Get in touch with your Transverses Abdominis

What is your Transverse Abdominis?

Your “T.A.” (short for transverses abdominis) is a muscle group that lies deep within your core musculature, and is one of most important muscles in the human movement system.  It is crucial to strengthen your transverse muscles in order to take pressure off your spine, and that is one of the main reasons why exercise theories like Pilates and Tai Chi focus so much on training the TA.

The picture above depicts a womans’ hands in the basic tai chi starting position. (orb field). Her hands are in the general area of the TA muscle group, but remember:  The TA lies below the surface muscles of the abdominals, and therefore can be extremely difficult to isolate.  In Tai Chi this area is known as the “Dantian” and is the focal point of breathing as well as the center of balance. The Dantian is considered the bodys energy center.

In Pilates “The Scoop” technique involves pulling-in your deep abdominal muscles starting with your pelvic floor and TA. (Imagine pulling your bellybutton towards your spine).   This technique is considered “The Powerhouse” of all pilates movements, and with practice it can really help stabilize the spine and cue good posture during everyday activities.  I will later expand on visualization techniques to quickly activate these often underdeveloped muscles.

By combining exercises rooted in the ancient art of Tai Chi with modalities from the modern school of Pilates you can achieve monumental results in a shorter amount of time.  Whether your fitness goals include better balance, speed, agility, accuracy in sports, better posture, or simply getting yourself out of pain; training your bodys powerhouse is crucial to a better, healthier life.

Have you ever had a fitness and postural assessment? I think it’s time…

   

Your legs are the things that will carry you into your old age; yet time and time again I see people at the gym neglecting these pillars of life.  Strengthening your legs not just about getting definition in your glory muscles (such as your quads) but understanding the difference between which muscles need stretching, and which muscles need resistance.  For example, there are countless people who have an over arched lower back (see the drawing above, the guy in the center) People like this generally need to strengthen in their hamstrings, and stretch their internal adductors.  Working out prime movers such as your hamstrings will help you tremendously with supporting your spine and maintaining good posture down the line.

So many people go to the gym without understanding the risks they incur by working out improperly.  People often enforce bad postural habits by not stretching the right muscles, and constantly working out the same ones.  I strongly advise every active adult to get a postural and fitness assessment as soon as possible.