Activation: the step before strengthening muscles (tight muscles are usually
overactive)
I put general causes of tightness in tightness doc.
I put relationship between muscles caused by posture in muscle lines doc.
Activating a muscle is using that a muscle in isolation.
Strengthening a muscle is using that muscle in functional exercises.
{I call any strengthening of deeper or inhibited muscles as activation} Any strengthening of
superficial muscles is strengthening. Any strength exercise done to strengthen the core or the
glutes can be called strengthening. But distinguish between activation exercises and
strengthening exercises.
It is about a balance in activation levels: some muscles are constantly being activated, other
muscles are not being activated at all.
The last stage of activation is being able to use the muscle in functional movements.
Neurological inhibition is when a muscle is receiving no, or distorted, neurological input. That
muscle is therefore weak because it doesn’t have a neurological connection. A more relevant
example of this is underuse (and other neuromuscular diseases) where the brain has
essentially ‘forgotten’ how to fire the muscle (glute amnesia).
Reciprocal inhibition, on the other hand, is “a neural phenomenon” where tension in the
antagonist muscle is deliberately inhibited by impulses from motor neurons, so that it relaxes
simultaneously as the agonist muscle contracts.
In reciprocal inhibition, the muscle is just being inhibited by the constant contraction of its
opposite muscle. In neurological inhibition, the muscle is being inhibited by a weak
neurological connection and may even have forgotten how to fire (fail to fire).
“When a muscle becomes inhibited it loses proper neural input from the nervous system;
technically speaking, the ‘gamma input’ [a neural communication to the muscle] becomes
inhibited, which is regulated by the ‘muscle spindle’ [a tension regulator].”
The law of reciprocal inhibition states that when a muscle contracts, it sends an inhibition
response to the antagonist muscle in order to allow for normal joint motion. This law is true,
based upon the assumption that normal neurological input is being sent to the contracting
muscles. Therefore, if proper neurological input is not being sent to the contracting muscle or
group of muscles (which could be caused by a variety of potential factors), then the impulses
that would inhibit contraction of the antagonist will also be affected.
The difference between “weak” and inhibited
An inhibited muscle means that the muscle is not firing properly (the neural signal is not
reaching the muscle) and a weak muscle indicates the muscle is firing normally (not inhibited)
but is lacking strength.
Alex: A muscle becomes inhibited because it is underused. When it is underused, it becomes
weak. When it becomes weak, the job it is supposed to do, is assigned to stronger muscles
around it. It forgets how to be used, because it’s rarely called on. Hence the ‘neural severing’.
The Low-Down on Muscle Activation
A lack of mobility training (joint range of motion) in most programs is where most people go
wrong. Typically people have some sort of mobility issue that has been allowed to worsen
because of not properly addressing and fixing the weakness. People ignore the issues and
start to develop strength on top of the weakness. Over time the issue spreads into other
areas. For example, a simple hip issue becomes a knee problem, which in turn becomes a
lower back problem. By simply adding a few minutes of mobility and muscle activation drills
(utilizing the muscles potential) into your exercise routine, it will help correct posture and
teach your body to properly move in the way it was intended to.
Key to activating muscles is “isolation and dissociation”. First learn to isolate the dormant
muscle without the help of other muscles (“train before you strengthen”). Secondly, you
need to be able to control how much you contract the muscle, you shouldn’t be squeezing
very hard if the task is stabilisation in running. Choose the right activation level for the task –
as little or as much as necessary.
Dormant muscles
There are a few common muscles in individuals that are typically referred to as “dormant or inactive
muscles”. These muscles are located within the glutes (gluteus medius) and between the shoulder
blades (lower to mid trapezius).
The reason for their inactivity is an imbalance that has forced other muscles to activate and carry the
brunt of the load for that particular movement vs. properly firing or engaging in a correct motor pattern.
This is all because of the same repetitive movement in our everyday lives, which causes certain
muscles to basically shut down and not properly fire while other muscles have to activate and take over.
In turn, this leads to a number of shoulder, back and hip issues because of improper activation and body
positioning.
For example, the individual who sits at a desk all day and exhibits rolled shoulders and a hunched back.
One of the problems with this person is they have weak shoulder retractors, causing the shoulder
blades to move outward and the shoulders to round out, in turn causing the back to hunch. Over time
the issue worsens and becomes a major problem for that individual.
There are many common examples of inactivated muscles (like those in lower and upper
crossed syndrome), however inactivated muscles can occur at every single joint.
Principles of Activation
1) You must be able to have that muscle activate on its own.
2) Unnecessary contractions: Contracting muscles that are not necessary to the
movement being performed inhibits your body’s ability to move freely.
3) You must not cheat when activating certain muscles.
