If there's one phrase I repeat at every Glow Wellness event, it's this: "Everything starts from your center." Core strength isn't just a fitness buzzword — it's the literal foundation of how your body moves, stabilizes, and protects itself through every activity of daily life. And yet, most people fundamentally misunderstand what their core actually is and how to train it effectively.
As a BASI-certified Pilates instructor, I've worked with hundreds of women who came to class thinking core work meant crunches and planks. What they discovered was a deeper, more sophisticated system of muscles that, when properly engaged, transforms not just their workout but their posture, their back pain, and their confidence in their own bodies.
What Muscles Actually Make Up Your Core?
When most people think "core," they picture the rectus abdominis — the "six-pack" muscle. But your true core is a complex system of muscles that wraps around your entire midsection like a natural corset. Understanding these muscles is the first step to training them effectively.
Transverse abdominis (TVA): Your deepest abdominal muscle, wrapping horizontally around your torso like a built-in weight belt. This is the primary muscle targeted in Pilates core work, and it's the one most people have never consciously engaged.
Multifidus: Small, deep muscles running along your spine that provide segmental stability. These are critical for spinal health and are often weakened in people with chronic back pain.
Pelvic floor: The hammock of muscles at the base of your pelvis that supports your internal organs and works synergistically with your deep abdominals.
Diaphragm: Yes, your primary breathing muscle is also a core muscle. It forms the "roof" of your core canister and its coordination with the TVA and pelvic floor is essential for true core stability.
Internal and external obliques: These muscles run diagonally along your sides and are responsible for rotation and lateral flexion. They also contribute significantly to trunk stability during asymmetrical movements.
A 2022 systematic review in Sports Medicine confirmed that training these deep core muscles — rather than focusing solely on superficial muscles like the rectus abdominis — produced superior outcomes for spinal stability, injury prevention, and functional movement quality. This is exactly why Pilates, with its emphasis on deep core activation, is uniquely effective for building meaningful core strength.
How Do You Properly Engage Your Core Without Holding Your Breath?
This is the question I answer most often at Glow Wellness events, and it's one of the most important skills you can learn. Proper core engagement is subtle — it's not about sucking in your stomach, tensing your abs, or holding your breath.
Here's the cue I use with every beginner: imagine you're zipping up a tight pair of jeans. Feel that gentle drawing-in sensation in your lower belly? That's your transverse abdominis engaging. Now maintain that gentle activation while continuing to breathe normally. If you can't breathe, you're working too hard.
Another way to find this connection: lie on your back with your knees bent. Place your fingers just inside your hip bones. Gently cough — you'll feel the TVA contract beneath your fingertips. Now try to recreate that gentle tension without coughing. That's the level of engagement we're looking for during Pilates exercises.
During my BASI certification, my instructor described it as "10-20% effort, not 100%." This was revolutionary for me. I'd spent years bracing my abs as hard as possible during workouts, which actually reduced my stability by preventing my deep muscles from firing properly. Learning to engage gently but consistently was the breakthrough that improved my own practice and now defines how I teach.
The breath component is critical. In Pilates, we use lateral thoracic breathing — expanding the ribcage sideways while maintaining that gentle core engagement. Inhale to prepare (ribcage expands), exhale to move (core engagement deepens naturally). This pattern ensures your core stays active throughout every exercise without the oxygen deprivation that comes from breath-holding.
What Are the Best Core Exercises for Complete Beginners?
I always start my students with exercises that teach awareness and control before adding challenge. Here are the five foundational movements I include at every Glow Wellness event, listed in order of progression:
1. Pelvic Tilts: Lying on your back with knees bent, gently tilt your pelvis to press your lower back into the mat on the exhale, then release to neutral on the inhale. This simple movement teaches you to feel the connection between your core and your spine. Perform 10 repetitions with full awareness.
2. Toe Taps (Supine March): From the same position, engage your core and lift one foot off the floor to tabletop (knee over hip, shin parallel to ceiling). Slowly lower the toe to tap the floor, then return to tabletop. Alternate legs for 10 repetitions per side. The key here is maintaining a stable pelvis — your lower back shouldn't arch or flatten as you move your legs.
3. Dead Bugs: With both legs in tabletop and arms reaching toward the ceiling, slowly extend your right arm overhead and your left leg long on an exhale. Inhale to return to start, then repeat on the opposite side. This cross-body coordination challenges your core's ability to resist rotation. Start with 6 repetitions per side.
