How to Brace Your Core
Do you brace your core while working out?
Hopefully, you are. If not, this post will convince you otherwise. It will also serve as a reminder on form and provide cues.
Also known as core activation, bracing the core serves numerous benefits especially for those who workout and lift.
The biggest and arguably most important is to diminish risk of injury. Your core acts as a “brace” for your spine – hence the phrase “bracing your core.” When engaged, it serves that protection.
These muscles also help protect the lower back and neck. This support reduces related pain. There are a number of reasons as to why you should start using your core while exercising.
Benefits of Bracing Your Core:
Maximize benefits of workout;
Improved posture;
Better balance and stability;
Peak performance;
Enhanced digestion and breathing;
Greater strength and power that is shifted from the lower body to the upper body;
And more
More benefits and information can be gathered from this BetterMe article.
How to + Tips
Sucking your stomach in and/or bringing your belly button to your spine is NOT bracing your core. You can actually hurt your back by doing this. Think about pushing.
Pushing to brace your core is ideal – just like when you cough. Try fake coughing right now. That tight feeling in your stomach is what it feels like to correctly brace your core.
The intention is to hold that during your movements. You should still be able to breathe through core activation. Don’t forget proper breathing – breathe in on the expansion and breathe out during the contraction.
Here’s another way to activate your core. Start with a relaxed stomach, take a deep breath in and exhale while making an ‘sss’ sound with your mouth. You’ll feel that empty, tight feeling at the bottom of the breath.
You can also think about your obliques wrapping inward and holding that tightness.
Takeaways
Learning to brace and activate your core is a skill. It takes practice and time to get it right. It will eventually become second nature.
You’ll find yourself bracing your core without thinking just like you get in the car and buckle without conscious thought.
This habit may take your fitness to the next level. Whether you feel anything immediately or ever, you should always make bracing your core a priority. Your safely and health is most important.