有人提到「運動、跑步時，緊縮腹部」、「坐下時，要縮小腹」的問題，什麼叫緊縮腹部呢？其實我們說的是指緊縮核心(engage your core)，但核心肌群特別指的是腹部及背部肌群，也許為了讓民眾方便了解與記憶，所以最後簡化說成「緊縮腹部」了，但緊縮核心的目的是什麼呢？
緊縮核心的目的在「開始訓練的第一步，縮緊腹部！」一文有提到，目的在於穩定脊椎，維持背部在直立的位置。而在Foam Roller的講座中，山姆伯伯有遇到一位朋友的詢問，關於「頂尖運動員都在偷練的核心基礎運動」這本書教的動作。書中並沒有強調或是指示要縮緊核心，所以可能有朋友在進行動作時，以為核心/腹部是放鬆的，對嗎？(以下的影片是書中DVD的一部位，基礎動作)。
實際上，不管是日常生活或是運動過程，都會希望是緊縮核心的，但因為不習慣，所以透過訓練的方式來讓身體養成自然，變成肌肉記憶的一部份，不用刻意去想著要緊縮核心。我想無時無刻保持核心的緊縮不是容易的事，規律而長時間的訓練及不斷的自我提醒，才有機會讓這件事情自然的成為身體的一部份。
也許有人認為，無時無刻縮緊核心是不可能的事，也懷疑為什麼要這樣做，有點蠢，但沒關係。在「5 Reasons to Engage Your Core All Day」有一篇文章，說到整天縮緊核心的5個理由，大家可以參考看看：
1. Flatter abs (使腹部更平坦)
Engaging the core doesn’t mean sucking in your tummy. In fact, the move is more like tensing your abdominal muscles into a protective ring around the torso. It’s the muscle contraction that occurs naturally just before you laugh or cough. Constantly working that muscle group tones you inside and out. You’ll look and feel five pounds lighter whenever you do it, says Manning.
(緊縮核心肌群不是指縮小腹。事實上，這個動作更像是拉緊你的腹部肌肉，在軀幹的周違形成一個保護環。當你在笑或是咳嗽前，這些肌肉自然的發生收縮的狀態。經常的訓練這群肌肉，會讓你外觀上及感覺上少了5磅的重量。)
2. Improved posture (改善姿勢)
Don’t just “sit up straight"; engage your core for your best posture. “When the abdominals are loose and the lower back tight, people can hoard an extreme curve in the spine, affecting the position of the pelvis and, really, the whole body," says Manning. Maintaining good posture is important for protecting your joints, bones and muscles, which will reduce the risk of injury as you age, she explains.
(不要只是坐直，而是要緊縮核心，達到最佳的姿堧。當腹部是鬆的而下背是緊繃的，在脊椎上會囤積極大的曲線，影響著骨盆的位置及全身的狀態。維持良好的姿勢十分重要，可以保持你的關節、骨題及肌肉，降低受傷的風險。)
3. Less back pain (減少背痛)
Get rid of the tension in your back, neck and shoulders and make your workday a little more comfortable. “When the abdominals are pressed in, the spine is stretched straight," says Manning. “When the abdominals are loose and hanging forward, the lower spine gets scrunched inward. This is the most common reason why people are experiencing such terrible back pain, and it’s the first place I start in correcting it."
(消除你背部、頚部及肩膀的緊繃，讓你工作時能更為舒服。當腹部緊縮的狀況，脊椎會伸直。當腹部是放鬆並且往前凸的狀況，下半部的脊椎會向內蜷縮，這是下背疼痛最常發生的原因。因此，修正腹部放鬆前凸是第一要務。)
4. Better breathing (呼吸更好)
Holding in your stomach encourages you to hold your breath, but when you properly engage the core, with the abdominals pressed inward, as opposed to “held in," your lungs have more room to breathe, says Manning. Deliberately breathing out all that stale air in the bottom of your lungs will help release toxins and boost your energy.
(屏住腹部，促使你屏住呼吸；而相對於屏住的動作；適當的緊縮核心(腹部內縮)，肺部有更多的空間可以進行呼吸。有意地將肺部底部的陳舊空氣呼出來也有助於排毒及能量的燃燒。)
5. Reduced anxiety
Breathing from an engaged core leads to more mindfulness — and less stress. “Breathing is about dismissing the bad with each exhalation and taking in all the good with each inhalation," says Manning. “By being conscious of your breathing, you can adopt this mentality, which is very cleansing and renewing, in the most natural and productive way we have available to us." The more you focus on your breath, the less you’re fretting about your big presentation tomorrow.
(緊縮核心下的深呼吸可以帶來更多的正念及更少的壓力。呼出不好的，吸進好的。)
原文出處：緊縮核心肌群(日常生活、運動)
山姆伯伯工作坊官網：http://www.unclesam.cc/blog/
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