4. Bird Dogs: On hands and knees, extend your right arm forward and left leg back simultaneously on an exhale. Hold for two breath cycles, maintaining a level pelvis and neutral spine. This exercise strengthens the multifidus and teaches anti-rotation stability. Perform 6-8 per side.
5. Modified Plank: On your knees (not toes for beginners), with forearms on the floor, hold a straight line from knees through hips to shoulders. Focus on maintaining gentle core engagement and steady breathing for 20-30 seconds. If your lower back sags or your shoulders creep toward your ears, rest and reset.
A 2021 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that these foundational exercises activated the deep core muscles (TVA and multifidus) at rates comparable to or exceeding more advanced exercises when performed with proper form and intentional engagement. In other words, simple exercises done well are more effective than complex exercises done poorly.
How Often Should You Train Your Core for Real Results?
Consistency matters more than frequency or duration. Research consistently shows that three to four core-focused sessions per week, lasting 15-20 minutes each, produce significant strength gains within 6-8 weeks. This is far more effective than one intense 60-minute session per week.
At Glow Wellness, our monthly pop-up events provide a powerful 45-minute Pilates class where core engagement is woven into every exercise. But I always encourage attendees to practice at home between events — even just 10 minutes of the five exercises above, three times per week, will maintain and build on the progress made in class.
A practical schedule might look like this:
Monday: 15 minutes of the five foundational exercises (2 sets each)
Wednesday: 10 minutes of pelvic tilts and dead bugs before bed
Friday: 15 minutes of all five exercises with slightly increased hold times
Monthly: Attend a Glow Wellness event for guided instruction and form corrections
The most important factor is showing up consistently, not perfectly. Missing a session isn't failure — it's just a day you didn't practice. The habit is built over weeks and months, not days.
How Does Core Strength Improve Your Daily Life Beyond the Gym?
This is where core training gets genuinely exciting. A strong, functional core doesn't just improve your Pilates practice — it transforms how you move through every moment of your day.
Reduced back pain: A 2023 meta-analysis in The Spine Journal found that core stabilization exercises reduced chronic low back pain intensity by an average of 39% and improved functional disability scores by 47%. For the many women at our events who mention back discomfort, this alone makes core training worthwhile.
Better posture: When your deep core muscles are strong and engaged, they naturally support your spine in its optimal alignment. This reduces the forward head posture and rounded shoulders that come from desk work and phone use.
Improved balance: Your core is your body's center of gravity. Strengthening it improves your balance and coordination in everything from walking on uneven surfaces to carrying groceries to chasing toddlers.
Greater confidence in movement: I've watched women at our events go from nervously modifying every exercise to flowing through challenging sequences with poise. That physical confidence carries into how they walk into rooms, how they speak in meetings, how they carry themselves in the world.
One of my favorite stories is from a Glow community member who started attending our events specifically for back pain relief. After three months of consistent practice, she not only reported significant pain reduction but said she'd started hiking again — something she'd given up two years prior because of discomfort. That's what functional core strength does: it gives you your life back.
What Mistakes Should You Avoid When Building Core Strength?
After years of teaching, I've identified the most common mistakes that slow progress or cause discomfort. Avoiding these will help you build core strength safely and efficiently:
Gripping your abs instead of engaging them. There's a crucial difference between clenching your rectus abdominis (the superficial muscle) and gently activating your TVA (the deep stabilizer). If you feel your upper abs bulging outward or your ribs flaring, you're gripping. Reset and find that gentle 10-20% engagement.
Neglecting the pelvic floor. Your pelvic floor muscles work in concert with your TVA. If you're only thinking about your abs, you're leaving half the core system untrained. Gentle pelvic floor engagement (as if you're stopping the flow of urine) should accompany core activation.
Progressing too quickly. Mastering the foundations isn't boring — it's where the real strength is built. Moving to advanced exercises before your deep muscles are strong enough means your superficial muscles will compensate, reinforcing poor patterns.
Forgetting to breathe. I cannot emphasize this enough. Breath-holding during core exercises creates intra-abdominal pressure that can strain the pelvic floor and reduce deep muscle activation. If you can't breathe through an exercise, modify it until you can.
Your core is the quiet powerhouse of your body — when it's strong and properly trained, everything else works better. Whether you join us at a Glow Wellness pop-up for expert instruction and community support, or begin your journey at home with these foundational exercises, know that every mindful repetition is an investment in a stronger, more confident, more capable you.
