FitSugar

Why Feel The "Y": Core Concepts

FitSugar — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 12:30:00 -0700

Do you work your "Y"? Well you should...it is an easy way to feel connected to your "core." The "Y" connects your armpits to your belly button, and then your pelvic floor (like a kagel) pulling up toward your navel. Feeling these points connected gets your external obliques to work so your rib cage stays aligned over your pelvis. Engaging the pelvic floor stabilizes the lower part of the pelvis. All the energy meets at your navel activating your deep abs. Your upper body is now all connected.

I find this "Y" visual helpful for quickly getting into my core and stabilizing my torso while doing a bunch of different activities, from hauling toddlers around to doing free weights I use the "Y" to keep my torso still when doing bi-cep curls. It totally helps get rid of the "sway back into the heels" that often accompanies the lift. Try the "Y" when you do your next set of push-ups - keeping your torso all trussed up really helps out your arms as they push your entire body weight away from the floor.

So use your "Y" - practice it while standing in line for your morning latte.

If you have some questions about your core read this post Core Questions and hopefully it will answer yours.

The Skinny On: Deep Abs

FitSugar — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 11:30:00 -0800

Did you know that the Transversus Abdominis (don’t be intimidated by the religious sounding Latin) is the most important muscle for stabilizing when lifting, walking, or just being you? Unfortunately, it also tends to be super weak. So if you rarely exercise, sit for prolonged periods of time, have poor posture, have low back pain or all of the above, you need to strengthen your deep abs. If you want the skinny on your deep abs, read more

The Transversus Abdominis, or the TVA as I like to abbreviate it, is the deepest of your four abdominal muscles and it sits right on top of your viscera, your guts. Essentially, it fills in the space between your lowest rib (the 12th) and your pelvis, connecting your pubic bone to your 6th rib. It has lateral fibers that wrap around your waist – hence the term transversus.

The TVA shares fibers with the diaphragm. So when you force breath out of your lungs and pull your low belly toward your spine, you’re activating your TVA. When engaged, the TVA decreases the diameter of your waist (always a bonus!), flattens your belly (double bonus!!) and creates a bit more space between the vertebrae in your low back. It’s kind of like a muscular corset.

The TVA tends to be lazy, so you have to remind it to work. The act of pulling your navel to your spine as you exhale will activate your transversus. While exhaling, also create the sensation of "zipping" up your abs, from your pubic bone up to your belly button. This should give you the sensation that your lower abs are smiling. So don’t just pull your abs to your spine, smile them to your spine.

Fit's Tip: While working out, take advantage of every exhale to work your TVA.

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Deep Abs and Running: Gotta Get to Your Core

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 11:53:59 -0700

We all want to be efficient, right? Especially when we exercise. Well, according to Michael Fredericson, Ph.D., a running bio-mechanics expert at Stanford University, 90 percent of runners waste energy with stride errors and faulty gait. That basically just means running "funny" - length of steps being too short or long and/or pelvis swinging too much from side to side. Fredericson concluded that these stride issues were caused by weak abs. Runners were not using their deeps abs - the transversus abdominis (TVA) as well as the internal obliques.

The deep abs stabilize the pelvis by keeping it in a neutral position, not tilted too far forward, so that the back of the legs can push your entire body forward. If the pelvis tilts too far forward some of the power is simply wasted stretching the low, deep abs. Here's an analogy that might help you:

Imagine you're trying to push a heavy trunk forward on a tile floor. The trouble is that you're standing on a small rug that starts to slide backward every time you try to push the trunk forward. Removing the rug allows your feet to get a more stable grip on the floor, so that more of your muscle energy is transferred to the trunk....the slipping rug is like deep abs that are not properly activated. Removing the rug is like tightening your deep abs so that your pelvis is stable, allowing more of your muscle work to translate into forward movement.

Many folks have weak deep abs because we sit all day and inevitably slouch, which deactivates those muscles and they become weak. So try to find your TVA right now.

Sit up straight (since I just said we all slouch too much you had to know that one was coming). Put your hands on your low ribs and inhale, feeling them expand (flare out to the sides). Don't raise your shoulders though (it might take a few times for you to get the hang of this).
Try to keep your low ribs wide as you exhale by pulling your navel to your spine (don't move your spine though). Think of pushing the air out of your lungs with the action of pulling the deeps abs toward the spine. Repeat for a while until it starts to feel "normal."
Keep practicing this action and not only will you start to strengthen your deep abs, you will increase your ability to breathe deeply by opening up the space between your side and back ribs.

Now every time you do any abdominal exercise you want to focus on the deep abs being active. So warm up your abs before you run, jog, walk, or use the Stair Stepper or Elliptical. Exercise mindfully and focus on your pelvic stability and keep checking in with your form. Bonus: Stabilizing the pelvis during running and running like activities will help you stay injury free.

