The Right Way to Engage Your Core

You’ve probably heard about the importance of having good core muscle strength. A strong core can improve posture, prevent back pain, and help you feel more capable and confident in your body. 

But did you know that having a strong core by itself is not enough? In fact, what’s equally important is knowing how to use your core the right way so you can protect your back during exercise and more strenuous activities in daily life.

You see, having a strong core without knowing how to skillfully engage it or activate it is like owning a fast car without knowing how to take corners with it. You’re great on the straightways but all that horsepower is no good when you have to go through twists and turns.

In the same way, you can work hard to develop a strong core, but it may not do you much good if you’re not skillfully using it while bending, lifting, or twisting your body during exercise and more strenuous activities in daily life. 

Having worked with thousands of clients of all ages, weight, and fitness levels over the years, I’ve found that knowing how to engage or activate the core is the key puzzle piece that’s missing for most people. 

Showing my clients how to skillfully use their core in addition to exercises to strengthen their core has been such a game-changer, that I’ve decided to share this knowledge in my newly launched book 6-Minute Core Strength: Simple Core Exercises to Improve Posture, Build Balance, and Relieve Back Pain. Learn more about 6-Minute Core Strength by going to sixminutefitness.com

What does it mean to “engage” or “activate” your core?

But first, let’s talk about what the core is and what it does, just so we’re all on the same page. Most people think of the core as simply the rectus abdominis muscles, otherwise known as the “six-pack” muscles on the front of the abdomen. 

But your core is much more than that. The core is the center of your body, and it’s made up of...

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