Core Activation

Starting core strength from zero

By Bradley Morris

Core-focused exercises can be hard to get started. While all exercises have their nuances and forms that have to be mastered for best results and safety, exercises such as weightlifting and cardio have built-in difficulty management where you can adjust weight or pace. In contrast, core exercises can be difficult because it’s harder to adjust the difficulty of the exercise, so beginners can easily feel like they’re starting from zero with no prospects for really improving.

Core exercises are important because your core helps you maintain balance and ultimately helps make movement possible. Improving your core is difficult if you’re starting from zero because you probably aren’t being led to exercises that will help those with weak cores. One of the best things you can do when you’re just getting started is simply by activating your abdominal muscles from time to time, holding the activation for as long as you feel comfortable.

As always, your health is your own. Always consult a doctor or physical trainer before incorporating changes to your lifestyle and routine.

What do I mean by activating your abs? Essentially, activating muscles is flexing them. Activating your core is similar to the sensation you get when you try to do a plank or a crunch. This might look a little like pulling in your stomach, but anyone who has done both will notice that there’s a greater emphasis on your lower abs, and any adjustments to your stomach’s position will more likely come from your posture strengthening. One benefit of activating your core is you can do it in practically any position – standing, sitting or lying down. Let’s be clear about what this isn’t: this will not give you noticeable increases to muscle mass on your abs. The act of activating your abs is an isometric exercise, which means, to oversimplify, that rather than using weight as resistance, the exercise uses gravity. Exercises that are better for muscle growth incorporate weight resistance; you can gain muscle mass from isometric exercises, but in most cases, you don’t rely on isometric exercises to increase muscle mass.

If you’re in a situation where you have a weak core, the problem is that you’re often limited by how long you can hold some of these exercises, or you might do them with poor form without realizing it because of naturally bad posture. Initially, you might only be able to activate your abs for a few seconds, but activating your abs often can help build endurance so your posture and strength will naturally improve.

This isn’t a routine for getting fit quickly, and usually strategies for that involve lowering your body fat more than anything else, but if you’re looking to improve your posture or help build your core endurance so you can do more demanding core exercises, it might be a good idea to make sure you’re activating your core throughout the day.