Insanity- keeping that core tight, how??

[ijustwanttobeme]

I have been doing Insanity for the past two weeks. It's sheer hell , but perversely I enjoy it.

However, I don't know how to keep my core contracted/ tight/ etc as Shaun T (peace out :)) keeps telling me to.

If I hold my stomach in, I forget to breath and if not my stomach just flops about while I/m trying to suicide jump or power jack my way through each session.

maybe I should try hip hop abs y'all.

I do love it though- it's the longest continuous exercise regime I've ever done !!

it's not holding your stomach in, as such, it's about engaging the muscles that sort of wrap round you and help you balance - just sort of tightening them

am trying to think of activities where you will do this automatically maybe without noticing (apart from every time you are upright), or how you can make yourself aware of those muscles, like standing on a swiss ball or riding a horse? or pilates!

I think (because I certainly do it automatically but I'm not sure if that's because I know you need to IYSWIM ) if you squat you have to engage your core. It's that feeling. I would think in Insanity its something you will be doing out of necessity but you need to make sure your tummy or bum isn't sticking out, does that make sense?

Oh and the reason for it is so that your core is stabilising you, so your back doesn't get injured . So if you are feeling any strain through your back you may not be doing it enough.

Aah Insanity, it is weirdly addictive isn't it?
My husband reckons it is a bit like Stockholm Syndrome, you are in so much pain you begin to l love the cause. I developed some very inappropriate feeling for Shaun T!

Anyway, yes the core thing is about sucking your tummy in and not relying on your back muscles.

oranges: yes it is addictive. I missed a few days as I was abroad for four days and came home, fretting as to how best to catch up.

I did two days worth this morning ( and was completely shagged for the rest of the day), just so I'm technically only two days behind and one of those was a rest day!

I am trying consciously to keep core contracted when I am going about my day to day business. Getting a bit easier, but still a long long long way to go before I'm ripped like Shaun T is :)

1. imagine a piece of string pulling your belly button towards your spine as far as you can, 2) stop a big trump, 3) stop a wee. go through them one, two, three so you're holding them all at the same time. then release by about two thirds of the effort. that remaining third is about the level of 'hold' to work out at.

my pilates instructor calls 'zipping up'. if you zip up before your move you'll be able to utilise your core strength.

You know how you do pelvic floor exercises? (By pulling pelvic floor muscles up...) Now imagine there is a small ball at the bottom of your pelvis and you pull your muscles up to try and move the ball upwards. Now carry on moving the ball upwards towards your ribs. It's that zipping up feeling that another poster described. Or think about a corset wrapping around your tummy. Less sucking in with the outer muscles and more pulling in/up/around with the deeper abdominals. Not sure that helps but thats how I picture it.