Proper use of the abdominals and correct alignment of the skeleton can make the difference between a safe workout and a strained workout. People work out because their bodies feel better after and then their bodies look better after ward as well. The last thing anyone wants is to feel hurt or strained after putting in so much effort. Do you know what the core is? Do you know how to activate it? Below is some key points about what the core is and how to use it to work out safely. The core is more than the round belly button area. It is the entire torso, shoulder girdle to pelvic girdle.

There are several layers of abdominals that overlap and interlace with shoulder/back muscles and hip muscles. The deepest or first layer of the abs is a belt muscle that wraps completely around the front and back waist. Think of the belts used when people engage in heavy lifting, now imagine it on the inside. This is where the back will get most of the support needed to prevent straining. This muscle does not create or cause any body movement or action. It will increase stability of pelvis and low back. To feel this muscle work put hands on waist and cough. That is the belt muscle.

The key to activating this deep muscle is using the pelvic floor muscles. These are also called bladder control muscles, they are used when a person is waiting in line to use the bathroom. These muscles are close in proximity to our belt muscle. Tensing the bladder control muscles will automatically start to activate the belt muscle. With an additional action of pulling the belly inward, this supportive belt muscle will fully engage. This support makes it possible for the remaining abs to do their jobs of creating movement. If the neck hurts in abdominal exercise when the head is lifted it is because the neck is doing double duty. If the core is weak the shoulders will rise up toward the head. This means the shoulder girdle is not working & the neck is trying to make up for it and therefore is working too much. The abdominals are connected to the shoulder girdle via the oblique muscles. This connection will only be felt in the body if the shoulders are down away from the ears.

Stress and tension create a muscle pattern where the shoulders rise up toward the head. This means the abdominals are not able to help and then that creates more work for the small neck muscles, more work than what they were built for. The human head is heavy by the way, sort of like holding a bowling ball. If this heavy head is lifted up off the floor and the shoulders are up near the ears those small neck muscles are now doing too much. Asking them to support the head is going to make them cry out in pain.

Think of the shoulders in terms of where the shoulder blade is in relation to the ribcage. When shoulders are up, it means shoulder blades have slid up the ribcage, when shoulders are down, it means shoulder blades have slid down the ribcage. This down position is what creates stability in the shoulder girdle and connects it to the abdominals. The shoulder girdle is now physically closer to and working with the abdominal muscles. This time when the head is lifted, all of the core, shoulders to pelvis, are woking hard doing their specific jobs and supporting the weight of the head. The small neck muscles are not working over time any more.