Your Core Muscles are like a tin can

Your Core Muscles are like a tin can. How many times have you thought you were engaging your core perfectly and then realized that your bottom was also squeezed tightly. I remember thinking that it was impossible to engage my core without squeezing my bum. However an understanding of what parts of the body make up the core, some brilliant descriptive ques and practice have improved my Pilates and how I am able to control my body.

At the top of our core tin can you will find your diaphragm. I think its most famous for making us hiccup. The bottom of our tin can is made of a large collection of muscles known as the pelvic floor or (Coccygeus, Iliococcygeus, Pubococcygeus and Puborectalis), you will be able to feel these muscles if you need to hold onto a wee. The Multifidus muscles of the spine make up the rear section of our tin can, you use these muscles when you twist you torso to look behind you and flex your torso from side to side (like you would if you were running around pretending to be an airplane). Each side we have external oblique, internal oblique and transversus abdominals, again you can feel these muscles working if you pretend to be an airplane with you arms outstretched and you torso flexing from side to side. Finally the front of our tin can is where we find our rectus abdominus or the muscles you use to do a sit up.

So how does this help me find my core? Its about understanding that you are not just pulling your tummy button towards the spine. You are recruiting all the core muscles in your tin can to create a strong stable basis for your controlled movement. Once you can picture which muscles you want to recruit it becomes very clear that you bottom is not part of your core. For many years I was not aware of this and just understanding where my core muscles are helped me to improve my engagement and my Pilates practice.

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