Finding Your Deep Abs!

FitSugar — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 09:30:00 -0700

Finding your deep abs is essential to training your core and for just about every Pilates exercise in the book. Accessing them, however, can be difficult. Here is the easiest path to discover your transverse abdominus (TVA for short), the deepest of all the abdominals.

Sit upright in a chair or cross-legged on the floor. Align your head over your pelvis while maintaining the natural curve and keeping the spine long. This is no time for slouching. You need to sit in front of a mirror so you can monitor the movement of your shoulders.
Place your hands on the sides of your waist with your thumbs pointed back and your index fingers forward.
Inhale into the back and sides of your ribs (imagine a balloon filling up with air), not just your chest, without letting your shoulders rise to your ears. This can take a few tries to master. If breathing this way makes you light headed, take smaller inhales - just don't let your shoulders rise.

Who knew finding something in your own body could have so many steps? For the rest of the steps read more

Exhale by pulling your abdominals toward your spine to force the diaphragm up into the lungs, creating the exhale. You should feel the diameter of your waist decreasing as you do this, since the TVA wraps around the waist and attaches in the back. It helps to make a soft "Haaaaa" sound while you exhale.
Keep inhaling and exhaling in this manner.
When exhaling you want to feel a sensation of the abdominals pulling up from the pubic bone to the belly button, kind of a zipping sensation. To help activate this sensation feel the pelvic floor pulling up, like doing a Kegel exercise.
Once this feels natural (or at least easier), try it lying on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.

This breathing is simple, easy and rather inconspicuous so you can practice at your desk! I have a friend that breathes this way at every stop light (she keeps her hands on the wheel though). Integrate using your TVA when you lift weights, so you're working your deep abs (and helping to stabilize your torso) as well.

Short, Sweet and Complete Abdominal Workout Video

FitSugar — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 14:35:00 -0800

How about those abs? If you are bored with your ab routine, or if you neglect your middle, here's a workout for you to try.

This video is made for you to play while you do the exercise. Think of it as a quick little workout with a voice leading you along and a counter in the lower lefthand corner counting down your reps.

So don't just watch. Watch and do. Then be sure to work your abs at three days a week. Your belly will thank you for all the attention.

For a few tips, just read more

You want to make sure you are working your deep abs the entire time. So focus on pulling your navel to your spine.
To keep tension out of your neck when doing crunches, think of holding an orange between your chin and your chest. Don't juice the orange, but don't drop it either.
When performing toe taps and heel taps, keep the torso and pelvis totally still. Use your abs to do this.
Have fun with the Hip Ups, but remember to control the motion and really scoop out your low belly.
When twisting to work your obliques, isolate the movement to just the rib cage. Don't move your low back.

Core Concepts: Running

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:00:00 -0800

Whether running for fun, fitness, or to be fast, efficiency is key. Having a strong core plays an important part in translating the power of the legs to propelling the entire body forward through space. The deep abs, made up of the transversus abdominis (TVA) and internal obliques, are the keystone for core stabilization. Unfortunately, running bio-mechanics expert Michael Fredericson, Ph.D, found that about 90 percent of runners have weak abs leading to faulty running patterns. Having weak abs can easily translate into "running funny" with too long or too short of steps, or a pelvis that swings from side to side.

The deep abs stabilize the pelvis by keeping it in a neutral position, so that the back of the legs can push your entire body forward, rather than just wasting power just stretching the low abs. A strong core can help make your running more efficient as well as faster. When the weak low abs work in tandem with the spinal muscles these muscles support the torso and give you more endurance too.

Due to our modern and sedentary lifestyle, many folks have weak deep abs because sitting all day leads to slouching, which deactivates the deeps abs. To learn how to reactivate your TVA right now read more.

Sit up straight (since I just said we all slouch too much you had to know that one was coming). Put your hands on your low ribs and inhale, feeling them expand (flare out to the sides). Don't raise your shoulders though (it might take a few times for you to get the hang of this).
Try to keep your low ribs wide as you exhale by pulling your navel to your spine while keeping your spine still. Think of pushing the air out of your lungs with the action of pulling the deeps abs toward the spine. Repeat for a while until it starts to feel "normal."
Keep practicing this action and not only will you start to strengthen your deep abs, you will increase your ability to breathe deeply by opening up the space between your side and back ribs.

Now every time you do any abdominal exercise you want to focus on the deep abs being active. Warm up your abs before you run, jog, walk, use the stair stepper or elliptical. Exercise mindfully and focus on your pelvic stability and keep checking in with your form. The payoff for paying attention? Stabilizing the pelvis during running and other physical activities will help you stay injury free.

