How to "engage your core" if you're fat and have basically no abdominal muscles

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  • jessiruthica
    jessiruthica Posts: 412 Member
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    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Take in a deep breath. Now blow out hard pursing you lips and pushing from the ab (diaphragm) area. That contraction is the "engaging your core" feeling to a degree.

    Perfect! Thanks for that!
  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
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    faburizu wrote: »
    Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

    I'm going to try pulling my belly button in toward my spine. Do you think one of those "weight machines" at the gym where you lie back and it helps you do weighted crunches might help to develop muscles that I could actually feel going into action here?

    In the mean time I'm gonna work on my planks!

    Not sure. I do know that you can complete exercises without properly engaging the muscles... in which case, no, it won't help you develop the muscle very well. Other muscles -- your neck, your back, etc -- will step in to help you achieve the exercise, and they aren't supposed to, and it's not great for them.

    I doubt you need fancy equipment etc to get started. It's more about pulling the belly button in toward the spine, and exhaling (while pulling in more) into each ab exercise. It's practicing doing the exercise while properly engaging the muscles -- even if you can't do many that way and it's tough to feel. Practice improves it. You're gradually training your body to do something other than what it's been defaulting to.

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