So, how do we locate the transverse abdominal muscle? Here are some easy ways. Cough. Do you feel an inner tightening of your abdominal muscle? That’s your transverse. Or take a deep breath, then, upon exhaling, press your navel to your spine. The transverse abdominals will press against the diaphragm to expel the air during an exhalation. Woman may be most familiar with the best way to activate the transverse abdominals. Lately, the concept of exercising the pelvic floor all throughout life has been given so much press, that I’m surprised that there isn’t a slogan “Kegels, not just for pregnancy”.

Most women are taught to use their pelvic floor by visualizing the muscles they would use if they were trying to stop the flow of urine. For the sake of fitness activities, I tell my students to think of the area down below as a hammock, and to draw the hammock up. The affect on alignment and balance is amazing. I have also told this to new ski students as an image for getting off a lift chair, and I have whispered it to fellow ski students who are totally hunched over. Men also have a pelvic floor. Many have told me that doing Kegel exercises prescribed by a physical therapist has improved their lower backs and thus improved their skiing. I‘ve also been told that this is highly effective for skiing moguls!

Recently, I learned that it is possible for one side of the transverse abdominal muscle to be weaker than the other. Sometimes, this may happen as a result of an injury to any body part. If someone has a weak TVA on one side, their balance and skill on that side may be impaired.

This may become apparent in how someone skis. A classic example is the student who can traverse the hill balanced on one ski, but not the other. If the student feels that they cannot balance in certain moves due to biomechanical instabilities, they will not progress, even with the best instructors available. Until they train their bodies to use the transverse abdominals and other stabilizers on both sides, their skiing may always have an uneven quality.

The transverse abdominal muscle is supposed to be a postural stabilizer. It is essentially an endurance muscle. The superficial rectus abdominus, which is utilized in crunches, is NOT supposed to be involved in endurance. By doing 100s of crunches a day, and then, sitting hunched over a computer, we have turned these spinal flexors into endurance muscles. As a result, many people walk around in what we call “upper cross” syndrome; hunched posture, neck forward. To further complicate matters, by over using our superficial muscles, we have trained our inner unit to be less functional.

Force generation begins in the core stabilizers. It then travels down to the feet, back up to the center, and then to the upper extremities. When we talk about developing power for any sort of sport, you need to strengthen your core, before anything else.

Does anyone think they can fire a cannon from a canoe?