If there’s ever a time not to draw in your navel, it’s during exercise. Despite the long-held belief that “sucking in your gut” strengthens your core, this practice can actually reduce stability, weaken your lifts, and increase injury risk. Unless you’re using it as a motor re-education method for injury rehabilitation, you should abandon it altogether.
The Problem with Abdominal Hollowing
Many trainers advise drawing in the navel—akin to squeezing into a tight pair of jeans—thinking it engages the transversus abdominis (TVA) and stabilizes the spine. However, this technique can backfire:
- It inhibits muscle function, forcing you to lift less weight.
- It disrupts natural core stability, increasing injury risk in movements like squats and deadlifts.
- It creates poor movement patterns, which can lead to shoulder or spinal issues.
Why Sucking in Your Gut Hurts Performance
Dr. Stuart McGill, a leading spinal biomechanist, highlights the difference between abdominal hollowing and abdominal bracing:
Rather than drawing in, bracing—activating the external oblique, internal oblique, and TVA together—provides much more effective spinal stability.
Simply put, abdominal bracing (tightening your core as if preparing for a punch) is far superior for strength and injury prevention.
Top Strength Coaches Speak Out
Strength legends Louie Simmons and Dave Tate advocate doing the opposite of hollowing—pushing out your gut to create intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) for a more rigid, stable torso. Olympic coach Charles Poliquin agrees:
Why rob neural drive from the extensor chain by drawing in the navel during squats or deadlifts?
The message is clear: stop sucking in your stomach and start bracing properly for stronger, safer lifts.
The Bottom Line
If you want to lift more weight, prevent injuries, and build real strength, ditch abdominal hollowing and embrace abdominal bracing instead. Your core—and your performance—will thank you!
