If your back aches after standing at the sink, if you brace before lifting your child off the floor, if you feel wobbly carrying the shopping in from the car, you probably think you need a stronger back, better balance, or just to be more careful. When in reality you need a stronger core.
The core is the body’s powerhouse, and when it’s weak, everything else picks up the slack. Your lower back takes loads it was never meant to carry. Your posture drops. Your balance goes. Movements that should feel easy start to feel like effort. Most people don’t notice until the niggles start: the stiff lower back, the wobble, the struggle to get up off the floor.
The good news is that this is fixable, and faster than you’d think, once you know what you’re actually working with.
What your core really is
Forget six-packs and crunches. Your core is a whole system: your deep abdominal muscles, your diaphragm, your pelvic floor, your obliques, your lower back and your glutes, all working together to stabilise your spine, support your pelvis and transfer force through your body when moving.
Think of building a house on unstable foundations. The walls can be strong, but if the structure is weak, something eventually gives. Your arms and legs are the same. They can only move as well as the core they’re anchored to. It’s working from the moment you get out of bed: standing up, climbing stairs, lifting, carrying, sitting at your desk.
When your core is strong and functioning well, the rest of your body can move the way it was designed to. Instead of other muscles and joints having to compensate for a lack of stability, your body is able to distribute movement and load more efficiently. This creates a solid foundation.
Signs your core needs attention
- Lower back aches after standing or sitting
- Poor balance or feeling unsteady
- Difficulty getting up from the floor
- Neck tension whenever you do “ab” exercises
- Poor posture
- Feeling unstable carrying shopping or lifting children
- Struggling to lift something heavy
If you recognised yourself in two or more of those, your core isn’t the finished job it could be. And doing another hundred crunches won’t fix it. Take a look at my Five Tips to Strengthen Your Core, where I walk you through some practical exercises and principles to engage your core muscles.
Why most core work doesn’t work
Here’s what I tell every client: it doesn’t start with the exercises. It starts with your breath.
The diaphragm is part of your core, and it’s where real awareness begins. When you breathe well, you naturally slow down, find a rhythm, and actually feel the right muscles switch on. Slower means fewer reps, but focused, intentional ones that engage your core properly.
There’s no point doing a hundred crunches if your back is taking the load and your abdominals are barely involved. Quality over quantity, every time.
That’s the difference between the free advice you can find anywhere and getting it right in person, with someone watching your movement and correcting it in real time. Which is exactly what the clinic is for.
Come and do this properly: Core & Glute Clinic, 25 July
I run the Core & Glute Clinic as a 90-minute session at the beautiful Agni Studio inside Oru Space in Sutton. It’s a small group, and places are limited, so it stays hands-on and personal.
This isn’t a lecture. You’ll move, you’ll practise, and you’ll leave knowing how to activate and train your core and glutes correctly, so the work you do at home actually pays off.
In 90 minutes you will:
- Understand what your core really is and how it works, so you stop wasting effort on the wrong things
- Learn to properly activate your core, the step almost everyone skips
- Practise real core and glute exercises, including unilateral moves, with hands-on guidance so you know they’re right
This workshop is for you if you’re:
- New to exercise and want to build confidence in a supportive setting
- Living with the odd bout of lower back discomfort
- Wanting to stand taller and improve your posture
- A mum looking to rebuild strength and feel like yourself again
- Keen to move better and reduce your risk of injury
Whether you’re just starting out or building stronger foundations, you’ll walk away understanding your body better than a hundred YouTube videos could teach you.
Places are limited and this session runs once
The clinic on 25 July is a small group and it won’t run again for a while. Once the spots are gone, they’re gone.
Book your place for the 25 July Core & Glute Clinic at the Oru Space in Sutton. (Booking link will be live soon)
Price: £25 includes the full 90-minute session.
Bring yourself, comfortable clothes and an open mind. I’ll take care of the rest, and by the time you leave you’ll understand the difference a strong core makes to every single day.