Your transverse abdominis muscle holds the key to your core stability, balance, back care, injury prevention and so much more. If you imagine a muscular corset, you wouldn’t be far wrong. This is a large, deep layer of muscle that protects your spine in the event of a perceived emergency. Everyone has one, you just need to learn how to activate it (so you can protect your spine in everyday activity and exercise).
Place your fingers into your abdomen, take a deep breath, and cough. The muscle you felt move under your fingers is your transverse abdominis. It engaged to protect your spine when you coughed. Keep your fingers in there, and try to engage it yourself. Gently draw your navel in towards your spine, as if you have a spring on the inside of your belly button. For some people it helps them to exhale as they do this. Try not to hold your breath at any point, and keep your transverse abdominis engaged at about 30%.
4 out of 5 people will at some point suffer from back pain in their lives. Anything you can do to minimise your chances is worth trying. Your transverse abdominis helps prevent stress and strain being unduely placed on the disks in your spine. It keeps your back safe throughout everyday tasks and throughout exercise. If we can master engaging it, we can then start to challenge it with more difficult Pilates moves. Like any other muscle, it will become stronger and combined with your increased body awareness, and balance, this core strength can go a long way towards easing and current pain, or preventing future pain episodes.
If you lay on your back, press your fingers in to your abdomen and gently lift your head, you will feel your abdomen ‘push’ up. Some instructors call this ‘doming’. What we are trying to achieve when activating the transverse abdominis is your abdomen not popping, lifting, doming or moving at all. This means you have stabilised your core enough to perform this movement with your head and neck. You can check this every time to help you learn. Your abdomen should stay still, belly button down. If you aren’t sure if you can feel it, leave your fingers pressing in, and cough again. It’s that same muscle.
Be honest with yourself, and with your instructor. Don’t get carried away with the harder options if you aren’t 100% sure that your transverse abdominis is switched on supporting your spine. Pilates is about the stability, not the movement. You would be much better off laying still and learning how to engage your transverse effectively, than doing all the movements everyone else is doing with none of the stability to support you. Take your time. It’s not easy. Some people will be naturally gifted with body awareness and will pick up Pilates easier than others. Some will have to work harder at it, but the benefits are really clear, and definitely worth it. Some people passed their driving test in a handful of lessons, others took a lot longer. This is the same. Expect to be trying to engage your transverse for around 6 months before you fully understand if you have or have not got it engaged. Even then, it may not always co-operate and will always need reminders.
Your transverse abdominis has no functional movement. It’s job is stabilising. The best thing you can do is remind it to squeeze often. This could be each time you get to a red traffic light in your car. Re-adjust your posture, and engage your transverse abdominis. Chances are, at the next set of lights, you will have forgotten, and can re-adjust and re-engage again. You could also remind yourself to stand correctly, with your transverse abdominis engaged a few times each day. This ‘little but often’ reminders will make a big difference to your level of Pilates, your body awareness, and your overall outcome.
Your spine on it’s own, isn’t strong. It is the network of muscles around it connecting vertebrae to vertebrae that provides support and enables you to move. Your transverse is key for stability and strengthening this can be the difference between pain free mobility, and the less favourable painful injury.
Yow do I learn to squeeze it?
Place your fingers into your abdomen, take a deep breath, and cough. The muscle you felt move under your fingers is your transverse abdominis. It engaged to protect your spine when you coughed. Keep your fingers in there, and try to engage it yourself. Gently draw your navel in towards your spine, as if you have a spring on the inside of your belly button. For some people it helps them to exhale as they do this. Try not to hold your breath at any point, and keep your transverse abdominis engaged at about 30%.
Why is it so important?
4 out of 5 people will at some point suffer from back pain in their lives. Anything you can do to minimise your chances is worth trying. Your transverse abdominis helps prevent stress and strain being unduely placed on the disks in your spine. It keeps your back safe throughout everyday tasks and throughout exercise. If we can master engaging it, we can then start to challenge it with more difficult Pilates moves. Like any other muscle, it will become stronger and combined with your increased body awareness, and balance, this core strength can go a long way towards easing and current pain, or preventing future pain episodes.
What should it feel like?
If you lay on your back, press your fingers in to your abdomen and gently lift your head, you will feel your abdomen ‘push’ up. Some instructors call this ‘doming’. What we are trying to achieve when activating the transverse abdominis is your abdomen not popping, lifting, doming or moving at all. This means you have stabilised your core enough to perform this movement with your head and neck. You can check this every time to help you learn. Your abdomen should stay still, belly button down. If you aren’t sure if you can feel it, leave your fingers pressing in, and cough again. It’s that same muscle.
I try but I just can’t squeeze it. What should I do?
Be honest with yourself, and with your instructor. Don’t get carried away with the harder options if you aren’t 100% sure that your transverse abdominis is switched on supporting your spine. Pilates is about the stability, not the movement. You would be much better off laying still and learning how to engage your transverse effectively, than doing all the movements everyone else is doing with none of the stability to support you. Take your time. It’s not easy. Some people will be naturally gifted with body awareness and will pick up Pilates easier than others. Some will have to work harder at it, but the benefits are really clear, and definitely worth it. Some people passed their driving test in a handful of lessons, others took a lot longer. This is the same. Expect to be trying to engage your transverse for around 6 months before you fully understand if you have or have not got it engaged. Even then, it may not always co-operate and will always need reminders.
What is the best exercise to help?
Your transverse abdominis has no functional movement. It’s job is stabilising. The best thing you can do is remind it to squeeze often. This could be each time you get to a red traffic light in your car. Re-adjust your posture, and engage your transverse abdominis. Chances are, at the next set of lights, you will have forgotten, and can re-adjust and re-engage again. You could also remind yourself to stand correctly, with your transverse abdominis engaged a few times each day. This ‘little but often’ reminders will make a big difference to your level of Pilates, your body awareness, and your overall outcome.
Take this opportunity to learn and make a difference to your health. Don’t just go to Pilates for the social (although you can still be social!). Squeeze your transverse and be the participant your spine needs you to be.
