“Drawing-in” vs. “Bracing” - Is one better than the other?

In last week’s blog, we explained the “drawing-in” process, using the picture of a corset to highlight how the fibers of the Transversus Abdominis (TrA) work.

“Drawing-in” the abdominals focuses on the abilities of TrA to both draw in firmly and remain contracted throughout the duration of an activity.  A perfect example is “The Hundred:” the goal is to keep the TrA engaged throughout the duration of the exercise, all 10 inhales and 10 exhales.

It is very important to note that “drawing in” does NOT involve flexion (or rounding) of the spine! Drawing in involves ONLY the TrA.  If the spine rounds, that is a sign that the obliques and possibly rectus abdominis have been recruited as well. In an optimal scenario, when the TrA draws in, the pelvic floor muscles are drawn up simultaneously.

Bracing

“Bracing” refers to the deliberate contraction of ALL of the abdominal muscles in order to make your spine more rigid and stabilize the trunk.  For instance, in a stereotypical scenario in which a strong, tough kid lifts his shirt and says, “hit me”, you know he’s bracing his abdominals!

While ideally this occurs WITH the drawing in maneuver above, a bracing maneuver can occur without actually pulling in the TrA first.  In fact, in the “punch me” scenario above, this guy is most likely pushing OUT against the abdominal wall to create a firm, tight area.  We don’t want this when we brace for exercise!

For example, if you’re helping your friend move, and they ask you to pick up one end of a sofa, instinctively you will both “draw-in” and then recruit the rest of the abdominal muscles, pelvic floor and diaphragm to “brace” and stabilize the spine and trunk.  

Here is a great article describing optimal bracing:  https://www.pelvicexercises.com.au/abdominal-bracing/

We’ve created a simple chart of the differences between the two maneuvers:

DRAWING IN	BRACING
Increases Intra-Abdominal Pressure	Increases Intra-Abdominal Pressure
Recruits just the TrA and Pelvic Floor Muscles	Recruits all Abdominal Muscles, Pelvic Floor Muscles and Diaphragm
Train with low loads	Train with higher loads
Increases spinal stability	Increases spinal stability
Focus on Endurance	Focus on Strength

 

Which is better, drawing in or bracing?

The answer:  BOTH! But when to draw in and when to brace is task-dependent!  

If we are sitting in a chair and start to stand, most of us don’t need to brace.  Drawing in is sufficient. However, if we are holding a 15lb baby and decide to stand up from that chair, most of us will need to recruit more muscles and brace our abs as well.  

Athletes

We have tried to keep the focus in this blog on every day activities.  Clearly, athletes require a much more sophisticated system of core stabilization, as many of their activities require extreme ranges of motion while simultaneously stabilizing the spine.

For example, while we are doing this….

They are doing this….

And while we are doing this…

They are doing this!

The point is to make the core training sufficient to the task at hand!

For a great article on all of this, check out this:

https://brainmass.com/health-sciences/exercise-fitness/core-training-drawing-vs-abdominal-bracing-160195

Note!  Much of this article is outside our scope of practice – and outside the scope of practice of most fitness professionals, but the concepts are useful in helping you understand the body!)

The article does talk about REFLEXIVE STABILIZATION, which is both important for every day tasks and for athletic pursuits. Stay tuned!