When you hear the word “core,” you might picture a six-pack, crunches, or holding your stomach tight all day long.
But true core strength is actually much more than that. Your core isn’t a rigid statue – it’s a living, moving pressure system that connects your ribcage, spine, and pelvis. Its job is to help you move and breathe easily without leaving you feeling stiff, locked down, or achy.
Think of your core as a supportive cylinder made up of four walls. When they work together, your movements feel light and effortless. When one part doesn’t pull its weight, the system leaks, and other areas-like your lower back, hips, or neck-have to work overtime to compensate.
The Four Pictures to Keep in Mind
To help you visualise how these walls move together, use these four simple images. These match up perfectly with modern pelvic health physiotherapy to keep your body feeling great.
Top Wall: Your Diaphragm is an Umbrella
This is your main breathing muscle. As you breathe in, the umbrella opens wide into the sides and back of your ribs. As you breathe out, the umbrella closes gently.
Foundation: Your Pelvis is a Bowl of Water
Your pelvis sits at the base of your torso. The goal is to keep the bowl reasonably level. As you move, the water can gently ripple, but it shouldn’t spill out the front or the back.
Front Wall: Your Deep Abdominals are a Corset
This deep muscle wraps around your trunk. Instead of pulling it in as hard as you can, think about gently tightening the corset just one notch, not five. It provides just enough support for the task at hand.
Bottom Wall: Your Pelvic Floor is a Trampoline
The base of your core is responsive and springy. It is not meant to be held rigid. It lengthens slightly on your inhale to absorb pressure and naturally recoils upward on your exhale.
Alignment First: Getting Stacked
True core stability starts with a simple mechanical setup: stacking your ribs directly over your pelvis.
If your ribs are flared open and your back is overly arched, or if you are aggressively tucking your tailbone under, the system is already out of alignment. When you stay stacked, your muscles are at the perfect length to work together naturally without any extra effort.
The Natural Breath Cycle: Expand & Support
You can think of the breath work as a simple rhythm: inhale expand, exhale support.
Make that “support” a comfortable embrace rather than a hard squeeze!
On your inhale (Expand): The umbrella opens and your torso expands 360 degrees. Your ribs move out to the sides and back, and the trampoline (pelvic floor) softens and lengthens downward to accept the pressure.
On your exhale (Support): The umbrella closes and your ribs come back down. Your pelvic floor naturally recoils upward, and your deep corset muscle hugs inward to support you as you move.
Matching the Brace to the Task
One of the biggest myths in fitness is that you need to brace your abs at 100% maximum tension for everything you do. In reality, your core is like a volume dial. You want to match the level of tension to the weight or difficulty of what you are doing:
Walking or picking up a cup of coffee? Your dial should be at a 1 or 2 out of 10. Just a faint awareness of your posture.
Doing a bodyweight squat or a dead bug? Turn the dial to a 3 or 4. A gentle, supportive hug.
Deadlifting a heavy barbell? Now you turn the dial up to an 8 or 9 to manage that massive load.
If you keep your dial cranked to a 10 all day long, you lock up your diaphragm, stop breathing well, and actually make your body more rigid. Turn it up when it gets heavy, and let it back down when you’re done.
How to Practice at Home
This is perfect for at home practice. You can build incredible awareness with a few mindful breaths:
Place one hand on your lower ribs and one hand on your lower belly.
Inhale and feel your ribs expand sideways into your hand. Let your belly soften.
Exhale slowly and completely, feeling your ribs naturally drop down and your lower belly gently draw away from your hand.
Do this for 5 to 10 breaths just to connect with that natural rhythm.
The Release: Giving Your Muscles a Break
Just like your glutes or hamstrings enjoy a good stretch after a tough workout, your core muscles love a chance to fully let go. Constant holding creates tension, so winding down is just as important as building strength.
Try these two simple, gentle ways to release the system after you train:
Child’s Pose: Rest your hips back toward your heels and reach your arms forward. Breathe deeply into your lower back and pelvis. With every inhale, imagine stretching the “trampoline” and the “umbrella” as far apart as possible.
Crocodile Pose: Lie flat on your stomach with your hands stacked under your forehead. Breathe into the floor. Because your belly is pressed against the ground, the air will naturally force its way into your lower back and side ribs, stretching those deep stabilisers completely.
Your Simple Core Cue
Whenever you want a quick mental reset during our sessions or your own workouts, just remember this sequence:
“Stay stacked. Inhale to expand. Exhale to support.”