Abdominal Bracing vs. Pulling Abs in Pilates Style

FitSugar — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:30:00 -0800

I need to talk a bit about the contradictory opinions about how to use your abs when doing an exercise that is not ab specific, like crunches. Some fitness trainers promote abdominal bracing to work your core and protect your back when doing things like lifting weights. Bracing is explained how you would hold your abs if you were "bracing" for a punch to your gut. Now as a Pilates instructor, there is no way I can sound impartial about this and I don’t like “bracing.” Here's why: In a worse case scenario it makes people push their abs out (not good for stabilizing the spine), as well as bear down on their pelvic floor (not good for your core), and at best it simply works the abs isometrically (doesn’t change their length) and does nothing to correct faulty posture.

I think it is much more beneficial and more supportive to work the abs by pulling the abs toward the spine in a kind of in and up fashion. This also helps to engage the pelvic floor, which believe it or not is part of the core. Often engaging the deep abs (aka the transverse abdominis or TVA) helps to correctly faulty posture and alignment as well as create a lift in the torso so essentially the torso is supporting itself decreasing the pressure on the joints in your lower body.

So you want to find your deep abs? Check out: The Skinny On: The Deep Abs.

Source

Hilary Duff Hearts Pilates

FitSugar — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:45:00 -0700

Pilates has been all the rage for a while now, but now the younger generation of Hollywood hipsters is getting hip to working their core. Could Pilates be how Hilary Duff went from being self described as too skinny to being in the best shape of her life? She credits her long and lean body to doing Pilates 3 times a week.

It is no secret that I love Pilates too, and here's why:

Flat Belly: The most fundamental move in Pilates is pulling your navel to your spine with every exhale to engage your deep abs. You keep the deep abs engaged while you inhale too. Working your deep abs flattens your belly and decreases the diameter of your waist. When you work the tops layer of abs, the 6 pack muscles, they bulge out. Not only is that not too attractive, it doesn't support your spine or pelvis. Every breath you take is another opportunity to work your abs.
Long and Lean Muscles: Pilates is all about controlling motion, this way you work the muscles as they shorten and lengthen. This way when new muscle is formed it is long, not bulky.

There are more reasons and more pics of Hilary, so read more

Springs: It is the spring resistance on all the Pilates equipment that makes them unique. The play in the springs forces you to control your motion in every exercise. Plus as the spring becomes taut it provides more resistance, challenging your muscles even more.
Flexibility: You work all your joints through their entire range of motion, so your muscles get stretched in almost every exercise. This also helps those muscles lengthen as they strengthen.

My only word of caution: If you find an instructor you love, don't tell everyone you know about her. Hilary's only complaint about Pilates, as she told Self magazine, is her teacher is so over booked since she raved about her to all her friends; she has trouble getting an appointment.

View 9 Photos ›

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Got Back Pain? Try Pilates

FitSugar — Wed, 09 May 2007 02:30:00 -0700

You all know that I love Pilates. I started practicing the method because of chronic back pain. After trying physical therapy and yoga, it was doing Pilates regularly that got me out of pain. When I say regularly, I mean 5 to 7 days a week. Mr. Joe Pilates said that all it takes is 20 minutes of these exercises a day to keep the core in shape. I can attest to the truth of that statement. I am a walking, dancing, running, yoga practicing, skiing example of the power of Pilates. There are now some studies that prove the benefits of Pilates as a rehabilitative tool.

Queen's University School of Rehabilitation Therapy studied physically active 20 and 55 year olds with chronic back pain (just like me!!!). They found that the subjects that followed a regime of equipment-based exercises of the Pilates method, that strengthen core muscles in the lumbar-pelvic region, fared better than the subjects that simply consulted with physicians and other health care specialists. The Pilates group overall had 46% more pain relief and these improvements were visible a year later. Were those folks doing their 20 minutes a day? The study didn't say, but some of the basic Pilates concepts really help in activities of daily life.

Pilates teaches you how to stabilize your spine as well as how to safely increase spinal flexibility. I believe wholeheartedly that working with a certified Pilates practitioner is the way to go if you are trying to get out of pain. Although the private sessions are expensive, the pay off is great, less pain and more strength. Once you learn how to engage those deep abs and work your core, there is no going back.

Photo: Melanie Johnson
Power Flow Pilates, New Haven, CN

Legends of the FALL: Rake it Girl

FitSugar — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 14:00:00 -0800

Did you know that raking leaves for 30 minutes burns about 150 calories, depending on your weight and how vigorously you rake? If you hate raking leaves, just remember you're also burning calories - so why not make the most of it?

Be sure to take care of your back while you bag all those leaves. Don't round your lower back as you move your piles into bags. Bend from your hips and stick your booty out. This will not only work your glutes (like a squat), but it will also protect your lower spine. And while you're at it, why not use your deep abs too?