Get to know your core – the Transversus Muscle

Photo -  Mark Probst, Flickr
Photo – Mark Probst, Flickr

A strong core is essential to building and maintaining overall physical strength, whether for athletic pursuits or simply making it though a busy day of work or play.  Core strengthening trains the muscles in your hips, abdomen, and lower back to work in harmony, resulting in better balance, stability, and agility.

The deepest of the abdominal muscles, the transversus abdominus (or TVA), is made up of a horizontally aligned band of fibers that wrap around the middle of the body, and is essential to core stabilization, particularly the spine.  Pulling in this supportive girdle of the trunk reduces the diameter of the abdomen, or simply put – it gives you a waist.

There are several workouts that can target and strengthen your TVA that don’t require a gym membership or any kind of specialized equipment, and besides the pleasing result of a more narrow waist, a strong TVA can reduce lower back pain by putting your spine and pelvis in their neutral positions and maintain an ideal posture.

Check out this article that looks at core strength and the transversus abdominus from the perspective of Pilates training, a form of exercise that focuses on the the balanced development of the body through core strength and flexibility.

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Broadway Wellness is a friendly multi-disciplinary clinic located in the heart of Fairview, between Cambie and Oak, in beautiful Vancouver, BC.  Our clinic was founded on a strong foundation of Registered Massage Therapy, and has expanded to offer Chiropractic Care with Network Spinal Analysis, and Naturopathic Medicine.

 

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