4) It is one thing to be able to activate the muscle in isolation, it is another to be able to
activate that muscle in the specifics of the functional movement demanded.
5) Usually done in non-functional, low-load positions to minimize compensation patterns
and focus on the muscle to be activated. Contractions are usually isometric.
6) Not just about activating the core, but keeping it on at all times at a certain level.
Stick with isometric contractions to find and isolate the muscle that needs activating
A form of manual therapy called precision palpation is utilized to jumpstart inhibited muscles.
Isometric exercises are also prescribed to reinforce the newly activated muscles.
Another benefit to isometric contractions is the huge increase in neurological strength. In
other words you can rapidly teach your mind to activate all of your muscle fibers, thus
increasing strength even before muscle growth occurs. Most people can only activate their
muscles partially. Remember, the goal is to increase the gamma input on the muscle spindle,
so that proper neurological input is achieved. The isometrics is described as a low intensity,
gamma-bias isometric (i.e. when the muscle is typically in a shortened position). In order to
target specific muscle tissue, we set up the isometric so that it is either in a shortened position
or in the direct line of force.
Isometric Action: Muscle Activation Potentiator
One of the most important benefits of isometric action training is that it’s the contraction
regimen that leads to the greatest activation level. "Activation" refers to the recruitment of the
muscle's motor-units.
A recent study comparing the level of muscle activation during isometric, concentric, and
eccentric muscle actions found that a person can recruit over 5% more motor-units/muscle
fibers during a maximal isometric muscle action than during either a maximal eccentric
(lowering) or maximal concentric (lifting) action; that’s 95.2% for isometric compared to 88.3%
for the eccentric and 89.7% for the concentric.
These findings are in accordance with the body of literature that finds that a person can
recruit almost all motor-units during a maximal isometric action. What this tells us is that
isometric training can improve our capacity to recruit motor units during a maximal
contraction.
 Performing concentric and eccentric contractions, like those that we perform in the gym, will
override the proprioceptive system, which in turn reinforces compensation patterns.
Basically, the strong muscles get stronger while the inhibited muscles stay weak. You can
help to restore normal muscular balance by performing corrective isometric (or quasiisometric) contractions prior to starting an exercise program.
Glute enlightenment
Glute enlightenment is a term I use to describe the realization of properly programming your glutes to
activate, taking the load off your overworked lower back. This is accomplished through a series of
mobility and activation drills. By engaging our glutes more consciously through activation drills
and focusing on squeezing our sit bones together through exercises, the more our glutes will be
engaged subconsciously and in the process alleviate lower back issues.
However, glute enlightenment is also dependent on hip mobility. For example, if the hip flexors are
tight, causing anterior (forward) rotation in your pelvis, it’s even more difficult to properly position
yourself and allow the glutes to activate. If we aren’t able to have the proper range of motion in our hips
and activate our glutes, our lower back suffers the horrific consequences. So, by creating better hip
mobility and working on glute activation, you’ll be able to protect your lower back!
(I.e. you need good mobility in the muscles to activate the muscle consciously, then on a subconscious
level)
“Part of resistance training is becoming aware of the muscles being worked. You must learn how each
muscle feels when it is contracting - otherwise you'll never know if you are doing the exercise properly. If
you want to work your glutes, you must become familiar with them. Here are a couple of ways to learn
how to contract your glutes. Sit on the floor or on a mat with your legs straight out ahead of you, your
back straight. You can sit on a folded towel if it is easier for you. Now contract your glutes without
moving your legs. Your body should bounce slightly. Now contract one side at a time. This is actually
pretty fun - vary the speed at which your doing it, contract one side a couple of times, then the other as
you make up your own rhythm. As you do this, really concentrate on the feeling of your glutes
contracting and releasing. Now that you are familiar with that feeling, see if you can recreate it standing
up. See if you can discover the difference between moving your hips and using glute power. Stand with
your legs hip width apart and slightly bended, and bend just slightly at the hips. Rock your pelvis forward
and backward - do it very easy, without any real exertion. Do not move your legs. It should feel like a
swaying motion, only front to back instead of side to side. Now power the move with your glutes - really
squeeze. Again, do not move your legs. Do you feel the difference? The stronger your glutes become,
the harder you will be able to contract them. Here's one last exercise: put your weight on your right foot.
Hold lightly onto a chair or other support if you are concerned about balance. Make sure your body
stands tall and you are looking straight ahead. Keep your knees soft and raise your left leg just an inch
off the ground, using your hip, not your knee. Now contract your glute muscles only - no other muscles
in your leg. Your left leg should automatically move slightly. See if you can pull your leg back with glute
power alone. You only need to move it a few inches. If you move it more than that, you are probably
using momentum, or your leg or back muscles - all are no-nos. Now switch legs and try the same
exercise with the other leg. Are you gaining a better understanding of glute power?
