Your Oblique Abdominals Do More Than You Think– Here’s How to Get Them Stronger

We have previously mentioned how important it is to build strength through your core, as it acts as a canister that connects your upper and lower body. As you more your arms and legs, these movements either start in your core, or move through it. Relative weakness through this canister can affect how well your arms and legs function. If you are properly strengthening through your abs and the rest of the core muscles– including the pelvic floor– it jacks up the power that can be generated when you move. f you’re looking to build a stronger core, you’ll have to focus on more than just your six-pack muscles.

Your obliques, which are along the sides of your trunk, are very important stabilizers of your body– they help to bend your body to the side, help to rotate your torso left and right, and also act to resist your trunk from rotating. You need these muscles to be strong. Here’s how.

https://youtu.be/uiMHUaFxbmk

Abdominal Strength Matters in the Real World

The “core” that everyone talks about is made up of the abdominal muscles on the front, your obliques on the sides, and the deep back muscles. Think of the core as a canister that connects your upper and lower body. As you more your arms and legs, these movements either start in your core, or move through it. Relative weakness through this canister can affect how well your arms and legs function. If you are properly strengthening through your abs and the rest of the core muscles– including the pelvic floor– it jacks up the power that can be generated when you move. A strong core also improves balance and stability through your body, so it can help prevent falls or injures in sports.

A strong, flexible core is important in everything that you do:

  • bending forward to put on shoes
  • turning to look behind you
  • reaching for something
  • golf, tennis, swimming, running– you name the sport, they are all powered by a strong core
  • housework, gardening- bending, lifting, twisting, vacuuming, mopping

A plank position is a great exercise to help build strength and endurance through your abs and the whole of your core. Like every exercise, form matters! Once you have your form down, make sure you’re performing this consistently to build strength. It can get monotonous to do the same exercise all the time, so check out these plank variations below.

Where are the Pelvic Floor Muscles?

The group of muscles that make up the base of your core are collectively called the pelvic floor.  They are muscles like every other muscle in your body, they are just inside, so most people don’t give them any thought until they start to have a problem, like leaking(incontinence) or when the bladder or uterus starts to descend (pelvic organ prolapse).

People often hear that they should strengthen the pelvic floor, but either don’t even know what muscles are involved, or if they are able to work them properly.  Let’s break it down:

This is the view of the pelvic floor muscles if looking from below; at the top, there is the urethra (the hole where urine comes out), then the vagina, and at the bottom, the anus.  The pelvic floor muscles sling from the pubic bone on the front to the tailbone at the back, and also can wrap around the vagina and anus.  Together they act as support for the base of the core and trunk, and stability as they attach to the bones of the pelvis, spine and hips.  When the muscles contract, they behave like a sphincter to affect the vagina or anus, and can also help pump lymph through the system to prevent pooling at the pelvis.

So now that you know where they are anatomically, how do you locate these muscles?  Both men and women can do this in the same way.

  1. Sit or lie down and keep all of your muscles relaxed.  It is often easier for people to identify these muscles if they are lying down to start.
  2. Squeeze the muscles around the back aspect of your pelvic floor as if you are trying to stop passing wind, then relax them. Try this several times until you are sure that you are contracting the right muscles, and don’t squeeze your buttock muscles—they should stay relaxed.
  3. When sitting on the toilet to urinate, try to stop the stream, then start it again. You can try this to learn the right muscles to engage, but do not train this way or do it often, as it can mess with the reflexes between your bladder and pelvic floor muscles.  It’s a good technique to understand the proper contraction of the pelvic floor (it should feel like a lift in your vagina or scrotum), but continue to practice this Kegel exercise while not urinating!
  4. If you don’t feel a distinct “squeeze and lift” through your pelvic floor muscles, it’s time to contact your doctor, or better yet, a physiotherapist who is specially trained in working with your pelvic floor

 

Core Breath: why this postpartum breathing technique is important for everyone

Breathing is under-rated.  People who lift weights understand that it is important to breath when actually lifting the weight, since holding your breath can increase blood pressure or potentially cause a hernia.  It is important to breath with exertion to control the increase in abdominal pressure that happens.

Women who work with a pelvic health physiotherapist after they have given birth learn to master core breathing, which is the same exhalation with exertion, but adding a pelvic floor muscle contraction with every exhale.

“Core Breathing” is using your breath when you properly contract your pelvic floor muscles with movement.  You want to inhale, expand your belly and relax your pelvic floor, then when you exhale, lift and engage your pelvic floor muscles.

Try these two exercises:

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