Tighten That Belt
By Matthieu Hertilus
How strong is your core really? Do you give it as much attention as you do
your other muscles when you squat or deadlift or even when you’re doing bicep
curls in the squat rack (just kidding about that last point)? Is your core ever
sore the day after a heavy day of lifting? Are you ever at a loss for trying to
work in new core exercises because you’ve moved past planks and L-sit-ups?
Unfortunately, most trainees are still under the assumption that working
their core starts with lying down on the ground (first mistake) and performing
high repetitions (old and ineffective) of the same crunches and sit-ups that
they’ve done for years (just plain stupid). The truth is if you have a weak core
or don’t know when and how to use it when you lift, you’re short changing your
efforts in the gym. This means you aren’t lifting big weights (or not as much as
you could), you aren’t getting any closer to great looking abs, and you’re
coming close to some sort of injury (namely your lower back or hip flexors).
I’m not suggesting that you do a new abdominal training routine because
that’s been done to death. There are plenty of great core routines and exercises
available on this site. I’m talking about using the weight belt you were born
with. Here’s how…
You’re using more than those abs you check out in the mirror every morning
before you lift or—as I’m seeing more and more—as you lift. By tensing your deep
abdominals and diaphragm, you’re keeping the abdominal fluids and tissues under
pressure, thus increasing the safety of your lifts (site source). This is
basically the job of a weight belt because it’s meant to increase pressure in
your abdomen thereby allowing you to lift safely without throwing out your back.
Those who have tried doing heavy squats or deadlifts without generating
enough intra-abdominal pressure in their deep abdominal muscles can probably
recall how much their lower back disapproved of this unwanted assignment.
There’s a reason the core is in the middle of the body. It’s the foundation with
its primary job being to stabilize the body. Besides those abs you keep staring
at in the mirror between sets, the core is made up of several other muscles that
need to work together if you’re going to lift safely.
Why does my lower back hurt?
Think of the core as your high school basketball team with a steady rotation
of players who each have an assignment and always stick to a set game plan. The
players are the rectus abdominis, erector spinae, multifidus, internal/external
obliques, transverse abdominis (TVA), and the hip flexors. This is a
well-balanced, share the ball type of team where every player has a role. This
isn’t the Lebron James show where it’s one star and a bunch of other guys
standing around and watching him do all the work. These are the Harlem
Globetrotters, each performing their own tricks and yet working together
fluidly. If one player drops the ball, the whole team suffers. If the rectus
abdominis and TVA aren’t alert and active at all times, the surrounding muscles
pick up the slack, despite being well overmatched.
Here’s another example. If you were coaching an NBA All-Star game, and you
had a rotation of Dwight Howard (rectus abdominis), Tim Duncan (TVA), and Yao
Ming (he’s big enough to account for both the internal and external obliques) to
try and guard Shaq (a heavy deadlift or squat). (Let’s just assume for the sake
of this argument that this is 1998 Shaq, who is simply unstoppable on the
court.) Now, let’s say Yao Ming breaks his foot (again), Duncan gets suspended
for punching out an official, and Howard is busy convincing T-Mobile execs to
put him in more “Fave Five” commercials with Charles Barkley. That leaves their
good friend, Chris Paul (erector spinae), to guard the Big Aristotle.
As important as Paul is to that team, listed at just over six feet tall, he’s
playing well out of position against the bigger, stronger, irresistible force
that is Shaq Diesel. However, Paul is a team player, and you call on him to fill
the shoes of Yao, Howard, and Duncan by guarding Shaq. Despite being
overmatched, Paul manages to contain Shaq enough to lead his squad to victory.
In the process, however, he sustains a bloody nose, cracked ribs, a black eye,
and a severely bruised ego. He then proceeds to curse out Yao, Duncan, and
Howard for leaving him to shoulder the load by himself and plots revenge against
each one of them. That’s what you do to your lower back during a heavy lift
without intra-abdominal pressure and complete core stability. A team game
becomes a one man suicide mission. It’s that important.
A little more on the TVA
The transverse abdominal (TVA) is a very important stabilizer of the low
back. It’s the deepest of the abdominal muscles and the only one that runs
horizontal. It activates before the muscles of the hips and thorax, meaning that
a good squat can be determined before you even start to descend. If the TVA is
weak, it will allow bulging of the anterior abdominal wall, increasing lordosis
in the low back. It will also create a lateral bulge (forward bending) or
extension (back bending).
The best example of TVA activation (along with all your other abdominal
muscles) is the cough reflex. The result of pushing that heavy Prowler, dragging
that sled, flipping those tires, or simply standing next to an open window when
there’s a draft may be your ticket to TVA activation. It’s the closest thing to
a real world simulation that you’re probably unaware of.
So I just need to work my core more, right?
Yes and no. If you want a stronger core, you can’t rely solely on squats and
deadlifts to save you. You do need some exercises that target the core in
your routine. However, it’s more about using your core in conjunction with the
rest of your body. The body is one piece and you should treat it as such. With
that in mind, here are some techniques that you can implement into your routine
without going on a complete rehabilitation program to make sure you’re taking
advantage of your body’s full potential.
Strike that pose
Picture that guy or gal who you’ve had your eye on since you first joined the
gym, the one you see lifting heavy weights with better technique than 90 percent
of the people in the gym, sweating it up on the elliptical, and then doing full
body stretches in the corner when they’re done. Now, imagine they’re following
you throughout your whole routine, watching your every move. What do you do? You
stick out your chest, suck in that waist, and pull back your shoulders as if
your life depended on it. Perfect. Now hold that pose for every exercise that
you do from curls to pull-ups to squats to deadlifts. Tell me your lifts don’t
instantly improve from that point on.
