Let’s start the core body exercises with the muscles of the inner core, or what I like to call the organic core.

Remember, the core muscles start at our pelvic floor and go to the top of our thoracic spine. They help protect the spinal column in small and gross motor patterns.

The pelvic floor, multifidus, internal obliques, transverse abdominis and diaphragm comprise the inner core muscles. We can’t see any of them, unlike the pretty-boy, GQ muscles.

So, let’s jump in! Actually, we’re going to suck it in with this first group – exercises that will help us work the transverse abdominis.

Angry cats: We’re stealing this first one from yoga! Get onto the hands and knees. Arc the back as high as possible, getting into the position of the stereotypical angry cat. However, to get into the arced position, we need to think about sucking in our belly button.

Another way to think about it is getting there not by raising the back but by trying to suck our belly button through the spine. Get in the position and hold it for 10 seconds release; repeat for a total of 12 times.

Abdominal clock crunch: This is another method of sucking in or “drawing in” the belly button to activate the transverse abdominis. This is done better on a firm surface.

Lie on your back on the floor. Imagine your abdomen is a clock and the belly button is the center of it with the center of the sternum being 12 o’clock. Now pull your belly button toward your sternum. The abdomen will not go vertical; instead it will pull downward toward the floor and the lower back should flatten. Get in the position and hold it for 10 seconds. Release, and repeat for a total of 12 times.

Transverse planks: These are similar to regular planks, except we’re concentrating on contracting the transverse abdominis instead of holding up the body.

Lie on your stomach with the elbow below the shoulder, and the forearms and hands on the ground. Now suck in your belly button as far as possible, essentially doing an abdominal clock crunch from this position.

Raise the body until the forearms and toes are the only things touching the ground while maintaining the sucked-in abdominals. Get in the position and hold it for as long as the abdominal can stay sucked in. Repeat for a total of three times.

It’s only three things, but these three exercises can show huge benefits!

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Bryant holds several national training certifications, is an author, lectures internationally and is the founder of C.L.A.Y. – the Coalition for Launching Active Youth. His fitness tips appear biweekly in Health and Wellness.

Milo Bryant – Moving the Future