“Six-pack abs” are definitely the first thing anyone thinks of when we say core muscles/exercises.
But very few people know there is another very important muscle, known as Transverse Abdominis (TVA) which is equally important in building strong core strength.
This sits deep beneath the surface, hence there is no such buzz about it among fitness enthusiasts.
While strengthening this muscle can improve overall body posture, support lower back, enhance physical workout performance, it even helps in achieving a flatter stomach.
In this article, let’s understand transverse abdominis exercises that can help you reap benefits of a strengthened core.
What is Transverse Abdominis (TVA)?
This is supposedly the deepest layer of abdominal muscles. It is present around the midsection of the human body.
It basically looks like as it is wrapped around the midsection like a weightlifting belt. It plays an important part in stabilising the spine and the pelvis.
Most core exercises explicitly focus on outer abdominal muscles. Transverse abdominis muscles is engaged by deep core activation.
A weak transverse abdominis results in poor body posture, lower back pain, and obviously reduced core strength.
What are Benefits of Strengthening the TVA?
How can one get benefitted by strengthening the TVA is discussed below;
- It helps in improving posture and spinal alignment
- Supports the back during day-to-day and exercise movements
- Boosts balance and stability of the body
- Reduce the sticking out of the belly
- Improves overall performance for workouts and sports
- Helps in reducing the risks of injury
A stronger transverse abdominis helps in laying a solid foundation for performing movements like running, lift weights, cycling, etc.
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Best Transverse Abdominis Exercises
Stomach Vacuum
The stomach vacuum is one of the most effective TVA activation exercises. This is one of my personal favourites. I have practised it for a long time with my yoga routine.
How to do it:
- Stand or lie down comfortably
- Take a deep breath in
- Exhale fully while pulling your belly button toward your spine
- Hold the contraction for 15–30 seconds
- Repeat 4–5 times
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Dead Bug
The dead bug exercise helps improve core coordination and stability.
Steps:
- Lie on your back with knees bent at 90 degrees
- Raise your arms toward the ceiling
- Slowly extend one arm and the opposite leg
- Keep your lower back pressed into the floor
- Return and repeat on the other side
Perform 10–12 repetitions per side.
Bird Dog
Bird dog is excellent for spinal stability and core engagement.
Steps:
- Start on all fours
- Extend your right arm and left leg simultaneously
- Hold for 2–3 seconds
- Return slowly
- Switch sides
Repeat for 10 repetitions on each side.
Plank
Planks are a classic exercise for strengthening the entire core, including the transverse abdominis.
Plank is one of the most common abs exercises as well. In my late 30s I would easily hold 2+ minutes of traditional plank.
How to do it:
- Support your body on forearms and toes
- Keep your body in a straight line
- Tighten your core and avoid sagging
Hold for 20–60 seconds depending on your fitness level.
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Glute Bridge with Core Bracing
This exercise activates both the glutes and deep abdominal muscles.
Steps:
- Lie on your back with knees bent
- Tighten your core
- Lift your hips upward
- Hold briefly before lowering
Perform 12–15 repetitions.
Common Mistakes to avoid
What many people don’t understand is these are equally serious exercises; hence below mistakes should be avoided at all costs;
- Holding breath for excessively longer time
- Arching of lower back
- Doing movements very fast, it leads to incorrect exercise form
- Not engaging core effectively
- Focusing more on the visible six pack and ignoring the deep muscles
The last mistake is a behavioural tendency; hence we easily start doing it. Whenever we train core, our focus easily shifts towards training the visible abs.
How often TVA muscles should be trained
By nature, transverse abdominis responds well with consistent low intensity exercises. It is recommended to do a 10-15 minutes workout 3-4 times a week for better results.
As you build your core strength, you can incorporate these exercises in your daily routine, or posture correction sessions.
Conclusion
Anyone serious about core strength should add transverse abdominis exercises in their routine. This muscle lies beneath the surface, hence not many people care about it.
However, anyone who understands the benefits of a stronger and stable core, should start by training TVA 2-3 times a week for atleast 10-12 minutes.
One can easily increase the intensity once your core gets stronger over time.
Let us know in the comments, if you are doing these exercises.