Now that you have the visualization, it’s time to explain a bit more
in-depth. Unlike a beach pose in which you simply suck in your gut and pull your
shoulders back, you want to try accomplishing two things before each lift—torso
expansion and TVA activation. The point of torso expansion is to increase the
rigidity of the entire torso to aid in supporting the vertebral column. This is
extremely important because it reduces the compressive forces on the spinal
discs, which are often susceptible to exercises using a large spinal load (i.e.
heavy back squats and good mornings).
When it comes to TVA activation, problems can occur when trying to achieve
muscle activation in this area by not using the diaphragm to breath. If the
abdomen is held firm, you are less likely to reduce to ‘belly breathing,’ thus
allowing the diaphragm to do its job freely.
If you need practice, here is a simple exercise that you can do at home to
help you with this concept:
· Lie down on a flat surface with your knees bent and make sure
you’re completely relaxed.
· Place your hand on your abdomen just above your waist.
· Inhale deeply through your nose while gently pushing out your
abdomen, thus pushing out your hand. With your abdomen extended outward, your
diaphragm can now drop down making more room for air in your lungs.
· Exhale slowly using pursed lips while gently pushing inward and
upward with your hand to help empty your lungs completely.
Keep the reps low
When you’re not used to bracing your core when you lift, the first few times
you try it can be exhausting. So trying to do that while doing three sets of 10
squats will be damn near impossible for most of you if you’re not used to
maintaining intra-abdominal pressure. The simple solution is to keep the reps
low, preferably between one and five to ensure that you’re holding the tension
in your abs for as long as possible without letting go. Even if the load is
below 80 percent, make up for the lower reps by increasing the number of sets or
decreasing the rest intervals. The point is to use the low reps as practice for
staying tight so that you can make a smoother transition to higher reps or a
greater intensity.
Use isometrics
Planks are a great exercise that most people don’t do enough of. They’re not
as sexy as crunches or bicycles, but they’re exponentially more beneficial for
anyone who cares about core strength and lower back health. They can get old
fast. However, there are alternatives that can load the abs and instantly
improve all your big lifts. By using isometrics for those exercises that require
the greatest intra-abdominal pressure, you can add a greater training stimulus
to the abs and get used to handling big loads without worrying about the rest of
the exercise.
Advocates of deadlifts and squats who say you work the core enough with those
exercises may not be aware of the fact that the dominant muscles will always
compensate for the weaker muscles. Therefore, simply doing squats and deadlifts
will do little to improve core strength if that is your main goal. But
isometrics allow you to activate weaker muscles like the TVA so they can catch
up to the more dominant surrounding muscles.
Here are a few examples of exercises that can make use of isometric
stabilization to help get that core up to snuff:
· Front loaded Bulgarian split squats: Simply hold a plate,
dumbbell, or kettlebell in front of you and hold the split squat halfway down.
Do 60 seconds on each leg, taking a 60-second break between each leg. Brace your
abs and tell me how you feel after five5 minutes.
· Front squats: I wish I could take credit for this one, but
I know it has been done before. I will take credit for making it relevant to
you bodybuilders and weekend warriors of the world who struggle to find a “new”
ab exercise to incorporate.
Simply set up as if you were about to do a front squat, but instead of crossing
your arms or hooking your fingers underneath the bar, hold your arms straight
out in front of you. Concentrate on a perfect posture (striking the pose)
because it is essential in order to keep the bar from rolling down your arms.
Try holding 135 lbs in that position for three sets of maximum duration. If your
abs are sore afterward, you’ve gotten the point.
Increase work capacity
I’m the first one to find every justification for avoiding cardio, but in
this case, I’ll make an exception. Taking that deep breath and keeping those abs
tight during a heavy squat can make you want to pass out if your work capacity
sucks. You need to condition yourself to handle those heavy loads for a long
amount of time. Muscles respond to tension and stopping a set short because
you’re too winded to continue should be a wakeup call to get yourself on a
treadmill, decrease your rest intervals, or throw in some metcon so you have one
less thing holding you back.
Unilateral work
Your core likes balance and stability. When it isn’t balanced or stable, it
has to work harder to get your body back on track. So it’s no surprise that
unbalanced training (no, I’m not talking about doing squats on the Bosu ball) in
the form of unilateral work can be a great way to stabilize your core and get
you in the habit of concentrating on keeping it tight. Instead of using two
dumbbells for each of these exercises, use one and go heavy!
Feel how much harder it gets at your core rather than just the targeted
muscle group. Try flat and incline chest presses, military presses, suitcase
deadlifts, lunges, and bent over rows.
Overhead lifts
Anyone who regularly does overhead squats knows how important keeping a tight
core is, but for those of you who don’t have the time or patience to learn the
overhead squat, overhead lunges will suffice for the purposes of this article.
If you can manage to keep the weight straight over your head, you’ll know what I
mean by striking the pose.
mhertilus@gmail.com
References
1) Delavier Frédéric (2005) Strength Training Anatomy.
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
2) Harris Janet C. Essentials of Strength Training & Conditioning.
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
3) Rippetoe Mark (2005) Starting Strength: A Simple and Practical Guide
for Coaching Beginners. Boston: Aasgaard Company.
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