Deep muscles, core muscles… there is a lot of talk about them, but you often find inconsistent information about them online, which can leave you feeling confused. It takes quite a bit of effort to find the truth. Meanwhile, in Pilates, deep muscles play a key role in achieving the desired effects of exercises. Are you sure you know enough about them?

Which muscles are considered deep muscles? Where exactly are they located? How can you use this knowledge during Pilates exercises? Learn more about core muscles and practice correctly!

DEEP MUSCLES – WHAT ARE THEY?

Deep muscles have an important task – they must maintain proper body posture, help with balance (e.g., while walking or running), and protect the spine and joints from harmful movements that can lead to injuries and trauma. They can be compared to a kind of armor that holds the internal organs, stabilizes the spine and pelvis.

What muscles can we list among the deep muscles? The core muscles consist of a group of about 40 muscles attached to the pelvis and spine. They encompass your internal organs from all sides:

• from below – pelvic floor muscles, which can be compared to a trampoline or an elevator, moving up and down,
• along the spine – multifidus muscle, belonging to the group of extensors,
• from the front and sides – transverse abdominal muscle,
• from above – diaphragm, whose proper functioning allows for trunk stabilization, breathing, and proper digestive system functioning.

All the muscles mentioned above work together – they are connected by fascia. Therefore, any disruption in the functioning of any of these muscles affects the functioning of the entire rest. When you consciously work on your deep muscles, you have the greatest control over the transverse abdominal muscle and the pelvic floor muscles, which does not mean that you do not have an influence on the others – exercising them requires greater experience and concentration.

You use deep muscles during daily activities, such as walking, but that is not enough to ensure they have the necessary strength. The modern lifestyle does not provide the required activation for these muscles, causing them to weaken and be unable to provide you with proper support and comfort in ordinary movements. This is why many people experience injuries during daily activities, such as going down stairs, walking, or running for a bus.

Pilates comes to the rescue – in this technique, every exercise starts with engaging the core muscles, ensuring that you do not skip them during training. Many exercises that theoretically also strengthen deep muscles do not actually give you the opportunity to activate the core. Difficult exercises performed one after another cause the global muscles to take over the work of those located deep, as the intensity of the training does not allow for conscious work of the core and proper activation of these muscle groups.

In Pilates, the primary goal is concentration and focus, not the intensity of the workout, which is the key to success – learning to activate deep muscles and finding their tension. The easiest way to start is with the pelvic floor muscles and the transverse abdominal muscle, as you have the greatest control over them. Therefore, the first step in learning should be to pull the pelvic floor muscles up and engage them all the way to the navel, while gently closing the ribs at the same time.
Incorrect and correct patterns of deep muscle work during Pilates exercises
You already know that the best and most effective way to start working with deep muscles is to focus on the pelvic floor muscles. The key to success here is engaging this group in conjunction with breathing, which involves the diaphragm.

Unfortunately, while searching for exercise descriptions online, you may still find many incorrect patterns of performing these exercises. Following them can have catastrophic consequences – especially for women, where excessive pressure on the pelvic floor muscles can lead to their dysfunction.

It is worth noting that the patterns of working on deep muscles are somewhat different for women and men. See what bad and good patterns can appear in both of these groups.
How to train deep muscles in women?
When working on pelvic floor muscles in women, you will most often encounter the following incorrect patterns:

“Tighten as if you want to stop urinating”

With this pattern, there is a strong tension in the external sphincters of the urethra, as well as the anus.

“Tighten by squeezing your glutes”

This pattern makes you focus on the global gluteal muscles, possibly adding tension from the external sphincters – not the deep muscles.

“Pull in your stomach”

Following this path, you will not gain control over the diaphragm or pelvic floor muscles.

“Suck in your belly button”

Similar to the above – you will not reach the deep muscles here.

So what should you do to actually tighten the pelvic floor muscles? Remember that this tension is subtle. You will feel it as a gradual movement upwards from the perineum towards the navel. This happens because the pelvic floor muscles consist of layers that lift when they are tightened – that’s why you feel the rising tension.

