NERD ALERT: There’s a lot of information in the post, but reading it could transform every single class. For more practice with these somewhat complex concepts, book a 30 or 60-minute privé with your favorite smartypants trainer.

“Engage your abs.” If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of this elusive workout catchphrase and wondered “how the hell do I do that?,” today’s fitness hack is for you. Engaging your core is ingrained in fitness dialogue because it’s a core concept (pun intended). But what does it entail? Is it a sucking in motion? Is your stomach pushing out? Is it holding your breath and hoping for the best? And by the way, why are we trying to use our core anyway?

the why

To understand the why, let’s begin with the concept of irradiation.

Russian Special Forces trainer Pavel Tsatsouline explains it this way: Lightly squeeze your fist and you feel your forearm tense up a little bit. Now, squeeze your fist a little bit tighter, and you’ll feel your bicep engage. Then, white-knuckle squeeze your fist, and you’ll feel your shoulder muscles ignite. What he suggests, and what you feel when you try it, is that when you engage your hand muscles, the more tightly you grip, the more that tension will radiate into your other muscle groups. And when your neighboring muscle groups contract, your action has more force and power behind it.

the how

With the understanding of that concept, let’s look at how to engage your core. First, scoop your belly button up and in toward your spine. Now, maintaining that scooped feeling, tense your abs like someone is about to punch you in the stomach. When you also plug your shoulder blades down your back, you should feel powerful and stable in your mid-section. From that engaged place, the concept of irradiation now makes every other movement more powerful.

Here are some bari-centric examples of engaging your core that will dramatically enhance your workout:

  • sensory cardio: Using the concept of tightening your abs during dance cardio will engage your entire body. With this control, you land more softly on the floor and avoid unnecessary joint pain, and at the same time, you travel further and jump higher (a.k.a, love up on that red zone).
  • weighted arms: Engaging your core allows your arms to travel further away from your body with more force, making every rep more demanding (read = sweatier and hella effective).
  • leg lifts: Your abs are the center of your body’s global stabilization system. Meaning, your core muscles connect to the other muscles in your legs, butt, arms and back. So engaging your core during leg lifts helps you find your balance while working the smaller muscles in your thighs and butt. Double whammy.
  • trampoline cardio: Feeling the tension in your abs while bouncing is imperative to getting the most out of your sweat sesh. Not only does it protect your back when you’re in the hinged athletic ready position, but it allows you to move with more agility, push into the trampoline harder, and tone your legs faster. It’s the biggest leap you can make in upping your bounce skills and leaning out your legs.
  • supine abs: When you’re laying on your back in a good ole’ crunch, it’s easy to let go of your abs on the way back down to the mat. Keeping your core engaged means keeping the upper back and low abs involved, which takes pressure off your low back and hip flexors. Plus you get the added benefit of a slightly higher heart rate and better calorie burn.

Test a couple of these in your classes or privates and check your iQniter reports afterward. See if you can use the concept of engaging your core and irradiation to give yourself an (even more) full-body workout.