“If your core was stronger, your pain would improve, your posture would be better, and your back would not be ‘going out’.”
But what does it actually mean to activate your core? Well, it is not what you might think.
Your core is designed for all day posture and stability. Not sit ups, crunches and planks.
Your core is not just a six pack. It is a group of muscles that wrap around your torso to connect the upper body to the lower body to stabilize your spine and support your internal organs.
Your core is not defined by a workout. It is essential to every movement you do every single day.
The Transverse Abdominis is the main muscle of your core. At The Tummy Team we sometimes call this your God-given girdle or your built-in corset muscle. This muscle is the deepest abdominal muscle and wraps from your spine around your torso to connect your ribs and your pelvis while supporting your abdominal organs. When this muscle works as it was designed, it lengthens your torso, cinches your waist and lifts your pelvic floor. All the things we want. 😍
But this muscle is deep. So it can be difficult to feel and it is often neglected by exercise and daily movement patterns. So how do we activate it?
We have to set up the conditions first. Every muscle has an ideal alignment and action. The Transverse Abdominis requires 2 conditions to effectively activate.
The pelvis and rib cage need to be aligned with good posture (not collapsed, bulged or in a crunch position). Imagine two parts of a plastic easter egg set on top of each other.
The transverse activates when we exhale and “zip” up our tummy, drawing our navel up and toward the spine (not when we suck in our tummy, hold our breath or brace). Imagine the belly expanding gently as air comes into the lungs and drawing in as the air is released from the lungs.
While this might seem simple, just stand tall and bring your tummy in, right? The concept is simple, but the implementation can take some training. Most of us are starting with a weak and disconnected core so just like every muscle strength takes time and consistency.
But the good news is we can work on our posture and breathing all day, every day with the right tools.
Restoring your core with functional core rehab is what The Tummy Team specializes in. We have a step by step rehab process that will take you from a weak and deflated core to a solid connected core in a matter of weeks by teaching you how to use real life strategies you likely already do every day.
Since true functional core strength is not about a series of exercises in the gym, we need to understand how the core works in everyday real life!
One key concept to understand is the 4 different types of upright core activation. When you know better you can do better and awareness is 50% of the solution. Let’s take a look at what your core is doing during the day so you can make the most out of every movement.
Here is the best way to activate your core & what you should really be avoiding:
1. Bulging/Bracing Core
Bracing your core is when you hold your breath, tense our tummy, and bulge when lifting, getting off the couch and even using the bathroom. This is a compensation strategy that uses intra-abdominal air pressure in the absence of true core strength.
Bracing or bulging the core actually pushes out on your abdominal wall multiple times a day, or even all day long in some cases. We want to avoid this at ALL times. It sends the opposite message to the transverse abdominis and directly causes conditions like diastasis recti, abdominal hernias, pelvic floor prolapse, pelvic instability, flared rib cage, and many other serious issues. Our goal at The Tummy Team is to eliminate this strategy and replace it with effective and efficient activation of your transverse abdominis.
2. Relaxed Core
A relaxed core is when the transverse abdominis is inactive and the belly is allowed to sag down or rest out. A relaxed core should be limited to times when you have full back support, are reclined or lying down as every muscle in your body needs to relax at some point. However, if we are sitting upright, standing, walking, or moving in any way, then our core muscles are required to support our posture and connect our upper and lower body. Relaxed core muscles if unsupported by a chair or bed cause the rest of your body to compensate for this lack of support.
Imagine if your legs completely relax when we are standing. You likely will collapse. Since your core is a postural muscle that supports your organs, when your core completely relaxes when you are upright, your posture collapses and all of the organs drop down and rest forward.
If you are disconnected from your core muscles from chronic disuse, poor posture, pregnancy, or chronic collapsed parenting or work postures then it is common to live in this relaxed state. The Tummy Team specializes in a systematic approach to give you the all day long functional core strength that these upright unsupported postures require.
3. Active Core
This is your ultimate goal for most of your day. Stack your ribs over your pelvis and imagine a strong cable pulling you toward the sky from the crown of your head. This is what an active core feels like.
An active core is quiet, steady and balanced. We often refer to this state as “Long, lean and lifted” or a “Lighter not Tighter” feeling. An active core is when the pelvis and rib cage align and the body is elongated but not tense. As humans we crave alignment and stability. We are not jellyfish. We need a solid central foundation to keep our internal organs protected and supported and to stabilize our spine so we can move deliberately and pain-free.
Living with an active core does not happen overnight. Just like all strength, postural strength develops with time and consistency. The Tummy Team gives you the tools and strategies to create this all day long functional core strength.
4. Engaged Core
An engaged core is when the pelvis and rib cage align and we exhale and draw the belly button toward the spine while staying elongated. This is our goal for when our body is challenged by lifting, straining, carrying, jumping etc. We often coach clients to exhale and visualize a zipper zipping up the core from the pubic bone to the sternum to engage the core. We are most effective when we exhale, elongate and engage to help fully activate the transverse abdominis when we lift, push, carry, pull, strain, and even sing, yell, vomit or have a bowel movement
***IMPORTANT***
It is not valuable to live with an engaged core all day long. Engaging and holding the muscles tight beyond what is needed for the activity we are doing actually causes the entire body to tense for no apparent reason. The intensity and duration of the exhale, elongate and engage strategy is directly correlated with the intensity and duration demanded from the activity required. For instance, the amount of core strength we need to lift a 50lb bag of dog food is different from the amount of core strength we need to carry a baby from the car seat to the crib. Muscles have an active state and an engaged state and it is important to know the difference.
Where do you see yourself in these descriptions?
The first step to any rehabilitation process is becoming aware of what is really going on in our body. Understanding how the core is designed to work and assessing what our own body is doing gives us a starting point. Success comes when we develop the strength and strategies to live in a strong and connected core. This is what we do at The Tummy Team.
The Tummy Team is a PT clinic that specializes in functional core rehab. We essentially help people reconnect to the underused muscles of the core in practical and meaningful ways so that there is all day, everyday strength for real life stuff. Real life demands include carrying a baby all day, cleaning the house, carpooling the kids to various sporting events, working 40+ hours in front of a computer and doing some basic activities like hiking, mowing the grass and camping with family. The core is very important for all of these real-life demands. We specialize in systematically rebuilding your core while we address the ineffective ways your body has been compensating for a weak core.
The differences described above are subtle but significant.
Understanding how your core works is the first step — but real, lasting change happens when you apply that knowledge with guided support and personalized progression.
At The Tummy Team, we specialize in helping you rebuild functional core strength from the inside out — not through endless crunches or “quick fixes,” but through clinically-proven strategies you can use in everyday life.
Step-by-step core activation strategies
Diastasis-friendly guidance
Alignment and movement education
Fitness you can do without bulging, strain, or pain
