It’s ABSOLUTION month here, and while I’ve already told you all the benefits of having a strong core and all the reasons you want to be in on this month’s challenge, today I’m sharing my top three tips for amazing abs! 

 

At this point you may be thinking, “I’ve heard this one before. She’s going to tell me it’s all about diet and getting lots of cardio in addition to hundreds of crunches and planks.”  Nope! Sure nutrition and your fitness routine are super important to your core strength. And yes, these concepts have all made the rounds over the years of the key to the perfect six pack abs.  I’m sure I’ve said them before myself!  But truly, when it comes to strengthening your core, to really getting definition, to healing your core postpartum, to seeing results with your abs, or whatever your goal may be, it’s all about these key things!

 

*We are covering all this and more in the BodyFit Athletic Club during Absolution! Join us and use the code ABSOLUTION for $10 off your first three months! 

 

1. LEARN TO BREATHE AND MANAGE PRESSURE. 

 

Whether you call it the “pooch” or “lower ab bulge” or “Shelf” certain areas of our abdominals seem to be a complaint for many. These are things I hear a lot, and guess what? It’s usually not about belly fat, it’s a breathing and pressure management problem! 

 

We often get into the habit of what’s called “backwards breathing” or “chest breathing,”  where we inhale up and exhale down, which just pushes out on our abdominal wall, and down on our pelvic floor, right at our lower midsection. You’re not doing anything bad if you find you breathe this way, it’s common and often happens from pregnancy where baby grows and pushes up on our lungs, or from poor posture. However, when we learn to breathe properly, it does wonders for our stability and core engagement. 

 

Breathe in, breathe out: 

 

You’ve heard me talk about “TA Breathing” or Diaphragmatic breathing, where we practice this breathing pattern: Inhale to expand through your entire core: back, belly, sides and exhale to lift in and up with your deep core and pelvic floor. A 2015 study found participants who actively participated in diaphragmatic breathing experienced significant improvements in not just abdominal strength, but in functional movement as well. TA breathing is an exercise in itself that we do to reconnect with our entire core and pelvic floor, and it teaches us to then have a strong, stable foundation during workouts and life. NOTE: We don’t need to be doing full TA Breaths during every part of exercise, we just use this as an exercise to learn to breathe properly and connect. I often use it as a starting point when I cue you to “Zip up your core” before beginning a movement. When we create that strong, stable foundation with our breath, we move more effectively with stronger muscle activation. 

 

2. FIX YOUR POSTURE AND ALIGNMENT

 

Sure, we all want better posture, especially when so many of us are spending too many hours sitting at a desk, working at a computer, driving in a car or looking at our phones, but posture and alignment are KEY to core strengthening. Posture is specific to our bodies natural alignment, but is also greatly influenced by lifestyle and daily activities. We spend years sitting at our desks at school, looking at computers, driving, and looking down at our smartphones. Many of us go through body changes such as pregnancy, postpartum or injuries, which affect our posture. It’s possible you have rib flare (often due to pregnancy) where your ribs expand at the top, or a posterior or anterior pelvic tilt (hips tilting forward or back), or just general rounding of your shoulders or forward head posture and all of these things affect how our core engages and strengthens.  

 

Perfect that posture:

 

When standing, think about stacking your ears over shoulders, shoulders over ribcage, ribs over hips, and hips over knees and ankles. Think especially about aligning your ribs and hips, gently tucking your pelvis, especially on the mat or in a plank. It doesn’t have to be perfect, and it shouldn’t feel painful or uncomfortable, but imagine standing tall and holding strong through the middle.  Working on good posture outside of workouts and in workouts goes a long way, especially when it comes to our abs! 

 

3. SLOW DOWN!

 

After many years working in gyms, I’ve seen it all, but the super fast crunches or mountain climbers or bicycles get me everytime. When it comes to working our core, it is all about quality over quantity! More is not better with our abdominals, and racing through movement often involves more momentum than muscle engagement.  And during a fast paced workout, we may be tempted to jump right into our next move without proper set up. Think of you core muscles of initiating the movement; instead of lifting your head and shoulders during a crunch, you’re pulling in and up in your deep core. Rather than pushing up through your forearms and feet in a plank, you’re lifting up into position using your abdominals and obliques (think: plank singles) Slowing down, getting set up (using tips #1 and #2 above!) and intentionally moving through the core not only increases the muscle activation, it helps prevent injury and tightness. 

 

Slow your roll (up): 

 

Take time to get set up (go through a few TA Breaths, then align your hips and ribs) then take your motion slowly and with control. Use your mind muscle connection and really think about what’s working. You’ll be surprised how much more you feel your abs when you go slow.

 

 

Bottom line: Keep it simple! There’s no magic to getting that ab definition, nor do I want you to focus on that. But going back to basics with our breathing, posture, alignment and form can be a game changer in your core activation and strength. Try it!

 

Want to learn more? Join us in the BodyFit Athletic Club, where we are talking core in depth ( and deep core!) all month long!