Moves that specifically target the glutes are often subtle, so you really have to pay attention to hose
muscles contracting. When you are doing an exercise for your glutes, whether it is a wide-legged squat,
kickbacks, or working with one of those machines at the gym, you always must focus on the glute
muscles and make sure the move is happening because you are contracting those muscles instead of
your leg muscles. When you are raising from a squat, for example, power up from the glutes. A lot of
people picture the glutes squeezing, and that helps.”
When you spend long periods of time sitting in a chair, the front of the hips (hip flexors psoas) become short and tight, while the back of the hips (gluteal muscles) become long and
weak. Soon the body forgets how to use the gluteal muscles because it will divert the neural
signal intended for them to a stronger muscle close by to do the job instead. If the neural
system is now asking less powerful muscles to perform the task that requires the potential
power of the gluteal muscles then this is likely to lead to injury. Remember that getting the
glutes to fire is rarely a strength issue, but neural. The glutes are not receiving the
neural drive from the CNS and as a result have become inactive.
In order to better understand which exercises work the glute maximus and glute medius
more, it is important to learn what role these muscles play in standing, balancing and lastly,
movement (gait). It is also important to understand that most of the movement of jogging and
running is standing on one leg. Therefore, any roles in balancing are also roles in movements
such as running. Refer to Running Style and Posture to understand when during the gait
cycle the hip flexes, extends and rotates (as running is a sagittal sport, the hip abducts and
adducts very little).
Distribution of muscle mechanical power. The vertical lines indicate toe-off. All units are in
Watts (joules/second). Note that the scale is adjusted for each muscle.
The gluteus maximus has no major function in standing. The gluteus maximus extends the
femur and externally rotates the femur. On one leg, the glute maximus stabilizes the pelvis
and the trunk on the head of the femur. The glute maximus contracts at heel-strike by
stopping flexion at the hip. During normal walking, extension of the hip is primarily the
function of the hamstrings and not the gluteus maximus. The gluteus maximus is largely
quiescent (low levels of activity) during level and uphill walking, but increases substantially in
activity and alters its timing with respect to speed during running [Harvard]. In other words,
the higher the speed, the more involved the glute maximus. Running on an incline also
recruits the gluteus maximus more than running on a flat surface because more hip extension
is required to run uphill. When the gluteus maximus is weak, the trunk leans backwards
(gluteus maximus lurch) and interrupts the forward motion of the trunk. “Its most important
action by far” is pulling the body into vertical position upon halting/braking by pulling the pelvis
back in line. Therefore, it follows that the most important action of the gluteus maximus
depends on the movement pattern and position. The primary role of the gluteus maximus in
squatting, for example, is hip extension.
Depth of the gluteus maximus in the gait cycle
In the sagittal plane, the rate and extent of hip flexion is eccentrically controlled, and hip
extension is concentrically controlled. External rotation of the leg is concentrically controlled
and the rate of internal rotation is eccentrically controlled. Whilst the rate of anterior pelvic tilt
(APT) is eccentrically controlled (this is considered relative hip extension – returning upwards
from a squatting position is hip extension), the glute maximus assists in posterior pelvic tilt
(PPT), driving concentrically.
In walking, the glute maximus contracts at initial contact, throughout loading response and
lastly at toe-off for a ‘last burst’.
The gluteus medius has no major function in standing. Whenever the hip is flexed
(independent of standing), the glute medius rotates the thigh internally and whenever the hip
is in an extended position, the glute medius rotates the thigh externally. When a person is
asked to stand on one leg, the gluteus medius and minimus naturally contract as soon as the
contralateral foot leaves the floor, preventing tipping of the pelvis to the contralateral side.
When a person with paralysis of the superior gluteal nerve is asked to stand on one leg, the
pelvis descends to the side of the free leg, indicating that the gluteus medius of the supported
leg is weak or non-functional. Clinically, this observation is referred to as a positive
Trendelenburg’s sign (German surgeon Friedrich Trendelenburg). The body does this to
reduce the load on the lever leg. The Trendelenburg’s sign is said to be positive if, when
standing on one leg, the pelvis drops on the side opposite to the standing (stance) leg. A
Trendelenburg sign can occur when there is a presence of a muscle dysfunction or when
someone is experiencing pain. Naturally when balancing, the body shifts the weight (centre of
gravity) to the standing leg (to stabilize the pelvis on the femur). The gluteus medius is
repeatedly neglected in activities only moving forward in a straight line. Activities moving in
the transverse plane engage the gluteus medius more (abduction of the thigh).
Ambulation cycle
The gluteus medius (and minimus) contract during most of the stance phase, initially to
initiate internal rotation of the femur (a requisite (must) for hip extension), then to keep the
pelvis level and assist in both hip extension and external rotation during the last half of the
stance phase.
