Should You Be Strengthening Your Deep Core?

“Engage your core.” Attend enough exercise classes and you’re bound to hear this advice. But recently, you might have started hearing about the importance of targeting the “deep core.”

What is the deep core and how critical is it to a well-rounded workout? Read on to find out.  

Which muscles make up the deep core?  

Located in your midsection, your core muscles help distribute weight and movement across your entire frame. A strong core can boost your stability and balance and improve your posture — which in turn can help you move through the world more comfortably and freely.

The most visible muscles in your core are the rectus abdominis — or your “six pack” — which stretch vertically from the ribs to the pubic bone; and the obliques, which wrap around the sides of your abdomen diagonally and help you twist and side bend. These muscles are close to the skin and what most people think of as their “abs.”  

But in addition to those muscles is the deep core, which many consider to be the transverse abdominis, the multifidus, the pelvic floor and the diaphragm, according to Joseph Ihm, MD, a specialist in physical medicine, rehabilitation and sports medicine at the Spine Center at Harborview Medical Center and a former personal trainer.

The transverse abdominis is your deepest abdominal muscle, wrapping around the abdomen horizontally (it is sometimes described as the “corset”) and supporting your spine. Along with your other abdominal muscles, it helps hold your internal organs in place.  

The multifidus muscles run vertically up and down either side of the spine, helping stabilize it and playing a critical role in keeping your back healthy and pain-free.  

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that form a hammock across the bottom of the pelvis and hold organs like the bladder, uterus, and bowel in place.  

The diaphragm is a respiratory muscle located below the lungs. 

How do you engage your deep core muscles?  

Anytime you’re moving, you’re likely recruiting your deep core muscles, Ihm says, although pain, injury or weakness can prevent you from engaging them optimally. But isolating them is a bit trickier.  

While it’s relatively easy to flex and feel a muscle like your biceps, the same isn’t true for your transverse abdominis or multifidus. This is because the deep core is buried under other, more superficial muscles that you’re more likely to feel first when you’re flexing your abdomen. In physical therapy, your PT might encourage you to engage your transverse abdominis by pulling your belly button toward your spine, Ihm says. It’s even harder to offer cues for the other deep core muscles because they are so deep.

That said, two exercises do a good job engaging the deep core while working out the rest of your core muscles too: plank and bird-dog.  

Plank: Lie down on your stomach and push your body up onto your hands or forearms so that you form a long line (like a board or plank) from your toes to your hands or forearms and hold for 10 to 60 seconds. You can also make a plank easier by putting your weight on your knees rather than your toes.

Bird-dog: Start in a tabletop position and extend one leg behind you and, at the same time, the opposite arm in front of you. Hold your arm and leg parallel to the ground for a couple of seconds before bringing them back to the ground and switching sides.

How important is it to strengthen your deep core?  

While building and maintaining overall core strength is important, Ihm says that you don’t need to worry about targeting deep core muscles on their own unless you suspect that they are weak, perhaps following an injury or pregnancy, or you’re experiencing back pain.

“Like many other things, some people make it sound like if you don’t strengthen the deep core, you are not exercising key muscles enough to keep your body functioning well,” Ihm says. “And that’s probably not true for most who are otherwise healthy and active.”  

Instead, Ihm prefers to look at an individual’s holistic workout program. He suggests incorporating standard core exercises, like plank and bird-dog, as part of a well-rounded exercise program that includes aerobic activity to improve your endurance and resistance training to boost your strength and balance.

Experts recommend getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week, including two days per week of resistance training. Look at the amount of time you have to exercise and be strategic.  

“Getting regular physical activity and elevating your heart rate is likely to be more important than doing a lot of reps of deep core exercises,” Ihm says.

If you’re experiencing back pain or you feel you should strengthen your deep core for another specific reason (perhaps you want to regain core strength following pregnancy), speak with your doctor or a physical therapist. And that goes for any time you’re considering starting a new exercise routine.

Set realistic expectations  

Google “deep core” and you’ll find dozens of articles claiming that isolating these muscles will do everything from getting rid of your tummy to shrinking your waist. As with any trend, some devotees of deep core workouts overstate the benefits. Strengthening your deep core will not likely help you develop an hourglass shape or a tiny waist.

“The shape and general structure of someone’s body is often genetically predetermined,” Ihm says. “For many people, your genetic attributes will dictate what the limits are of what you look like, no matter what you do through exercise.”

But strengthening your core and exercising consistently do have countless other health benefits that you can focus on instead.