Are You Engaging Your Abs or Your Butt?
In almost every exercise it is easy for another part of the body to take over and do the work of the muscles we are targeting. This is particularly true when we do a pelvic tilt or rock from imprint (basically a flat lower back) to neutral (the natural curve in your low back). Often instead of initiating imprint using the abdominals, people will squeeze the butt. It gets the job done, but you then you miss all that wonderful ab work. The glutes are a major mover and a big muscle. They can create an imprinted position when called upon to engage that way. But if you want to strengthen and improve control of your abdominals, particularly to counteract back pain and help protect the back when moving, you need to make the glutes quiet down and learn to fire the abs. So how can you tell if you are engaging your abs or your butt?
What Do You Feel?
Start by just stopping to notice what you feel. Is your butt squeezing when you imprint? Do you feel like your legs are involved by sort of pushing into the floor? Do you even feel the abs doing the work? If […]