The glute minimus only does what the glute medius does. The glute minimus is basically
servant to the glute medius.
Trendelenburg’s sign manifests itself as the Trendelenburg gait. This is also described as the
gluteus medius gait or lurch (as opposed to a gluteus maximus gait or lurch).
There are many other gait abnormalities/pathologies (deviations from normal walking or
running gait) such as propulsive gait, antalgic gait, the ataxic gait, cerebral palsy gait,
Parkinsonian gait, extensor lurch, abductor lurch, hip hiking, knee and hip hyperextension,
and lack of knee flexion in the swing.
Musculotendon force calculated for each running speed, normalized by body weight; iFS,
ipsilateral foot-strike; percentage values below indicate when ipsilateral foot-strike and toe-off
occur, respectively. The fastest human speed on record is 12.42m/s, set by Usain Bolt during
a 100-metre sprint.
glute maximus in running cycle
glute medius in running cycle
Graphs that do not have gluteus maximus or medius, cannot be in this section. We already
have many diagrams showing GMAX and GMED during walking.
White (treadmill alone), black (Lokomat walking, a bionic device used to retrain gait). Shows
just how different running is, on a treadmill.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK27235/
http://demotu.org/pralados60/files/2011/05/Ounpuu94running.pdf
http://quizlet.com/3305977/biomechanics-gait-pp-flash-cards/
http://thegaitguys.tumblr.com/search/gluteus+maximus
Not in this one, no glutes…
Observation: when standing on left leg, pelvis does not drop. when standing on right leg,
pelvis does drop and center of gravity shifts onto the right leg.
_______________________________________
Based on the results of this study, we can identify the exercises that produce the highest
amount of EMG activity.
Gluteus Medius
•
•
•
•
Side-lying hip abduction – 81%
Single limb squat – 64%
Lateral band walk – 61%
Single-limb deadlift – 58%
Gluteus Maximus
• Single-limb squat – 59%
• Single-limb deadlift – 59%
• Sideways, front, and transverse lunges – 41-49%
Clinical Implications
Based on the results of this article, here are a few things that came to my mind:
• Side-lying hip abduction should be used in all people needing glute medius
strengthening. EMG activity was almost 20% higher than the next exercise.
• The single limb squat and single-limb deadlift exercises activated high amounts of EMG
activity for both muscles
• The clam exercises produced EMG activity between 34-40% for both muscles. While this
is low in comparison to other exercises, the authors did not use resistance during
testing. I would still use this, especially with a resistance band around the thighs, as
am early-stage or activation exercise. The authors also compared clams at 30
degrees and 60 degrees of knee flexion and showed no different in gluteus medius
activity.
• The lunge exercises produce a moderate amount of EMG activity and are likely good
early-stage exercises to progress to prior to the single-leg squat and deadlift
exercises
DiStefano, L. (2009). Gluteal Muscle Activation During Common Therapeutic Exercises Journal of Orthopaedic and
Sports Physical Therapy DOI
Automatic glute activators
1. The Isometric Angel - isometric exercise on the glute max (and the VMO to a lesser
extent):
- Everything right up against the wall (straightest alignment).
- Feet close together.
- Bend leg
- Push against the wall with the front of the knee.
- Weight off the toe, on the heel.
- Level hips, no twisted torso, thighs parallel.
- Bum out  bend forward  straight back (not vertical)
- Shoulders directly above hips (straight torso)
- Hip slightly out.
- The knees do not come forward when you go down, not one bit.
- The further you jut your hip out and go down, the harder your bum will work.
- If ache is on the metatarsals/shins, shift the weight onto the heel, off the metatarsals.
- Progress by placing a towel between the wall and the contact knee and bringing the towel
up as you go up.
When holding a lunge, I do feel the glutes burning, but the problem is that I feel the quads
burning as well.
2. Butt Blaster – Glute Kickback
Position your body so that you're on the floor on your hands and knees. Place one dumbbell
behind your bent left knee. Flex your foot and lift your left leg up toward the ceiling, then down
toward the floor. Keep your back strong and pull your abs up and in as you lift your leg.
Complete all reps on your left leg, then switch legs and repeat. Time: 30 seconds per leg.
Standing position, abducting fully flexed knee back and forth for automatic glute activation.
3. Side-lying hip abduction (81%)
- Everything in alignment, from head to toe
- Body not bent at the hip, everything straight like a stick.
- Toes flexed at 90°
- Do not allow the hips to roll forward or back.
- Both knees should be ‘looking’ straight ahead.
- Head resting on bicep and arm at 90°.
- Other arm straight on the hips.
