So, what is a Core?

 The core muscles are a group of muscles that pretty much traverse the gap between your rib cage and your pelvis. They include your abdominals, pelvic floor, and diaphragm.

What is the Cue?

“Ribs Down”. At some point, if you have been trained by me,  you have heard me say this at least once (and probably looked at me confused). This cue basically means to pull your ribs towards your pelvis.

Why is “tightening our core” important?

It is important because these are the muscles responsible for keeping you upright when doing exercises such as squats. When these muscles are engaged we can use our legs to properly drive the movement. If these muscles are not engaged…. All sorts of CRAZY things can happen. Especially lower back pain.

How can we “tighten our Core”?

Tightening our core is much more than just a “Crunch”. It’s is about keeping all the muscles engaged and “tonic” to keep ourselves in a position where we do not hurt ourselves. We do this by breathing in deep into our stomachs trying to fill our entire bodies up with air, then we squeeze this “air bubble” (REMEMBERING RIBS DOWN!) so that our core becomes rigid. This is the basis of core bracing.

Should I brace my core?

The really simple answer is HELL YEAH! If you want to get the most out of the exercises you do, this could be anything from planks to headstands. YOU NEED TO LEARN HOW TO BRACE YOUR CORE! This can increase your ability to balance, maintain posture and most importantly not get injured!

Who should I talk to?

If you want to know more, just ask one of the trainers about how to brace your core and they will be more than happy to show you more

Coach

Aaron