Spring Physio

If you’re constantly “holding your tummy in” to engage your core, you could actually be making it harder to build true core strength.
A lot of people grip through their abdominal muscles during exercise, believing that more tension equals a stronger core. But excessive gripping can interfere with breathing, increase pressure through the abdomen, and prevent your deeper core muscles from working effectively.

Instead, try focusing on these key principles:

Connect to your pelvic floor first.
Think of a gentle lift through the pelvic floor rather than pulling your stomach in. This creates a more balanced core connection.

🌬️ Breathe with your diaphragm
Allow your ribs and tummy to gently expand as you inhale. As you exhale, softly engage your pelvic floor. Your breath should support your core, not fight against it.

Find your deep core muscles
The transverse abdominis (TVA) sits deep within the abdominal wall and acts like your body’s natural support system. Aim for a subtle engagement low down in the abdomen rather than a strong gripping sensation through the front of your stomach.

🏃 Modify exercises when needed
If an exercise causes you to hold your breath, bear down, or excessively tense your abs, it’s often a sign that the movement needs adapting. Building control and coordination first will lead to better long-term strength.
Core training isn’t about bracing harder or holding more tension.
It’s about learning how to coordinate your breath, pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles so they can work together as they were designed to.

Save and swipe through this post for your next workout 👇

Stress doesn’t just live in your mind — it settles into your body too, and the pelvic floor is a common place it hides.

When you’re stressed, your body releases cortisol (your primary stress hormone).

Cortisol ramps up muscle tension in a few key ways.

When stress triggers cortisol release, your nervous system shifts into a more alert, “ready for action” state (often called fight-or-flight). In that state, muscles subtly contract to prepare for movement or protection. This includes deeper, less obvious muscle groups like the pelvic floor. If stress is ongoing, that low-level contraction can become your new baseline.

Cortisol also makes your body more sensitive to other stress signals, keeping the nervous system switched on for longer than necessary. So instead of muscles relaxing after a stressful moment passes, they stay slightly braced — almost like a background hum of tension.

On top of that, cortisol can affect breathing patterns. Many people under stress breathe more shallowly or hold their breath without realising. This disrupts the natural coordination between the diaphragm and pelvic floor, which ideally move together with each breath. When that rhythm is off, the pelvic floor can remain in a more tightened position.

Over time, this combination — constant nervous system activation, altered breathing, and unconscious bracing — can lead to persistent muscle tension. And because it develops gradually, people often assume tight, uncomfortable muscles are actually weak ones.

The tricky part? You might not even notice you’re doing it. That constant tension can lead to symptoms like discomfort, urinary urgency, pelvic pain, or difficulty relaxing — which are often mistaken for weakness. This is why seeing a physiotherapist for a proper assessment and treatment is so important. It’s not just about “strength” — it’s about understanding how your pelvic floor is functioning overall, including its ability to relax.

⚠️ Abdominal gripping: the habit most people don’t realise they have.

Ever caught yourself constantly sucking your stomach in? That’s called abdominal gripping — and while it might feel like you’re “engaging your core”, doing it all day can actually cause more harm than good.

Why do we do it?
A lot of the time it starts with:
• Wanting a flatter stomach
• Posture cues like “pull your belly in”
• Stress and anxiety (we tense without realising)
• Habits from certain workouts or dance training

Over time, the body forgets how to properly relax the abdominal muscles.

The impact?
Constant gripping can lead to:
• Shallow chest breathing
• Pelvic floor dysfunction
• Back, hip, or rib pain
• Digestive issues and bloating
• A core that’s actually less functional

Your core is meant to respond to load and pressure, not stay clenched all day.

Things to work on if you grip your upper abdominals:
✨ 360° breathing
✨ Learning to relax the belly between movements
✨ Proper core coordination (not constant tension) and engaging your muscles properly without compensation
✨ Awareness of posture without rigidity

If you notice yourself gripping right now… take a breath and let your belly soften.