- Prepare the glute by contracting it before starting each movement.
- The working leg must not touch the other leg unless the set is complete.
Burn trialed again and again in this form: glute medius and the lateral calf.
Move 4: Standing Adduction
Start with your legs shoulder-width apart. Lift your right leg behind you at a 45-degree angle
about six inches off the floor and point your toe. Squeeze your glutes for four seconds.
Repeat on the left side.
AND
With feet shoulder-width apart, raise your right leg to a 45-degree angle. Cross it in front of
your body and point your toe. Hold for four seconds. Repeat on the left side.
Discovered #
Glute bridging is, purely, hip extension, slight knee extension (and no abduction, adduction,
lateral or medial rotation of the thigh). Glutes can be contracted by thrusting the hips (glute
bridging) in the sitting position (palms of the hands weighing on sides of the chair).
The sitting position (hip flexed at 90°, knee flexed at 90°) can be emulated by lying down and
placing the heels of the feet on a table (coffee table) of thigh height (feet can be plantarflexed
or neutral). The glute bridge works more successfully in this emulation than the normal glute
bridge or sitting down because:
a) It starts from a greater flexion angle (90°) than the normal glute bridge (45°) and
therefore goes through more degrees of extension and more distance.
b) It utilizes the full force of gravity against the upward path required of the gluteus
maximus.
Therefore, any form of hip extension uses the glute muscles (specifically the glute maximus)
and should be considered in the exercising of the glutes. You can do the full glute bridge or
you can do mini glute bridges (small-ranged pulses, starting from the floor, done with the
glutes alone at very bottom or the top of the movement, preferably at the bottom).
The more you contract your glutes, the greater the glute contraction will become. Alex: After 2
days of targeting the glutes with the isometric angel, side-lying hip abduction, lunges
(diagonal, normal and stationary) and running (uphill, superficial spread and deep middle), I
definitely was able to produce stronger glute contractions and felt patent soreness in the glute
medius and upper hamstring. Muscle soreness in the targeted muscle is a sign that the
muscle is being successfully activated (which is why it is feeling sore, because it is actually
doing work). You will find that weak muscles rarely get injured, because they are never used.
It is important to note that dormant muscles need to be pushed more in order to activate/feel
the burn in that area – they are, after all, used to having to do nothing.
The contralateral glute (or the contralateral side).
 Always use your glutes when you are getting up off your glutes.
> Jog at 7.5km/h and see the change in gluteus maximus feeling. keep it contracted
Glute contraction naturally pulls the pelvis closer to posterior tilt.
In lunge position (hip and knees at 90°), glutes contract to hold the lunge position in balance
(between left and right).
All this was not possible before I activated the glutes and learned how to contract them. Now
that I can activate them, I can feel the burn. Sore muscles show that the muscle has
successfully been worked.
Inhibitors of effective glute function: Hip flexors, hamstrings, quads and IT band (the IT
band conducts the force of the glute maximus, making it equally important in how effective the
glute max is on movement).
Psoas major and iliacus stretch, top of the foot lying on the floor. (both hands on two chairs)
Stretch hip flexor in chair, side on to the chair, one leg on, the other off and stretching the hip
flexor.
Next is to be able to activate one glute muscle only (just one side by itself).
Tight upper thigh (muscle?), especially during the lunge.
what is the feeling of your glutes contracting? – squeezing the glutes together, it is the
opposite feeling of trying to poo something out.
the glute max is also activated by pushing pee out.
exercises that isolate (just) the glute max (by itself)
Top 5 exercises for glute max strengthening
http://victortheriaultmd.com/14896/the-top-5-glute-max-exercise-for-correctvie-exercise-hipstability-and-activation-by-eric-beard/
Activating the glute muscle during an exercise is all good, but you need the glutes to be able
to fire whilst running. First, actively contract them with every stride. If that doesn’t work, run on
an uphill surface. If this does not work, then do exercises in which the glutes are designed to
fire.
The glutes do fire when I walk at an incline of 8%, but they fail when I start running (which
means that my running form is not correct).
So tomorrow 0.5-1% incline, just to simulate a tiny uphill.
One must understand how the glute med functions in each exercise (and how it resists a
force).
Remember it is always the opposite glute that is being activated (the glute of the standing
leg, not the free leg).
Rotating the legs outwards uses the inside of the glutes. Rotating the legs inwards
uses the outside of the glutes.
How to activate each glute muscle
to understand this, we need to know the role (movement) of each glute muscle.
glute max extends and laterally rotates the hip joint.
glute med medially rotates the hip joint, abducts the thigh and prevents adduction of the thigh.
There is a reason the glute minimus is called that, it is the smallest of the three gluteal
muscles and does everything the glute med does, to a lesser extent.
