Discover the perfect technique for athletes and amateurs! Strengthen your core muscles, protect your body and achieve incredible results with bracing.
Have you ever heard of bracing? This technique, widely used by bodybuilders and physiotherapy patients, is essential for strengthening the core muscles and protecting the spine during high-intensity exercises or everyday movements.
In addition, the practice has been gaining a lot of attention due to its physical and aesthetic benefits, and is considered a possible exercise for all biotypes and levels of physical activity practitioners, i.e. from beginner to professional, bracing is for everyone!
In this article, you’ll find out all about this technique, how to do it correctly, the benefits of practicing it and tips on how to upgrade your shape and take care of your back! Straighten your posture and let’s go.
What is bracing?
Bracing is a muscle activation technique that consists of contracting the abdomen in a controlled manner, creating a kind of “natural belt” to protect the spine and stabilize the body during movements.
Unlike simply “sucking in your belly”, as in the practice of vacuuming, bracing requires you to simultaneously activate the core muscles – including the abdominals, obliques, hip flexors, glutes and even the diaphragm – to generate stability.
In practice, it’s like preparing your body for an impact: imagine you’re about to put a weight on your stomach. You would contract your muscles to protect yourself, right? That’s the essence of the technique!
Abdominal brace: how does it work?
The term abdominal brace refers to the practical application of bracing in training or in everyday tasks. It works as a safety reinforcement to prevent injuries, especially in activities involving weight lifting, running or repetitive movements.
By contracting the set of core muscles, you increase intra-abdominal pressure, i.e. inside the abdomen, and this stabilizes the spine, reducing the risk of injuries such as herniated discs, lower back pain, spinal and coccyx injuries, as well as greatly improving the musculature of the region.
The practice better distributes the force between the muscles, avoiding overload in specific areas of the body, which makes the set of muscles worked gain strength and also “mold” gradually, even reducing the circumference of the abdomen in some cases.
Bracing maneuver: How to do it?
You don’t have to be a high-performance athlete to practice bracing – quite the opposite! The technique has been gaining ground in gyms and home workouts precisely because it doesn’t require any level of experience.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to performing the technique correctly!
Stand or lie on your stomach.
Inhale deeply, expanding your abdomen rather than lifting your chest. This helps to activate the diaphragm.
While keeping the air in your lungs, contract your abdominal muscles as if you were preparing for an impact. Avoid “wilting” the belly – the aim is to create rigidity.
Adjust the force: the intensity of the contraction should vary according to the activity. For light tasks, such as walking, a gentle contraction is enough. For heavy exercises, such as squats or deadlifts, the contraction should be more intense.
Try to keep bracing while breathing. Just make sure you don’t let the air out completely, but maintain a slight inward pressure.
Practicing the maneuver regularly in core training, for example, will help you incorporate it naturally into your daily life, improving your posture and physical conditioning. The more you do it, the more you gain strength in your abdomen – and the more visible the results are!
Bracing before and after: the benefits for the body
The results of incorporating the practice into your daily life are transformative! A
Before bracing
Unstable posture: many people find it difficult to maintain good posture, which can lead to back pain over time.
Weakened core: without the habit of activating the muscles in this area, the abdomen remains flabby – even if you exercise regularly, you know?
Increased risk of injury: movements such as squats or even lifting a heavy object without adequate core protection increase the chances of injury.
After bracing
More aligned posture: the technique strengthens the postural muscles, helping you to keep your spine aligned naturally.
Strengthened core: by regularly activating the core muscles, you increase the resistance and functionality of this region.
Reduced injuries: with an efficient muscular “shield”, the chances of muscle, spine or joint injuries are significantly reduced.
Improved physical performance: extra core stability enhances plyometric exercises and dynamic movements such as running, jumping and weightlifting.
These benefits are visible in both the aesthetics and functionality of the body, making the technique a super ally for those seeking health and good sports performance.
Difference between bracing and vacuuming: understand why they are not the same thing. Although bracing and vacuuming are core activation techniques, they have different objectives and executions. Many people confuse one with the other, as they look similar, but don’t be fooled!
In short, bracing is ideal for those looking for functionality, protection and real muscle strengthening in the abdominal area, while vacuuming is more aimed at definition and losing belly fat, as well as providing greater muscle control and reducing abdominal measurements.
Bracing: how to do it in training? Tips that work
Incorporating bracing into your workouts is very simple and will guarantee that considerable difference in your post-workout, with less pain, faster results and more safety. Here are some tips on how to incorporate it into basic exercises in your routine!
Squat: before going down, perform the maneuver to stabilize your spine, improving your balance and avoiding overloading your knees.
Deadlift: activate your core before lifting the weight to protect your lower back, keeping your breathing focused on your abdomen.
Running: use bracing to maintain posture over long distances, avoiding back pain and hernias caused by impact.
Core training: in exercises such as planks or crunches, apply the technique to maximize muscle activation in the area.
Just don’t forget to practice regularly and in a variety of contexts to master the technique and make the most of its benefits!
Speaking of varied environments…
A technique that goes far beyond the gym
Bracing isn’t just useful for athletes. In physiotherapy, this practice is widely used to rehabilitate patients with back pain or postural problems, and learning to activate the core is one of the first steps in the recovery of these cases, as it stabilizes and protects the spine in simple movements, such as walking or standing up.
Conclusion
This is why it is a powerful technique for anyone looking to strengthen the entire set of core muscles, improve posture and prevent injuries, with benefits ranging from protecting the spine to increasing physical performance, making it indispensable for athletes and people undergoing rehabilitation.
Now that you know all about bracing, how about starting to practice and sharing the information with your friends? Start now, your