If you tighten the muscles too much, the action will shift to their outer layer. Remember that the global muscles try to take over the work – so you need to concentrate hard to activate those deep ones. It is worth using the visualizations below, which represent the correct pattern for performing deep muscle exercises:

Elevator

Think of your pelvic floor muscles as an elevator. With your exhale, ride it up towards your navel. Remember to gently close the sphincters, and then rise with the tension upwards.

Handkerchief

Imagine that there is a handkerchief spread out in the middle of your pelvis. During your inhale, you grab it, and it slowly rises upwards. During your exhale, you let it go, and it slowly falls back down.

Trampoline

At first, your relaxed muscles are like a sagging trampoline. During your exhale, think of bouncing off it, and your muscles lift upwards.

Spaghetti

For some, this visualization evokes bursts of laughter, but for many, it proves to be exceptionally effective… albeit amusing. Imagine that you are sitting on a plate full of spaghetti. During your exhale, you pull the pasta through the vagina and anus.

Do you want to activate the transverse abdominal muscle? For women, the best visualization here is one that can be called “Corset.” Imagine that there is a traditional corset tied around your waist with strings. With your exhale, you slowly tighten them, and the transverse abdominal muscle activates.
How to train deep muscles in men?
To activate the pelvic floor muscles, men need to use a different approach. Imagine that you are pulling up your testicles – at first, this may seem funny and amusing, but after a few attempts, you will feel which muscles are involved.

If you want to work on the transverse abdominal muscle, try the visualizations below:

Tight Pants

Have you ever tried to squeeze into tight pants? To activate the transverse abdominal muscle, perform this exercise – try to work your stomach as if you want to fit it into tight pants.

Waist Belt

Imagine you are wearing a belt with ten holes. The first one is still loose, and the next ones are getting tighter. Try to “fasten” the belt on the next holes – the second, third, fourth…

The above visualizations regarding the transverse abdominal muscle can also be used by women.

Once you master working with the pelvic floor muscles and the transverse muscle, try to combine their actions. Remember that tension in the case of deep muscles is subtle. Therefore, at the beginning, do not use any weights. Instead, focus on different positions – practice standing, sitting, lying on your back, side, front, as well as in a kneeling position, with a natural spinal alignment.

BENEFITS OF STRONG DEEP MUSCLES

Exercises that engage the core muscles bring many benefits. The strength of deep muscles is not visible to the naked eye, unlike global muscles. However, they influence the functioning of your entire body. What are the benefits of having strong deep muscles?

• greater comfort during daily activities,
• better balance, confidence, and precision of movement,
• greater strength,
• lower risk of injuries,
• lower risk of injuries during training,
• increased endurance,
• flat stomach,
• prevention of pelvic organ prolapse (in women, especially during pregnancy and after childbirth),
• improved posture,
• increased body awareness,
• better motor coordination,
• increased speed,
• improved deep sensation, or proprioception,
• prevention of abdominal pressure dysfunction (problem with generating appropriate pressure in the abdominal cavity),
• greater muscle stabilization,
• better stabilization and relief for the spine, and consequently – alleviation of back pain,
• better sports performance,
• improved well-being.

The list of benefits from having strong deep muscles is long! It is worth being aware that activating deep muscles also affects other muscles. Well-developed core muscles relieve the main muscle groups during intense work, allowing for maximum utilization of their strength.

Finally, one more piece of advice – when exercising deep muscles in Pilates, do not forget how essential breathing is during training. Exhalation promotes tension in deep muscles – this is very important! Pilates is based on activating the core muscles through proper breath direction – this cannot be separated. By breathing correctly while working on deep muscles, you work on stabilization and protect yourself from overloads. This is an excellent recipe for strengthening the core muscles, which are inherently lazy, and if you allow them, they will gladly relinquish their share of the work to the global muscles.