You must give all the exercises real attempts, not just 30 second attempts.
Giving it solid go:
Keep the bridge up for 1 minute at a time.
Abduct the leg as high as possible and hold it at that highest position. This however only feels
like the glute is just scrunching up at the top of the movement, as opposed to actually firing.
isometric glute exercises
Desk jobs don’t exactly do us any favors in regards to glute activation. In fact, it’s been shown
that sitting can significantly decrease glute function and many times leads to overly tight
quads, low back pain, or knee pain. I could go on and on with the intricacies of these
movements and how people can ‘cheat’, but the moral of the story is: be careful doing these
exercises, and if you know you suffer from overly weak glutes, work with a movement
specialist to ensure you are not reinforcing bad habits. Doing a million bridges, lunges, or
leg lifts, just doesn’t cut it. However, if you do this the right way, you’ll notice a massive
difference in how you feel and move.
Desk job – hip flexion causes lengthened glutes. hip flexion causes perpetually tight hip
flexors and hamstrings, which inhibit the glutes.
Obviously sitting down all day does not help glute activation at all. Therefore, everyday you
must do glute exercises to keep the glutes activated. Simply squeezing them whilst in your
seat is not enough.
Also, all these exercises work if you do them in the proper form.
Put all EMG stuff in activation.
Activating core stability
The core is the powerhouse of the body. In our work, we use the term core to mean the
relationship between the transverse abdominal, pelvic floor, multifidi and diaphragm. How
these four things work together and coordinate creates what is called intra-abdominal
pressure. The way the bones fit together, their size, shape and way they relate to each other
through cartilage and ligaments is called form closure. How those bones stay together is
called force closure. Force closure is your core. When you independently contract the core,
you are simultaneously co-contracting (contracting together) the transversus abdominus,
multifidis, diaphragm and pelvic floor muscles in order to gain maximum stability in the
abdominal and lumbar (lower) back region. Engaging your core may need some work at first
as it is not a contraction that many people do consciously. Different visualizing techniques are
used to contract the core and everyone normally has one that works best for them.
Pelvic Floor
 The pelvic floor muscles are below the bony prominence of the hip. You contract them by
lifting up that specific area as much as you can (nuts to guts or doing up a tight zipper)
Breathe freely and try not to engage your abdominal muscles while contracting your pelvic
muscles (isolation and dissociation).
 The pelvic floor should co-fire with the transverse abdominals.
The Transverse Abdominis
 It is easy to recognize someone standing or sitting with the TA muscle engaged because
their chest will be lifted making them stand and sit taller. The transverse abdominis muscle
(TA) plays a very important role in pelvic floor (PF) rehabilitation and function. The muscle
fibers of the TA, or lower abdominals, encircle our abdomen and pelvic area, reaching
around to the thoracolumbar fascia of our lower back. The transverse fibers of our lower
abdominals run around our waist and within our pelvic inlet like a corset or brace that we can
cinch (stitch) up by drawing our belly button in (knit your ribs together). It has been shown
that the lower fibers of our TA muscle that lie within our pelvic inlet work closely with our PF
muscles, which span the base of our pelvis. You can feel how your TA is activated every
time you work to draw your pelvic floor up into your pelvic outlet. Conversely, you can also
feel your PF contract every time you work to draw your TA in while holding neutral posture.
Studies have shown an increase in contractile force of our TA and PF muscles when
activated together vs. contracting individually. This paints a clear picture that we need a
strong TA firing along with our PF muscles to achieve optimal strength gains and efficient
firing of our pelvic floor. Complete resolution of incontinence or better control of our prolapse
symptoms cannot be expected if we don’t have both these muscles firing together.
http://hab-it.com/blog/?p=95
 Pulling your belly up and in rather than just in, coordinates the pelvic floor elevation along
with the transverse abdominis which is how the muscles should normally fire.
 There are generally two main ways to activate the TVA (transverse abdominis).
Abdominal bracing – hold an isometric contraction without sucking in, or expanding your
abdomen (without movement)
Hollowing – contract your abdomen and bring your belly button towards your spine to make
your abdomen as small as possible (without pelvic tilting or sucking in), then maintain an
isometric contraction
Research seems to indicate that bracing is more effective in stabilizing the lumbar spine
than hollowing. “After reading McGills’ book(s) I do not focus on isolated TA strengthening;
he actually has some EMG data, I believe, showing that abdominal hollowing (TA activation)
actually decreases lumbar stability. He states it actually is better to focus on abdominal
stiffening/co-contraction with paraspinals.”
 The most well known method of activating and strengthening the TVA is the vacuum
exercise. The vacuum exercise is an exercise that involves contracting some internal
abdominal muscles, primarily the transverse abdominis muscle, and not as much the
diaphragm, the "six pack" muscles or "abs" which are trained through crunches, leg raises,
or other core exercises.