We hope you find this helpful.
But true core strength is actually much more than that. Your core isn’t a rigid statue – it’s a living, moving pressure system that connects your ribcage, spine, and pelvis. Its job is to help you move and breathe easily without leaving you feeling stiff, locked down, or achy.
Think of your core as a supportive cylinder made up of four walls. When they work together, your movements feel light and effortless. When one part doesn’t pull its weight, the system leaks, and other areas-like your lower back, hips, or neck-have to work overtime to compensate.
The Four Pictures to Keep in Mind
To help you visualise how these walls move together, use these four simple images. These match up perfectly with modern pelvic health physiotherapy to keep your body feeling great.
Top Wall: Your Diaphragm is an Umbrella
This is your main breathing muscle. As you breathe in, the umbrella opens wide into the sides and back of your ribs. As you breathe out, the umbrella closes gently.
Foundation: Your Pelvis is a Bowl of Water
Your pelvis sits at the base of your torso. The goal is to keep the bowl reasonably level. As you move, the water can gently ripple, but it shouldn’t spill out the front or the back.
Front Wall: Your Deep Abdominals are a Corset
This deep muscle wraps around your trunk. Instead of pulling it in as hard as you can, think about gently tightening the corset just one notch, not five. It provides just enough support for the task at hand.
Bottom Wall: Your Pelvic Floor is a Trampoline
The base of your core is responsive and springy. It is not meant to be held rigid. It lengthens slightly on your inhale to absorb pressure and naturally recoils upward on your exhale.
Alignment First: Getting Stacked
True core stability starts with a simple mechanical setup: stacking your ribs directly over your pelvis.
If your ribs are flared open and your back is overly arched, or if you are aggressively tucking your tailbone under, the system is already out of alignment. When you stay stacked, your muscles are at the perfect length to work together naturally without any extra effort.
The Natural Breath Cycle: Expand & Support
You can think of the breath work as a simple rhythm: inhale expand, exhale support.
Make that “support” a comfortable embrace rather than a hard squeeze!
On your inhale (Expand): The umbrella opens and your torso expands 360 degrees. Your ribs move out to the sides and back, and the trampoline (pelvic floor) softens and lengthens downward to accept the pressure.
On your exhale (Support): The umbrella closes and your ribs come back down. Your pelvic floor naturally recoils upward, and your deep corset muscle hugs inward to support you as you move.
Matching the Brace to the Task
One of the biggest myths in fitness is that you need to brace your abs at 100% maximum tension for everything you do. In reality, your core is like a volume dial. You want to match the level of tension to the weight or difficulty of what you are doing:
Walking or picking up a cup of coffee? Your dial should be at a 1 or 2 out of 10. Just a faint awareness of your posture.
Doing a bodyweight squat or a dead bug? Turn the dial to a 3 or 4. A gentle, supportive hug.
Deadlifting a heavy barbell? Now you turn the dial up to an 8 or 9 to manage that massive load.
If you keep your dial cranked to a 10 all day long, you lock up your diaphragm, stop breathing well, and actually make your body more rigid. Turn it up when it gets heavy, and let it back down when you’re done.
How to Practice at Home
This is perfect for at home practice. You can build incredible awareness with a few mindful breaths:
Place one hand on your lower ribs and one hand on your lower belly.
Inhale and feel your ribs expand sideways into your hand. Let your belly soften.
Exhale slowly and completely, feeling your ribs naturally drop down and your lower belly gently draw away from your hand.
Do this for 5 to 10 breaths just to connect with that natural rhythm.
The Release: Giving Your Muscles a Break
Just like your glutes or hamstrings enjoy a good stretch after a tough workout, your core muscles love a chance to fully let go. Constant holding creates tension, so winding down is just as important as building strength.
Try these two simple, gentle ways to release the system after you train:
Child’s Pose: Rest your hips back toward your heels and reach your arms forward. Breathe deeply into your lower back and pelvis. With every inhale, imagine stretching the “trampoline” and the “umbrella” as far apart as possible.
Crocodile Pose: Lie flat on your stomach with your hands stacked under your forehead. Breathe into the floor. Because your belly is pressed against the ground, the air will naturally force its way into your lower back and side ribs, stretching those deep stabilisers completely.
Your Simple Core Cue
Whenever you want a quick mental reset during our sessions or your own workouts, just remember this sequence:
“Stay stacked. Inhale to expand. Exhale to support.”
We hope you find this helpful.
