominis (the deep stabilizing muscle)
- Obliques (muscles on the sides of your abdomen)
- Erector spinae (muscles in your lower back)
These muscles work together to protect your spine, support you when exercising and moving around and help in keeping you balanced.
By engaging your core, you are essentially bracing these muscles to create a strong, stable foundation for the body.
Benefits of Engaging Your Core
The benefits of engaging your core are things such as, improved posture, injury prevention, improved balance and stability as well as increasing your athletic performance.
Engaging your core helps in almost every physical activity, from daily walking, running, jumping and lifting weights.
A strong and engaged core helps to maintain proper spinal alignment, which promotes better posture and therefore minimises the risk of back pain and injury.
How to Engage Your Core Muscles the Right Way
Start with your breath.
Inhale deeply through your nose, letting your belly expand. Think of wearing a belt and using your breath to fill up your belly so all areas of your body, front, back and sides are pushing against the belt. This will create your brace.
As you exhale, gently pull your belly button in toward your spine. This activates the transverse abdominis, the deepest layer of your abdominal muscles.
Trying to maintain a neutral spine throughout will not only help to engage your core but will protect your back when lifting weights.
We encourage breath holding for each repetition when performing your weight lifting exercises so as not to release any tension created in the mid section until the movement is complete.
This will allow you to lift the most amount of load in the safest way possible.
Please note we do not recommend breath holding whilst pregnant.
Core-Engaging Exercises to Try
There are many exercises to target and engage your core.
Here are some of our favourite ones:
– Plank Hold
– Dead Bugs
– Single Leg Crunches
Does Running Engage Your Core?
Running does involve some level of core activation, especially when you maintain good posture and a steady rhythm. However, running alone isn’t enough to build a strong core. You may engage your abs and obliques to help with posture, but for stronger core muscles, specific exercises that target the core more directly are encouraged.
Does Walking Engage Your Core?
While walking doesn’t deeply engage the core, it does play a role in maintaining good posture and balance. To get the most benefit from walking, engage your core while moving to improve your stability and support your lower back.
Are You Supposed to Engage Your Core All the Time?
It’s not necessary to keep your core engaged constantly throughout the day, but it is essential during activities that involve lifting, bending, or any movement that puts pressure on your spine. Practicing core engagement during exercise is important to build strength and prevent injury.
Common Mistakes When Engaging Your Core
The most common mistake we see people make when trying to engage their core is focusing solely on the “abs” and ignoring the remaining core muscles which help to protect your lower back.
How to Build a Stronger Core Over Time
Building a stronger core takes time and practice. Gradually incorporate core-engaging exercises into your workout routine and progressively increase the intensity as your strength improves.
Start with simple exercises like planks or dead bugs and move on to more challenging exercises as you build stability.
Over time, you’ll notice improvements in posture, balance, and overall fitness.
Start Your Fitness Journey Today With Base Body Babes
Engaging your core is a fundamental aspect of fitness that everyone should prioritize, regardless of their fitness level. By learning the proper technique and regularly performing core exercises, you’ll enhance your performance and reduce the risk of injury.
If you’re ready to take the next step in your fitness journey, join Base Body Babes today. Start building a strong, stable core and see the difference it makes in your health and fitness journey!