In exercise classes, we often hear the cue 'engage your core' or perhaps 'belly button to spine'. While there is definitely a time and place for drawing the abdominals in during core work, this movement works only a very small part of your core, in a very limited way.
If you're always 'engaging' your core and holding it tight towards your spine, you're only training your core in this one specific (and unusual) posture. In reality, your core needs to be able to react to many different movements, and quickly, in order to support you in your daily movement and life.
Relax your core
You also need to train your core to relax. We're often taught from a young age to suck in our tummies, and this becomes second nature. Perhaps you feel yourself drawing your abdominals in if there's a camera around, or if you're wearing a tight top. Constantly holding in the abs restricts the movement of your core and affects your ability to breathe well. We need to be able to relax and soften our bellies in order for the diaphragm to move fully and give us space to breathe.
Constantly clenching your core doesn't increase it's strength - imagine walking around with your hand clenched into a fist. This doesn't do much to strengthen your hand... in fact it limits your hand's movement, leading to weakness, fatigue and dysfunction.
Anatomy of the 'core'
It can be helpful to understand a little more about the anatomy of 'the core'. It is a cylinder, with a front (abdominals), back (deep back muscles), top (diaphragm) and bottom (pelvic floor). If you think about your core in this way, simply pulling your belly button to your spine isn't activating a great deal.
3 Excellent Beginner-Friendly Core Exercises
1 - Pelvic Rocks
I teach this one in all my Pilates classes (and a fair number of yoga classes too!). Start lying flat on your back with your knees bent, heels in towards your bum and legs hip width apart.
Exhale, tilt your pelvis back and press your lower back into the ground
Inhale, tilt your pelvis forward and release your lower back from the ground
Repeat! You're moving your core from relaxed and gently stretched (on the inhale), to contracted and engaged on the exhale.
2 - Knee Floats to Toe Taps
Start the same way, on your back with your legs bent. Think about how the weight of your body falls down the centre of the back of your pelvis, and then try and keep your weight centred there as you lift one leg from the ground. Lift your bent leg to table top (knee above hip, leg bent at a right angle) as your exhale, lower down with control as you inhale. Then switch sides.
Take care as you switch sides not to let your weight shift around!
Then lift both legs to table top (bent above your hips) and tap one foot back down to the ground at a time.
3 - Superman (often called bird/dog, but I prefer Superman 🦸).
On hands and knees, try and let your back settle into its natural curves, a comfortable position. You'll likely have a hollow in your lower back, and a lift/rounding through the back of the shoulders. Keep your weight centred once again, and try to keep your pelvis still as you lift one leg straight behind you and the opposite arm out straight in front of you. Inhale to lift, exhale to lower.
If you'd like to learn more about core strength, come along to one of our Pilates classes! Where we put your core through it's paces, but in a nice way (promise...!).
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