Think of it as if you were putting on a tight pair of jeans.
Even better, think of preparing for a punch in the stomach.
Imagining a line connecting the inside of your two hip-bones in the front of your pelvis. Think
about connecting along this line.
The contraction should not limit or even change your ability to breathe, and you should be
able to hold a conversation while holding these muscles tight. Often people find it easier to
first pull up on the pelvic floor and then draw in the bellybutton. You should start to
experience an intense burning across your entire midsection – most people’s bodies aren’t
used to targeting these muscles. The goal is to hold the contraction until you either cannot
feel it, or you feel other muscles working harder than the transverse abdominis. When you
feel this, let the contraction out.
 Transverse abdominis is selectively activated by dynamically hollowing in the abdominal
wall, whereas an isometric abdominal brace co-activates the transverse abdominis together
with the external and internal obliques to ensure stability in virtually all modes of possible
instability.
 Also instruct students to narrow the waist in wide-legged poses. This selectively activates
the transverse abdominis muscle, which helps hold the front of the pelvis together left to
right.
 The simple mistake of recruiting your rectus abdominus instead of your transversus
abdominus will cause pressure to be pushed downwards on your pelvic floor instead of
lifting it. Often the intensity of the exercises jumps beyond what the transversus abdominus
can handle and we immediately recruit our rectus abdominus, increasing the pressure down
on our pelvic floor.
 In a nutshell, contraction of the rectus abdominus does definitely increase intra-abdominal
pressure and press down on the pelvic floor. The transversus abdominus, however, tightens
around our thoracolumbar region acting more like a vacuum or a compression stocking. You
never want to see your belly pooch out when you contract the muscles. If you do, it’s the
rectus abdominus being engaged. Instead, you always want to see your belly draw in when
you contract muscles. When you do, you will know that you have activated your transversus
abdominus.
 In order to know whether you are contracting the correct muscles it is necessary to be able
to feel them working. Place your hands on the bony parts at the front of your hips. These are
known as your asis (anterior superior iliac spines). Move your hands in an inch towards your
belly button and down an inch. You should now be directly over the transversus abdominus
muscle. Since all the core muscles co-contract, when you feel your transversus contract, the
others will be contracting too.
 The correct level of activity in core muscles should be 30% of their maximum so that they
have enough energy to contract continuously. To contract the right amount, maximally
contract, then leave off the contraction by half and then by half again, or imagine that a belt
with ten notches is fastened to the tenth notch around the abdomen. Now visualize leaving
off the belt at the 3rd notch. It takes PRACTICE but is extremely important to get right in the
early stages. Failure to contract properly (isolate) will mean unwanted contraction of the
larger muscles surrounding the core. These will take over movements and thus defeat the
aim of the exercises. You must be able to engage the transverse abdominis (and other
deeper muscles) on its own.
 While it is true that the TVA is vital to back and core health, the muscle also has the effect of
pulling in what would otherwise be a protruding abdomen (hence its nickname, the “corset
muscle”). Training the rectus abdominis muscles alone will not and cannot give one a "flat"
belly; this effect is achieved only through training the TVA. Thus to the extent that traditional
abdominal exercises (e.g. crunches) or more advanced abdominal exercises tend to "flatten"
the belly, this is owed to the tangential training of the TVA inherent in such exercises.
 When working the TVA muscles, avoid letting your abdomen "pooch" out, as this means you
are compensating with other abdominal muscles. The isolated contraction of transverse
abdominis will feel like a light, deep tension under your fingertips, not a contraction that
pushes the fingers out. You should see no movement of your back when you draw your belly
in. If your buns tuck under or you create a downward force on your pelvic floor, then you
know you have activated your rectus abdominis instead of your TA. Remember, your belly
should draw in with no movement of your low back.
 Problem: Pooched-out belly (slumped spine)
Source: Tight hip flexors inhibiting the abdominals and not activating the transverse abs
When your hip flexors are tight, they can prevent your deepest ab muscles – the transverse
abdominis – from engaging properly, allowing your belly to push out or sag. Being able to
activate your transverse abdominis along with your other ab muscles is what helps flatten
your midsection. “Even if you have no body fat, if your ab muscles are inhibited in this way,
you’ll see your belly pooch out,” Aaron King said. Stretch the hip flexor muscles so you don’t
allow the hip flexors to take over your abdominal muscles.
Core strength vs. core stability (rectus vs. transverse abdominis)
‘Rectus’ meaning straight (strip from pec major to perineum – the vertical abdominals) and
‘transversus’ meaning across (deep to the rectus abdominis and horizontal through the lower
abdomen (just below the middle tendinous intersection)). Training the rectus abdominis
through the use of lumbar flexion exercises such as crunches, sit-ups, etc., can actually result
in the rectus becoming dominant over the obliques and transverse abdominis.
