{"id":842,"date":"2020-06-25T14:13:07","date_gmt":"2020-06-25T06:13:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yogaandmel.com\/?p=842"},"modified":"2024-05-11T22:42:55","modified_gmt":"2024-05-11T14:42:55","slug":"get-to-know-your-fab-4-inner-core-unit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogaandmel.com\/index.php\/2020\/06\/25\/get-to-know-your-fab-4-inner-core-unit\/","title":{"rendered":"Get to know your \u2018Fab 4\u2019 inner core unit."},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Get to know your \u2018Fab 4\u2019 inner core unit<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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When you hear the term \u2018core\u2019, what do you think of? Many, myself included, think of abs.\u00a0 While this isn\u2019t \u2018wrong\u2019, it also isn\u2019t the whole picture.\u00a0<\/p>

I grew up in a time where it was ideal to be \u2018thin\u2019 or have a flat stomach.\u00a0 Maybe it is still the same stigma now, but it was unsightly to \u2018let it all hang out\u2019, or maybe you heard, \u2018pull your belly in\u2019.\u00a0 It became a thing to constantly \u2018suck your belly in\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>

\u2018Pulling\u2019 your belly in is a bracing strategy, while it may not be \u2018wrong\u2019 it\u2019s not right to do all the time. Do you walk around with your bicep flexed all the time?\u00a0 Would your bicep be stronger if it was constantly flexed? No! It needs to release and contract when needed.<\/p>

Bracing can be necessary, for instance, after giving birth. You have a complete lack of core and you need to perform tasks – therefore you might need to brace or hold your breath to create stability. After all, many liken the comparison of pregnancy and birth process like a car crash accident for your middle area!\u00a0

You have to relearn to move from your center again. There will likely be a bracing strategy and compensations can be necessary.\u00a0 The challenge is not to let the compensations continue and layer poor movement strategy on top of poor movement strategy.\u00a0 But I digress. Another blog post for this topic!<\/p>

Sucking in as a strategy can have adverse implication to your body, such as digestive issues, constipation, and improper breathing habits to name a few.\u00a0It may set people up for non-ideal movement strategies that can have consequences down the line. Bracing essentially teaches people to increase their intra-abdominal pressure (more on that soon). Pressure can be your friend and your foe.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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So, what is your core?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Often referred to as your \u2018core 4\u2019 or \u2018deep inner core\u2019, this includes your diaphragm (breathing muscle connected to your ribs) transverse abdomen (TA and your deep inner core, cough and you will feel it activate), multifidus (muscles along the spine), and your pelvic floor (muscles that hold your organs in place, and allow you to void).<\/p>

The diaphragm, your breathing muscle, is the gateway into the system and leads the charge by dropping south towards your organs on the inhalation. The organs move down, belly and ribs expand, and your pelvic floor elastically lengthens down. On the exhalation the tummy, TA, pelvic floor recoils and like a stretched rubber band, pulls back into place to create stability as the diaphragm descends back up into the ribs. Julie Wiebe best refers to this process as a \u2018Piston breath\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>

Watch it below.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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How does your core work?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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They are a team, and they function optimally together when each pulls their own weight. Anticipatory in nature, they turn on and fire most before most any movements that you do. If you are picking up a pencil from the floor, they do not need to fire so much. But if you are picking up a 200lb barbell to deadlift.. they need a lot more activation.<\/p>

A functional core, is one that has timing, activation and they are in sync. They are a coordinated team, with a balanced interplay that provides this central stability in a dynamic way.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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One of the most critical factors is breathing. As mentioned above, if you have a strategy of ‘sucking your belly in’. Most likely you are breathing up into your chest, rather than allowing the breath to descend down properly as it should. To have a properly functioning core strategy, the diaphragm needs to descend down – your belly and pelvic floor gently lengthen downward. On exhalation, they recoil back into place. This is critical for the core 4 to do their jobs as they should.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Intra abdominal pressure (IAP) is something I will touch on and go into more detail in a next blog post, but the pressure in your body is real and it has to go somewhere! Imagine your core 4 as a canister, or like a can of soda.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

When you inhale you increase the pressure in your system – and when you exhale you decrease that pressure. Sometimes an increase in IAP is necessary, think heavy weightlifting.<\/p>

Holding your breath, coughing or straining all increase pressure. This increase can cause problems like prolapse, hernias, and incontinence. Many women experience issues like, leaking urine while coughing, sneezing, laughing, running or lifting. While this is common – it’s not normal and a red flag that suggests the system is not functioning properly.\u00a0

The point is – pressure has to go somewhere! Therefore it will usually come out through the weakest link.. which for many women might be the pelvic floor.\u00a0

Pressure can be your friend and is a part of the stability team. This is why they are a team, their balanced interplay manages the pressure in your system to help you achieve optimal movement.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Role of Alignment<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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One of the other critical factors is alignment. If you have a habit of ribcage thrusting, or pelvis tucking, it puts your center out of alignment and eliminates optimal breath pattern. Your ribs should live over the pelvis to help balance the forces, pressures and recruitment of your team.\u00a0<\/p>

If your pelvis is tucked under, you can\u2019t activate your abs properly, nor can your pelvic floor release properly. A tucked pelvis shortens and tightens the pelvic floor, therefore activating the pelvic floor more than it needs to at a resting state. In the study (Sapsford 2008)<\/a><\/b>\u00a0they found women who experienced incontinence had greater resting Pelvic Floor Muscle activity versus continent women. The best seated position was an upright tall seated position versus a slumped position.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>

This alignment applies to standing, walking, and how you sit,(ideally not much!). Do you spend many hours of the day at a desk, hunched over with a tucked under pelvis? You may be doing your pelvic floor a great dis-service without ever knowing.<\/p>

As with all things, it takes conscious awareness of your daily postural habits and a little mindfulness! Focusing on your breathing<\/a> is the best place to start. It won’t happen overnight, but you can start to\u00a0 see the difference with some focus.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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To Sum It All Up - The Team<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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As mentioned before, they work together best as a team, not one more than the other. When your core is functioning, as it should, it is anticipatory in nature so you don\u2019t have to \u2018tell it\u2019 to turn on, it just does!<\/p>

The problem is that very often a stronger muscle gets recruited to compensate for a weaker muscle and correct function flies out the window.<\/p>

Sometimes by doing \u2018core\u2019 exercises can make things worse as underlying deep core muscles deficits may be present resulting in non-optimal patterns. As\u00a0Physiotherapist Diane Lee says<\/a>, \u2018Over time this can lead to tissue break down, pain or an inability to function at the level you used to. For some, the clue that their body isn\u2019t working well is the onset of low back pain. For others, the pain can be remote such as knee pain, plantar fasciitis or perhaps shoulder pain; everything ultimately connects to your core!\u2019\u00a0<\/p>

Did you catch that, everything connects to your core, and more specifically your pelvic floor. Lower back pain, improper breathing habits, and pelvic floor pain are linked. If you have one, you are very likely to have the other.<\/p>

A Core Breath Strategy<\/strong><\/p>

To finish this lengthy post off, lets try a type of breath you can think of as a way to engage your core. Click the video to watch and let me know your feedback!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Tags<\/h5>