This exercise will help you understand your core activation.

‘Lying’ I'd like you to draw your belly button in towards your spine so that you feel tense

and unable to breath. We will rate this position a score of 100% for
the tension and discomfort. Then release the 100% tension to the half waypoint 50%. Releasing a little further to 30% so you feel connected and not tense. Practise this

through the 3 steps of 100% to 30% until you can automatically do it at 30% activation.

Standing, I'd like you to visualise a belt wrapped around your waist. Now tie the belt to the tenth hole (100%). Releasing the belt to the 5th hole (50%) and releasing a little more to the 3rd hole (30%) so you feel connected and not tense. Coughing is another analogy.

The sensation of the cough and feeling you have when you cough will also help you connect with your core activation. When doing so cough to 30% not 100%.

Now if all these above fail and this still does not help you understand then I can test your core with a STABLIZER PRESSURE BIO FEEDBACK MACHINE. This is an effective way of testing whether you are activating your core. The stabilizer is useful in specific muscle testing, retraining of abdominal muscle function, monitoring of lumbar spine stabilization, and safety and precision of muscle stretching techniques.
The stabilizer is used to monitor the subtle development associated with a correct muscle action.

The areas listed can all be tested.
* Transverse Abdominis/Internal Oblique
* Iliopsoas
* Gluteus Maximus
* Deep Neck Flexors
* Lower Trapezius
* Limb Loading
* Stretching Techniques Test Hip Flexors
* Rectus femoris
* Latissimus Dorsi & Pectoralis Major
* Tensor Fascia Lata

Call Vibes today for your Precision in Specific Muscle Testing

These principles and core activation once mastered will leave you feeling connected without tension. An activity you can utilise every day of your life. Whether you’re in your car or on the way to work. Even at the supermarket you can practise your 30% core activation. The breathing and movements are slow and controlled. You will need to master all five main principles and core activation all at the same time. Once you have mastered all six of them you will see and feel the difference in your body inside and out. Pilate’s will teach you where your strengths are strengthening the weaker parts of your body lengthening and shaping your muscles, giving you that long lean look, improving your flexibility and connecting you with your body inside and out enabling you to become more body aware.

The core can be thought of as the muscles stabilizing and protecting your trunk and spine (mid torso), the muscles that also surround your stomach and hips.

These muscles are important for your health, stopping back pain, muscles aches and making your stomach flat.

Sometimes these muscles are knows as sleeping muscles. This means that some people's core muscles get switched off for a variety of reasons, inactivity, injuries, shock. So if your trunk muscles are switched off you need to follow a core activation programme to wake these muscles back up....Paul Chek, whom is a leader in core actiavtion, describes the Inner Unit as, "describing the functional synergy between the transversus abdominis and posterior fibers of the obliquus internus abdominis, pelvic floor muscles, multifidus and lumbar portions of the longisssimus and iliocostalis, as well as the diaphragm." ("The Inner Unit: A New Frontier In Abdominal Training"; IAAF Technical Quarterly: New Studies in Athletics, 4/99

 

Here at Vibes we can design a core program consisting of:

1. stretching -this is important and should be followed before you start the rest of the core programme

2. breathing - find you perfect posture your neutral spine, practising your breathing and utilising the Pilate breathing

3.pelvic floor activation -understand and find your neutral spine contracting you pelvic floor muscles we teach you to contract your pelvic floor muscles from back to front.

4.stomach muscles activation, zip in draw your belly button in to 30%

5.core pulsations finding your neutral spine now engage your core by contacting the pelvic floor then of course your transervus your deeper tummy muscles which are located below your belly button and pubic bone. Squeeze all these muscles (the core) 30%

When you perform all 5 of these exercises above you will learn how to engage the core muscles, then you could build up to utilising the above in your every day life. It should take that long to do and persistance and consistence is needed here in creating your core muscles.

 

Pilate’s will teach you where your strengths are strengthening the weaker parts of your body lengthening and shaping your muscles, giving you that long lean look, improving your flexibility and connecting you with your body inside and out enabling you to become more body aware