Core Strengthening Part 3 of 3

As stated in the last two week’s posts, core strengthening is not just limited to working your abdominal muscles by doing crunches. It also includes exercising other muscles that help stabilize and strengthen your back, trunk, pelvis and hips. In this three part series, I will be writing about three different muscles that I like to encourage my Seattle Treatment Massage clients to strengthen if I find they are weak. Strengthening these muscles is a great addition to any core workout program.

In the last two parts of the Core Strengthening Series, we talked about the hip flexors and the adductors. The final third section is really going to get to the core of the matter. I am referring to the muscles know as the pubococcygeus muscle or the PC muscles. This muscles is located between the pubic bone and the tailbone. The PC muscle and the pelvis make up the bowl that holds your internal pelvic organs. When this muscle is weak it can contribute to hip instability and incontinence in men and women. A strong PC muscle can also aid with child birth and prevention of pelvic organ prolapse.

To exercise the PC muscle, you must first be aware of this muscle. Awareness can be found by attempting to cut of the flow of your urine midstream. The muscle you feel clamping down is your PC muscle. It is important for men and women to have strong PC muscles. If you are having a hard time feeling your PC muscle, see if a health practitioner can help you.

Exercises strengthening your PC muscles are generally called Kegels. One way to do a Kegel is to squeeze and hold your PC muscle for as long as you can. You might feel your PC muscle start to weaken and other abdominal muscles take over. That is fine. With time you will get stronger and getting a little abdominal strengthening with this exercise can be an added bonus.

Another way to strengthen these muscles is to picture them tighten like an elevator climbing your pelvic muscles, tightening at the bottom and working your way up.

You can also just do repetitions. One thousand and one, one thousand and two- squeeze.  One thousand one, one thousand two – release. You can use Mississippis, if that is your counting preference.

This concludes the core strengthening series. I hope it has been helpful and thank you for reading. PJ Harris, LMP http://www.pjharris.com/