Abdominal Exercise

My first exercise assignment to strengthen my core involves focusing on four abdominal quadrants. Two sections are above the belly button, two below. 

Abdominal quadrants 

I hold my hand on a quadrant and then attempt to pull that part of my body down and away from my hand into the floor. I move my hand from quadrant to quadrant and take a few seconds for each pull--slowly down, slowly up. My torso sometimes ends up twisting ever so slightly to push down each part of my belly. I am to do a few rounds of these every day.

Remember to keep breathing throughout these sorts of exercises! Many of us have a tendency to hold our breath when activating muscles. 

Comments

  1. MichelleJanuary 14, 2026 at 6:17 AM

    Hello there! When you say pull down, do you mean contract the muscles in that quadrant?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LemonmelJanuary 19, 2026 at 9:56 AM

      Yes, that's another good word. The PTs often use the term "activate," since it doesn't have the same tense/body-builder feeling as "contract."

      Delete

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