This is a video about trying to isolate and exercise the transverse abdominis. There is no way to truly isolate a muscle as nothing in the body really works in isolation but trying to feel what engages and how is an excellent exercise unto itself.
This deep low belly muscle wraps around the waist like a corset, which is how it is described in the pilates practice. We have four abdominal muscles and they are all essentially intertwined through the body’s connective tissue, or fascia. This means that for the abdominal muscle group to be effective all four of the muscles need to have equal tone. This is easier said than done. Very often our sit-ups muscle (rectus abdominis) is stronger than the other three. The internal and external oblique finish up the quartet.
The transverse abdominis is the only stomach muscle that truly supports the lower spine. Good tone in this muscle, and others key muscles like the multifidus, the inner thighs and the pelvic floor, will go a long way towards stabilizing your spine which helps keep people out of back pain. In this exercise we try to learn how to isolate and understand this deep muscle.
Try and feel what your sit-ups muscle does when you begin the exercise. It might tone a little but you are not doing a sit up here, there is no reason for it to engage much. Developing balance tone in all of the core muscle groups is required work for a healthy and pain free body. Why not get started today?
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