What is the best pose for core strength in yoga?
A Californian yoga teacher once told me his students always asked for ‘core work’ and he had to do “killer ab moves” in every class to satisfy the fixation with building a 'six pack'.
This teacher was eye-rolling, knowing that building a strong core is not just about training the six pack, or front abdominal muscles. That aesthetic might be desirable for some, but building a functionally strong core needs more nuance.
Here's what I recommend for developing and maintaining a strong, healthy core - and how your yoga practice supports this :
Building the solid foundations of core strength with yoga
1. Good breathing mechanics
The ability to create 360 degree expansion of the ribcage on the inhale, and to exhale fully. Crucial to activate the core pressure system, which is the coordinated movement of the diaphragm, pelvic floor, transversus abdominus (wrap around corset muscle) and multifidus small muscles along your lower spine as you inhale-exhale.
2. The ability to move your spine well in all directions
To be aware of where it is in space, and to control that movement. This gives you access to lots of stretching + contraction of all the trunk muscles, AKA the core. Also vital is to be able to move towards a 'stacked' neutral spine position to find more deep core activation.
3. Train your deep core
Specific progressive exercises to tap into and train your deep core muscles, not just the more superfical layers of core muscles.
4. Regular, varied physical activity in your daily life
Consistent, varied movement that requires your core muscles to work - stretch, contract and move as a coordinated team. This includes rotation, side bending, and flexion. Yoga is a fantastic body weight practice for this.
5. Next steps - Think about what you want to be able to do in your life and train for that movement
To strengthen your core even further, deliberately use bodyweight or external load (weights) in positions that require your shoulder + core or your legs/hips + core to work together, in ways that you want to be able to move in. How strong your core becomes depends on dose - how often, how much variety and quality and how much load.
So what is the best pose for core strength?
An excellent movement educator who I follow on social media, answered the question, ‘what is the best core exercise?’, much as I would:
“While I don't believe there's one best or magic exercise to help you strengthen and connect to your core, there are exercises and movements that help you create a different awareness and perception of your body in space and how you are moving your body.” @Giulia Pline, see here
She then went on to choose dead bugs (which we have been doing this term) as a favourite core exercise. Yep, just lying down on your back moving your arms and legs around!!
Why? Because dead bugs gives you the practice of STACKING the head - ribcage - pelvis and then maintaining that trunk stability as the arms and legs move. “This teaches how to efficiently manage pressure through the core and also the engagement of the muscles around the front, back and sides of the torso”
When you do this precisely, it is hard work for anyone.
So getting stronger in your core is less about training the outer core muscles in the intense-feeling front abdominals exercises that the Californians apparently favour. It’s more about precisely working the foundations of core strength outlined above.
Our core doesn't turn off and on by us consciously ‘engaging the core’, or tensing on cue - it's always working to varying degrees because it’s our trunk stabiliser - responsive and adaptable. The core generates different amounts of tension depending on the task at hand and the movement that you're doing. So for example, when you're picking up things while tidying around the house, your core doesn't have to generate as much firming to help you do that compared to when you have to pick up a heavy box or a big bag of compost (in my case 😝).
If you’re not used to connecting to your deep core, specific exercises like dead bugs trains all the muscular teamwork so you can feel the pressure system and use it in all situations.
Then you can strengthen your core further by adding challenge and more weight bearing positions on a regular basis, whether by doing yoga, going to the gym or other sports.
I've written this guide to the core and how it works, with some great pictures of the muscular teamwork. Please check it out. The moving diaphragm video clip is one of my faves 🤓 super helpful to understand the core pressure system. Let me know what you think.