When performing a lower abdominal exercise such as the leg lift, you can tell if you are not
using the transversus abdominis if your rectus abdominis (your six pack muscle) pokes out
and looks like a bread loaf (pushing your fingers out). Try contracting the muscle before you
lift the legs and see if the “loaf” stays flat and engaged.
My favourite method of determining whether the core is activated or not is to observe the
lower lateral abdominal wall. If there are concavities the core is not properly activated.
Concavities indicate a Rectus Abdominis dominant pattern.
The contour of the abdominal wall should take on a balanced, slightly rounded appearance
which should be maintained throughout performing the exercise with normal respiration.
Remember, stabilization in this sense of deep support is found to be primarily the role of local
muscles (as distinct from global muscles). Local muscles are usually deeper and closer to the
joint than the muscles involved in moving the joint, the global muscles. Local muscles also
often attach directly to the joint capsules. Global muscles are more superficial and tend to be
larger. They are responsible for transferring and balancing external loads and for bigger
movements. The local muscles’ length changes very little and thereby does not have a
big impact on the actual movement of the joint. The job of local muscles is primarily to
stabilize the joint while the other muscles do the moving.
Transverse abdominis - The dark red region
Cross-section of the abdominals – the tyranny of the rectus abdominis
 You must practise to make the activation of the transverse abdominis an intrinsic response
otherwise your rectus abdominis will intrinsically take over.
 Unless you focus on first recruiting the transverse abdominal muscle properly, you
will find that other abdominal muscles will immediately take over in more complex ab
exercises.
This is why it is useless to go about activating all the core muscles at once.
Real-time ultrasound
“Transversus abdominus and Multifidus are very deep, perform a highly specific role, and are
extremely difficult to retrain. Traditionally, patients and therapists have found the process of
reactivating these muscles, and therefore core stability, tedious and difficult, often resulting in
frustration and poor outcomes. Real-time ultrasound uses an ultrasound machine to allow
patients and therapists to accurately view the transversus abdominus and multifidus on a
screen whilst the muscles are actually working. The visual feedback not only permits
specific retraining of these muscles of core stability, but enables therapists to measure and
monitor muscle activation safely throughout the reactivation process.
Patients usually require an average of four sessions to retrain core stability successfully
although regular follow-ups are sometimes required to ensure bad habits don’t creep in.
Often, your therapist will recommend these sessions be used in conjunction with manual
therapy or specific forms of therapeutic exercise such as clinical Pilates or hydrotherapy to
gain maximum benefit.”
Difference between activating the core and exercising the core
Activating is not “abs fully contracted”. That is overdoing it. They should not be working at
their max. Exercising the core is contracting the abs fully and using them with other muscles
in functional movements. Remember the goal is to first activate the inhibited transverse
abdominis, then use it in normal exercise for core stability. Breathing does not change when
keeping the core turned on at a tonic level.
Getting the muscle to fire automatically in functional movements
When you go down into a squat position, your leg muscles fire automatically and you feel the
burn. But the glutes and core do not fire automatically, and you don’t feel the burn. This is a
sign that they are muscles that need to be activated (so they automatically fire in unstable
positions and you feel the burn).
Solidify activation into exercise movements
The approach that we must take in solving this problem is multi-faceted and must be done in
a specific order to achieve optimal results. The path is as follows and should be done before
each training session:
1. INHIBIT (the overactive muscles) – myofascial releasing
The goal of this is to inhibit the overactive areas, namely the hip flexors, hamstrings and
adductors. This is primarily done through the use of foam rollers.
http://www.sbcoachescollege.com/articles/RollOut.html
2. LENGTHEN (the overactive muscles)
The goal of this is to lengthen the areas that we have just inhibited in the previous step. This
will be done with static stretches of the antagonists; which in this case are the hip flexors and
adductors.
3. ACTIVATE (the weak muscles)
Primarily done in non-functional (such as lying down) low-load positions so we can focus on
the muscle we are trying to fire while trying to minimize compensation patterns.
4. INTEGRATE (the activated muscles)
Move into functional exercises containing more than one muscle involvement.
5. REINFORCE (the activated muscles)
Reinforce the proper motor pattern throughout the rest of the training session. This is
primarily done through proper verbal, visual, and tactile cueing. For example, always cue
your athletes to contract their glutes at the top of squats, deadlifts, step-ups, lunges, etc.
{End statement}
The core works in relationship to itself and the whole of your body. Although you may learn
about and activate the core one muscle at a time, in the end they all work together to give you
strength and stability.
Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT) is a system designed to evaluate and treat muscular
imbalances.