How to Engage Your Core: 7 Core Muscle Groups

Core muscles refer to a group of muscles located within the abdomen or ‘trunk’ of the body. These muscles control your abdominal strength, but also play a key role in your stability, back health, and overall everyday strength. There are as many as 35 muscle groups in your core, composed of both major and minor muscle structures. Here are where the major groups of your core muscles are located.

1. 1. Rectus abdominis: Your rectus abdominis comprises the main, front muscles of the trunk, commonly known as the six-pack abs. The rectus abdominis is partially responsible for your ability to bend and crunch. It also helps to keep your trunk stable when you do push-ups or planks.
2. 2. Transverse abdominis: This muscle group attaches from the back of the rectus abdominis and around the body to the lower spine beneath the rib cage. This is one of the muscle groups that supports and protects the spine.
3. 3. Obliques: Both the internal obliques and external obliques provide stability and strength to the sides and front of your core. They are located on the front of your body, on either side of your rectus abdominis. These lateral muscles provide support when you bend to the side or rotate your trunk.
4. 4. Erector spinae: Your erector spinae is a deep bundle of muscles that is located around your spine from the cervical (neck) to lumbar (lower back) regions. Part of the back extensors, this area of muscle is engaged during lifting or squatting activities. The erector spinae help provide the spine with stability and support and are necessary for keeping an engaged core.
5. 5. Multifidus: The multifidus is a series of muscles that wraps around each side of the back of your spine from the base of your pelvis to your neck. The multifidus plays a role in the stability and support of your whole vertebrae, but more specifically within the lumbar area (and is most associated with lower back pain).
6. 6. Diaphragm: The diaphragm is a part of the core muscle group that sits just beneath the ribs, which you can feel when you take a deep breath. Good posture helps the diaphragm carry out its normal processes, which include expanding when a person breathes in, then contracting when they breathe out.
7. 7. Pelvic floor: Attached to the area beneath the pelvis, the pelvic floor muscles are also part of your core muscle group. You can feel these muscles when you use the bathroom or during kegel exercises.

Engaging your core can have a number of benefits for your body. Here is a series of ways that engaging your core can lead to better health.

1. 1. Flexibility: Stretching and engaging your central core can make you more flexible and reduce your potential risk of injury when working out. A more flexible core may make you less likely to strain your back doing an everyday activity like bending over to pick up the newspaper.
2. 2. Balance: If you find it difficult to balance on one leg, you may have a weak core. Training your core can help you maintain your balance and improve stabilization throughout your whole body, whether you’re doing everyday tasks or working out. Strengthening your core muscles means potentially aligning your back muscles, which can improve your posture.
3. 3. Strength: Strengthening your core strength can improve your overall strength for a number of other activities, from deadlifts to tennis serves. A strong core can keep you active longer, as well as keeping your torso and spine straight and aligned, reducing risk of back pain or injury.

Your core muscles play a significant role in many of the ways that you move, from everyday activities to working out. Here are a series of exercises that can help you engage and potentially strengthen your core.

1. 1. The dead bug: Your starting position for the dead bug is lying on your back on the floor, with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle to your body. Slowly extend your leg until you can tap your heel lightly on the ground, then return the leg to its position and repeat with the other. Try to keep your back flat throughout the whole exercise.
2. 2. Planks: Planks are an ab workout that use your whole body to strengthen your trunk. Perform planks by getting on all fours, placing your feet hip-width apart, and keeping your neck in a neutral position. While maintaining a strong core, lift yourself up onto your feet and forearms (similar to the push-up position). Keep your legs and back straight for the duration of the plank exercise.
3. 3. Sitting: While core exercises like sit-ups can engage certain muscles in your abdomen, even sitting requires core engagement. One simple way to engage your core while you’re sitting is to sit up straight and draw your belly button into your spine. You should feel your abdominal muscles firing up in this position.
4. 4. Yoga: Certain yoga poses like the Vasisthasana (side plank) and Navasana (boat pose) are useful for building and maintaining core strength in a more low-impact setting than traditional ab exercises.
5. 5. The superman: The superman is a bodyweight exercise that activates your upper and lower abs as you hold your body position during the exercise. Keep your neck in a neutral position as you lift your chest, arms, and legs a couple of inches off the ground. Hold this position for the desired amount of time.
6. 6. Glute bridges: A glute bridge is an exercise that involves lying on the ground on your back and thrusting your hips upwards. It is a simple at-home exercise that can be performed with no equipment, and it can increase your core stability and lower back health.
7. 7. Weight lifting: Strength training with weights and machines is an efficient, though sometimes strenuous, way to engage your core. Using weights as you do squats, or doing deadlifts or shoulder presses can help build deep core strength to improve your body strength as a whole.

Throw on some athleisure, fire up a MasterClass Annual Membership, and get ready to sweat it out with exclusive instructional videos from Nike Master Trainer and GQ fitness specialist Joe Holder. Want to improve your cardiovascular endurance? Give Joe’s HIIT workout a go. Trying to get a little swole? He’s got a strength training workout for that. From fitness tips to nutrition hacks, Joe will have you feeling healthier in no time.