Everything you Need to Know About Transverse Abdominis

Do you need a stronger core? Let's explore an exercise focused on the transverse abdominis, one of the deepest layers of your abdominal muscles. The transverse abdominis plays a critical role in stabilizing the lower back, making it essential in discussions about low back pain.
However, because it's such a deep muscle, it's challenging to tell if it's firing and hard to train. Here’s an exercise to help you activate and feel your transverse abdominis at work.

Activating Your Transverse Abdominis

Find Your Hip Bones: Locate the front of your hip bones, and walk your fingers just inside these bony prominences. This is where you'll feel the transverse abdominis activate.

Feel for Activation: When the transverse abdominis activates, you won't feel a big contraction like an abdominal crunch. Instead, you'll feel a slight tensioning or bulking under your fingers. This subtle sensation is what you're aiming for.

Cues for Activation

If you have trouble feeling or activating the transverse abdominis, here are some cues to help increase muscle activation:

Stop the Flow of Urine: Imagine trying to stop the flow of urine. This upward lifting motion helps engage the transverse abdominis.

Cold Water Cue for Men: Men can think about the sensation when the scrotum hits cold water. The resulting lifting motion mimics the contraction of the transverse abdominis.

Kegel Exercise for Women: Women can use the feeling of a Kegel exercise. The lifting and contraction sensation during a Kegel is similar to activating the transverse abdominis.

Turning Activation into an Exercise

Once you can feel the transverse abdominis firing, you can turn this into an exercise:

Hold the Contraction: Hold the tensioning or bulking sensation for five seconds.

Release Slowly: Slowly let the muscle release after each hold.
By consistently practicing this exercise, you can strengthen your transverse abdominis and enhance core stability.

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