Core Stability: More Than Just Abs
When most people think of core muscles they think of the 6 pack and when you get asked to activate the core muscles, people tend to BRACE (hold the breath and PUSH!).
What if we told you that the core muscles are a coordinated system involving the diaphragm, deep abdominal muscles, pelvic floor and spinal stabilisers. You can see that the core is a complex system; including your breathing muscles, the layers of abdominal muscle that support your spine and the muscles that wrap around the inside of your pelvis.
Whilst bracing is a useful technique for stiffening the trunk and reducing the risk of injury for heavy lifting', it also locks the core system and prevents dynamic movement, blocks the breath and reduces core muscle strength through its range of motion.
This core system influences everything you do: movement quality, breath control, vocal projection, balance, endurance, and injury resilience.
“All movement emanates from the core” - Isadora Duncan
Core stability isn’t about bracing hard or building a six-pack. It’s about your ability to maintain control of the your entire body while you walk, sprint, jump, turn (everything) or while you produce sound.
A well-functioning core:
supports the spine during movement
provides a stable base for the arms and legs
works with breath to power voice and performance
reduces unnecessary tension in the neck, ribs, and jaw (which is far too common)
This is especially important for athletes and performers who need to move dynamically while breathing efficiently, something traditional gym-style core training doesn’t address as it is so heavily influenced by heavy lifting, hypertrophic techniques. Thankfully we are moving away from this single approach to breath control and core activation whilst training and performing.
Why Core Function Matters for Performers
For singers & actors:
Your diaphragm is part of your core muscle network and it requires support from the other core muscles in order to move optimally and guide your breath. If it can’t move freely, your voice can’t either. Poor core coordination often leads to overworking the throat, jaw, and neck, which is a common cause of vocal fatigue.
For athletes and dancers:
A reactive core gives you control during turns, jumps, cutting, striking, extensions, and floor work. When the deep core isn’t doing its job, high performance athletes grip through the intercostals, hip flexors, and lower back instead.
For musicians:
Many instrumentalists struggle with posture and endurance because the deep core isn't stabilising the spine, forcing the upper body to overwork, which inhibits the upper limbs from engaging fully in your performance. Equally distributing the effort and gaining support from the core frees up your movement and your breath for a connected show.
For everyone:
A poorly coordinated core is one of the most common contributors to lower-back tightness, shoulder fatigue, and inefficient breathing patterns. Core training makes everyday tasks, Weeknd hikes, recreational sport and training easier and more sustainable.
The Breath–Pelvis–Spine Connection
Your diaphragm (breathing muscle) and pelvic floor work as a team. When you inhale, the diaphragm descends, and the pelvic floor muscles lengthen. This creates spaces for the digestive organs to move, allowing for a more complete inhale. On the exhale, the reverse applies; The pelvic floor contracts along with the abdominal wall to assist digestive organ lift underneath the diaphragm. This intereaction and close movement coordination maintains intra-abdominal pressure that stabilises your spine naturally.
If this system isn’t coordinated, you often compensate by:
clenching the jaw
lifting or ‘flaring' the ribs
gripping through the lower back
overusing the neck and shoulders
In essence, you create undue tension in other areas of the body to maintain you body’s stability whilst breathing and during movement.
Here’s A Simple Deep-Core Awareness Exercise to Start With:
6 Hands exercise (MDH- Breathing Coordination - https://en.breathingcoordination.ch)
Lying down.
Place your hands on your lower abdominals, just below your belly button
Inhale through your nose, Focus on feeling your ribs expand sideways, backward.
Exhale slowly through pursed lips, letting your ribs slowly lower toward your hip crest, whilst gently engaging your lower abdominals under your hands. This should feel like a gentle lift (20–30% effort).
Be careful not to OVER breathe in. Let the air flow into your body after you exhale.
Repeat 6–8 breaths.
Now place your hands gently on your sides, between your hip crest and your ribs. As you exhale this time you want your hands to gently guide the muscles in and a little upward.
Repeat 6–8 breaths.
Now place your hands in the on your back, either side of your spine and between the hips crest and ribs. As you exhale you will gently guide your hands into your body with that little upward lift.
Repeat 6–8 breaths.
FINALLY - take your hands and rest them at your side BUT you’re going to imagine all 6 hands are still in contact with your skin. As you exhale your abdominal muscles will all now move inward and upward.
Congratulations - you’re beginning to learn how to activate your core muscles, keep your breath moving and your intention flowing. Now all you have to do is practice this during daily activities. Begin whilst walking, using the stairs; progress to gym activities like the plank, squatting, sled push. Once this starts to become second nature you can bring it to your sport or dance class.
This re-establishes the connection between diaphragm → ribs → deep core → pelvic floor.
If you feel persistent tightness, breath inefficiency, difficulty engaging your deep core, or fatigue during performance, it could signal a coordination issue rather than a general strength issue.
At Prehab, we assess how your breathing, core, and movement patterns work together, and we tailor strategies to support your specific performance demands.
And if you haven’t already, make sure to read our previous blog post on MDH Breathing Coordination, it pairs perfectly with this topic and gives even more context to the work we do with performers to build a strong, functional core.
