How to Activate Your Transverse Abdominis before Any Workout

Spend even one session in personal training with me, and you'll know it's all about the core. The muscle known as the tranverse abdominis is particularly important to activate. This is the muscle group on the front and side of your stomach, just below the internal oblique.

Activating the transverse abdominis is important because it will help strengthen the rest of your abdominals and also assists in proper postural alignment. It is a sure way to increase overall stability and body mechanics. It also draws in abdominal wall, creating a flat stomach. Other benefits include strengthening the pelvic floor and the prevention as well as correction distasis abdominis.

In this video, we take a few minutes to establish a strong mind-body connection as we activate this important muscle group.

Instructions:

Lay on back, bending knees feet flat on floor. Inhale as you expand the abdominal region, filling it up like a balloon. Think of pulling your hips together as your abdominal cavity increases in volume. As you exhale, tighten lips to exhale slowly, as if releasing air from a balloon, but think of drawing your obliques (muscles on the side) together as you exhale contracting abs. Keep your mind focused on drawing your obliques together as you slowly exhale. You might make a sound like a pressure release valve.

Once you do this several times--say about 3 to 5 reps or until you get the really good mind-body connection--then start doing the movement. It’s not good enough just to engage and feel the connection; you want to move the muscles to make them work! This video shows an example of leg lifts to engage the lower abdominal compartment.

In part two, we will go further into different moves that will continue to increase the strength of your abdominals, giving you support and increasing your mobility in everything you do. Benefits consist of no more back pain and the ability to stay in proper position when exercising.