...Is a common question on Google, in people's minds or even sometimes out loud to a Pilates teacher.
Pilates is having a moment in 2023! (queue smug Pilates teachers everywhere) With transformation pictures popping up all over socials, Miley's new music video and promises of flat tummies and popping abs, I can understand the investigations into Pilates as a new workout to try.
In this blog I will break this down a little bit for you, and explain:
- How you can get those six pack abs (or aim to at least!)
- The roles of the different types abdominals muscles
- Give you some ideas for types of Pilates exercises based on your goal
- Share a abs focused workout to get those abs fired up!
Now, obviously I have named my business after one of Pilates' main fouses: your core. But what does that even mean? It can be sometimes used as a bit of a vague term to describe your general torso area. Your 'core muscles' refer to the collection of muscles that wrap around your spine and torso to keep your organs in place, support your spine and move your bones. Your abs totally DO include those six-pack muscles, but there's actually a few more muscles in the abdominal group which you might want to Gove some attention to as well. Here's an overview of what they are and what they do:
The role of the the different types of abdominals
Let's go deep guys, then work our way out. The deepest layer of abdominals are called your transverses abdominis. In my Pilates classes I often use the visualisation cue of imagining this muscle as a corset, and gently tightening it in around your middle. You can see from the picture below why that's so apt - the fibres of the transverses muscles wrap around your body in a protective manner. It's function is to keep everything secure and in place. It's a big old muscle, attaching all the way from your ribs down to your pelvis. In it's protective role it keeps your organs in place, and also your spine - it's this guy which keeps your trunk / torso and spine stable and in a safe posture whilst you're moving about.
It's also this abdominal muscle which can give some of those transformations - imagine this corset of muscle pulling in: it's the tightening and 'sinching in' of this muscle which can flatten the front of the tummy and pull in the waistline.
The next layer out from that is the obliques, these guys wrap around our sides, similarly to the transverses it's role is both supportive and for movement. The internal obliques are the deeper , more supporting muscles for stabilising your torso and your external obliques are a more superficial layer, used to move your torso laterally: think side bends, twists and rotations.
The most superficial layer is the rectus abdominis - okay guys we've made it to that 'six pack' muscle - this is probably the one that most people think of when we think 'abs'. They run up and down the front of the body and it's role is to flex baby! ...flex the trunk that is, meaning simply to move the chest closer to the legs - so think a gm sit-up, or Pilates 'curl up.'
For my women who have birthed a soul into the world: you probably know all about the rectus abdominis from the ol' pregnancy...it's these two lines of muscle which separate from each other as your belly grows - known as diastasis recti. Side note: It is absolutely possible (because I did it) to bring these muscles back together and close that gap afterwards, you just have to do it gradually, carefully and ideally with guidance. I highly recommend finding a post-natal specialist and also checking in with a service like Mummy MOT - which I did several years after pregnancy. They will check your abdominal separation, what's going on inside with your pelvic floor and so much more....
Anyway! What if you want that washboard abs aesthetic?
Okay, first of all we have to tread carefully here, of course there's a much bigger question about this as a goal. There is a big movement towards body positivity and more healthy attitudes towards body image and health these day (thank GAWD.) As a child of the 90s I was definitely caught up in much more toxic messaging when it came to weight loss and 'fitness' so perhaps I'm a little more over sensitive to these things, but defiantly worth flagging at this stage. Why is that a goal, what's the deeper layers underneath the questioning about 'having abs'? If you're concerned you might be fostering an unhealthy relationship with exercise and you body yo might want to check out some support websites like BeReal and Beat. However, if you're just genuinely curious, feel like you like to set healthy goals then let's crack on...
Everyone has a rectus abdominis muscle, it's not a case that you train it and it grows and sticks out. Obviously. You can build the strength and volume (size) of a muscle through training, so that's cool. When it comes to seeing those six pack muscles, it is basically all affected by the layer of fat that lies between the muscles and the skin. The more belly fat there is the more hidden those muscles will be, the less fat covering the muscles, the more you'll see them. As a Pilates teacher, I can feel that my six pack muscles are pretty strong and defined in there when I poke my fingers on my belly - but you can't really see them right now. I lovingly describe them as a brick wrapped in marshmallow, or hiding under a cushion!
Now, when it comes to losing some of that layer of fat hiding those abs: you can't spot-reduce fat loss. Lemme say that again You can not decide which part of your body loses fat. Want stronger biceps? work the bicep. Tick. But wanna lose fat on the thighs, ,one the thighs? no - sorry doesn't;t work like that - you have to lose fat as an overall thing, eat well, keep active, burn more calories than you consume. Please note, that's an extraordinarily over-simplified version, there are many other things which affect weight loss (stress, metabolism, timing of eating, sleep etc) but the point stands.
Okay, so what if your aim isn't just to 'have abs'?
Here are some other goals you might have related to your core, and what Pilates can offer:
- Recover after pregnancy
Avoid anything too intense like planks initially, they can strengthen the abs in the 'stuck out' position. Instead we're thinking breath-work, gentle activation of the deeper transverses abdominis. They key here is patience and awareness. Things like leg sides & toe taps whilst really visualising that 'closing in' feeling will get you there in time.
- Alleviate back pain
Those deep supporting abdominal muscles can provide support for your back, enabling any over tight and tense back muscles to start to relax. Building up the efficiency of your transverses abdominals and working your abdominals in a calm and mindful way without putting pressure and tension on your lower back will work wonders over time. Try different positions to work in, perhaps 4-point-kneeling is the key, or most-likely a semi-supine (yin don your back with the soles of the feet on the floor.)
- Stop a clicky hip
I'm in the process of doing research into this at the moment, but it looks like some activation of the hip flexors and rectus abs might well make a difference here. Plus, the stronger your stabilising abdominals are, the more your other muscles which usually like to butt in and take over (like the hip flexors and things for example) can relax and de-tense!
- Support my other sport
Strong abdominals and core are strength is such an underpinning fundamental to so much in life and so many other hobbies and sports. All that twisting in golf? Stability for pirouettes in ballet? Balance inn horse-riding? Back support for gardening? Pilates is the answer hun!
- Improve balance
I learnt recently that balance starts to decline after 30 ... THIRTY! Jeez, anyway all the more reason to work on balance, co-ordination and support from your core abdominal muscles.
Work on some arm and leg extensions in 4-point-kneeling for abdominal activation and balance simultaneously.
- Work on mindfulness & lower stress
Higher intensity sports are amazing for lots of other reasons - namely cardio that Pilates doesn't really cover - but it does contribute to higher cortisol levels. One of the high benefits of Pilates, especially during an an exercise where you really have to zone in and work out how to activate those specific abdominal muscles mentioned above - is that it enables presence, mindfulness. The low impact, less intense (arguable) nature of a Pilates class means that you get a really effective workout without the sweaty spike in cortisol.
- Have better body awareness
Sounds a bit wishy-washy but one of the best outcomes of a regular Pilates class, you tune into your own body more: how's my posture, where am I holding tension, how does my digestion feel, what does my body need, am I feeling hungry / tired etc etc - all cultivated from the habit of actively tuning into your body and focusing on it with intention.
If you want to get stuck in a try some Pilates exercises to get all of different layers of abdominals working then here is a 30 minute all-levels Pilates Abs Workout for you to try:
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Have a gorgeous day
Sarah
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