Simple and effective core exercises are the key to building a stable and strong centre. This will protect your spine and make your body more resilient. (To really geek out on how this works, Click Here)
The name of the game is getting TVA muscle aka Transverse Abdominis working. Anatomically it is the primary stabilizer of the spine, so getting this strong first is very important.
It wraps around your torso like a corset. It’s a wide, thin muscle that lies underneath the visible ab muscles.
We need to overload it to get it to activate. Because we can’t see it, we need to be able to feel it. I like to visualize the TVA as a wide thin piece of plastic food wrap. As it gets stronger, it tightens.
Let’s go through some of my favorite TVA exercises which will give you a solid foundation. (If you spend a lot of time working at a desk, you can still work your core effectively and build overall strength and the same time! To check out that sequence, Click Here!)
1. Core Exercises For Activation: Set Point
One of my favourite core exercises is the Set Point, which is where you will discover where your TVA switches OFF. This is important information to get an idea of how strong your TVA is.
Place a block between your thighs and inhale reach your arms over your head. Exhale bring your head off the ground. Extend the arms and legs forward, and pause right BEFORE you feel your lower back about to lift off the ground. That is your ‘set point.’ Hold and breathe for 30 -45 seconds and repeat about 5 times.
I like to point and flex my toes to activate the front and back of my legs. By gently squeezing the block, you will also engage your inner thighs and help strengthen your pelvic floor.
To make this easier, keep your head on the floor and don’t bring your legs down too low. To make this harder, add some light ankle weights.
2. L-sit on Blocks
This is one of the more challenging of this group of core exercises. It is actually a full-body test of strength, but particularly the TVA. We’re on our hands and lifting ourselves off the floor. This is a much more unstable position for the spine to be in. We are forcing the TVA to work hard if we do this properly.
If you’re new to these and have weak forearms (generally speaking, that’s the majority of people who spend a lot of time at their desks, don’t do a lot of manual labour or hanging from bars), I’d recommend doing a simple wrist warm-up. You can do the warm-up which I show at 3.08 of the video above.
A note about Paralette bars: You see a lot of videos with people doing L-sits on these bars. This can be easier on the wrists but it doesn’t translate as well to generating power pressing into the ground. If you want this to benefit your yoga practice, I’d stick with blocks. Inhale, roll the shoulders away from the ears. Exhale press yourself UP and PULL THE HIPS BACK, digging your heels into the floor.
If your heels come easily off the floor, that’s a good sign of back strength. To target the TVA more effectively, have your feet on the floor. Start off with 10 seconds if this is challenging and work your way up to 30-60 seconds. Repeat 5 times, resting as much as you need in between.
To make this easier, elevate your hands more to get more pressing power. To make this harder, press from the floor. You can also add ankle weights. For a true core challenge, once your back and TVA are strong enough, press from the floor and keep the heels off the ground.
3. Core Exercises For Lumbar Pelvic Control: Deadbug With Isometric Pressing Away
Core exercises to train lumbar pelvic stability, of which the TVA plays a big part, are very important. Lumbo pelvic instability is a big cause of lower back pain and also shows an inability to create what I call ‘Full Body Tension’ which is crucial for lifting and doing things like push-ups and pull-ups without energy leaks from the lower back sagging. This exercise is simple but super effective.
Come onto your back and press your hands back behind you into something solid. You could use a wall, a piece of furniture or even a heavy table leg. Bend your knees and make sure your thighs are vertical, press out through your heels and point and spread your toes, Inhale, lockout your arms and engage your shoulder blades, having your entire ribcage glued to the floor. Exhale, bring one heel lightly down to the floor without moving the other leg. Inhale that heel back up and exhale bring the other heel lightly down. Keep pressing away firmly with your hands.
Do 6-8 sets each side.
To make this easier, don’t bring the heel down so close to the floor and don’t press away so much with the hands. To make this harder, use straight legs and press away more with your hands.
4. Core Exercises For Pure Strength: Swiss Ball ‘Turns’
These core exercises also train lumbar-pelvic stability and can really engage and strengthen that TVA. This exercise doesn’t look like much but trust me, they are tough and very effective.
Come to a plank position with your hands on a Swiss ball, squeezing your glutes and quads. Find your shoulder blades and get stable by pushing out through the heels. Make sure you’re not hanging the head.
Inhale and gently move the ball away from you until you can feel your lower abs working (or screaming, ha ha). You only have to move the ball an inch or two. Exhale, move the ball back towards you.
Repeat 4 more times. Keep the movement as controlled and steady as possible.
To make this easier, you can come onto your forearms and dig the tips of the elbows onto the top of the ball. Make sure you don’t rest your belly on the ball but stay strong in an Elbow Plank. To make the straight-armed version harder, you move the ball slightly further away from you.
5. Lizard Pose
Strictly speaking not a ‘core strengthening’ exercise but a great pose to include to stretch out what we’ve been working. The ability to conscious stretch and relax the core is a forgotten part of core strength. This is also a good way to release the hip flexors which will get especially strong if you are diligent with pulling your hips back in L-sits.
This first hip flexor release is especially good for those of you who are already quite ‘bendy’ or if you have very tight hip flexors. Come to a lunge position with the front shin and the back thigh bone vertical. Have the top of the back foot be on the floor. Spread the toes of your front foot and ground through the big toe and the ball of the foot. Inhale, feel the crown of your head lift up towards the ceiling, exhale, feel like you are dragging your front heel towards the sit bone of the same side while strongly squeezing the opposite glute. This will put you in a ‘posterior pelvic tilt’ and you should feel the hip flexor of the back leg gently lengthening out. Hold for about 15 seconds, then switch sides.
If you love the release of a deeper hip flexor release which is more passive, come into a low lunge and bring your hands to the inside of your front foot. Sink your hips and let your belly be soft.
Come onto the forearms if available and breathe long, slow and deep for about 30-60 seconds then gently switch sides.
If you practice this simple sequence of core exercises at least 3-5 times a week, over the course of 30 days, you should feel a noticeable difference in your overall strength. Once your TVA is strong, your body has to expend less energy to create spinal stability which I have personally experienced as much higher levels of energy on a day-to-day basis. So this practice is well worth doing!
