the 20-something’s guide to your deep core (aka:: how to truly “snatch your waist”)
one of my biggest pet peeves as a physical therapist & musculoskeletal specialist? false narratives being spread about how you can “snatch your waist” with a certain deep core exercise. seriously, a major eye roll.
of course i’m not saying i never fell for this kind of narrative. i was the girl in high school & college who would do core workouts everyday because i thought they would lead to the aesthetic goals that i wanted. it made sense in my head that if i worked a certain muscle, i would lose fat in that area & build up those muscles, right? if only younger kelsy knew…
so as your wellness big sister, i want to set the record straight on what your deep core is, how it functions, & how to truly “snatch your waist”...
let’s start from the beginning:: what is our deep core?
when we talk about the deep core, we are really focusing on a few key muscles::
some people also consider the muscles that attach to your spine as part of your deep core, as they can contract with contraction of your deep core to help stabilize the low back. your rectus abdominis muscle, or the “6 pack” muscle, is usually not considered a part of your deep core. it functions primarily into flexing the spine forward (as in a crunch), & in other “force production” tasks, like coughing & laughing.
i’m a picture girl, so here are a few helpful visuals to get a grasp on the muscles!
working our deep core can help us with so many things in addition to our aesthetic goals: our posture, pain, training, daily activities like walking, lifting up kiddos, etc. i like to call it a “bang for our buck” area because working on our deep core can carry over to so many other facets of life…not just our aesthetic goals.
so how can i really “snatch my waist”?
let’s first identify some definitions. when i think of “waist snatching”, the terms toned & sculpted come to mind. to me, it revolves around that picture-perfect bikini body look where we have some curves & muscle definition in our core. it revolves around confidence & being able to immediately take our swimsuit cover-ups off at the beach without a care in the world about how the swimsuit looks. does this sound about right? an absolute dream!
well let’s dive deeper into a few myths, first.
more core exercises will give me a more sculpted look in my abdomen.
oh how i wish it were this easy! our core is made up of muscles, & muscles require both an appropriate stimulus in the form of resistance & progressive overload & the appropriate amount of rest for the muscle re-building & growth processes to occur. so doing daily core exercises might not make the most sense in the goals of hypertrophy & muscle growth. yes, we want to appropriately load our core muscles through certain positions, but we also want to give them adequate rest to be able to recover & rebuild for our next core session!
more core exercises will help me target the lower belly fat.
our body has a very whole-body approach to fat storage & fat as energy usage. we are not able to signal our bodies to utilize more fat from one area of our body compared to another for energy based on our exercise selection. it is a full body process & requires strengthening & training of our entire bodies & different energy systems in order for utilization of fat as energy (& therefore decreasing the storage of fat in our bodies). where our fat is deposited in our bodies also has a genetic component to it. some folks deposit fat in their lower body & legs…some in their abdomens. remember we all have something we are self conscious of, & that can also come down to genetics!
if i just add in more deep core work or a certain exercise, my core will look like that fitness influencer’s core.
creating aesthetic & body composition changes requires a multi-factorial approach. it comes down to nutrition, exercise, our resting metabolic rate, stress, sleep, hydration, the time in our cycles, etc. doing a deep core exercise or any exercise in general will not alone create the changes we want to see.
kelsy, that all makes a bit of sense, so how can i optimize my deep core training to help me reach my aesthetic & body composition goals? is it completely pointless?
absolutely not! as i mentioned earlier, in order to create muscle growth & hypertrophy, we do need to strengthen those muscles through proper loading, progressive overload, & rest. Sounds easy, right? not necessarily…
i have so many patients, friends, & clients who have challenges with actually activating those deep core muscles. whenever i hear someone say they’re having difficulty “activating their deep core”, it usually means they are challenged with the neuromuscular control (mind-muscle connection) of their core. this neuromuscular control of the muscles can be affected by sleep, hormones, digestion, etc. & can vary so much training session-to-training session.
so in order to appropriately load the muscles of our deep core in order for muscle growth & hypertrophy to occur, we have to be able to actually access those muscles & know we are activating them the right way! deep core work is absolutely a tool in the toolbox for reaching our aesthetic goals!
enter:: phase 1 of my deep core program.
since i had so many folks reach out about core work & body composition goals, i created this course to help educate & give workouts with the goal of helping folks learn what their deep core is, how to activate it, what compensation patterns to look for, & 4 weeks worth of workouts to help with improving your deep core activation & strength! check it out here as part of the wellness sisterhood if you’re interested & want a more guided approach to your deep core work!
one last note…
to me, a “snatched waist” also revolves around the confidence i have during training, in my clothes & swimsuits, how i carry myself, & how i feel, regardless of looks. this deep core program has helped me feel more confident in my body, but i know this confidence is not due to looks. it is more about knowing that i am putting in the work & effort that my future self will thank me for. it makes me feel better after each workout, knowing that i am teaching my body new ways to move, activate, & support. it is a confidence that my brain is strengthening pathways it needs to help me be able to ski, play with my dog, run, & move in ways that make me feel like me. it is a confidence larger than aesthetics.
my prayer is that each & every one of you know just how beautiful, loved, & special you are, regardless of how your body looks or how “snatched” your waist is.
best wishes to you & your deep core,
your wellness big sister
references (images):
https://www.functionalwellness.space/blog/the-diaphragm-the-core-amp-the-pelvic-floor-intrinsically-connected
