I am a novice powerlifter and I train and compete raw (no wraps, no suits,

no belt) and I was wondering what I should be doing with my abs during the

squat. Should I be sucking them in, or pushing them out, or something else

altogether? Does the same apply to the deadlift and bench? Note that, I hold

my breath throughout most of the lift(s). I begin to exhale after the

sticking point. Will this have any bearing on how I should use my abs? >>

*** What you appear to have been doing intuitively is most appropriate.

Breath holding is a reflex action meant to stabilise the body or to enable it

to produce maximal force or power under heavily loaded or suddenly imposed

stress.

There have been numerous claims that sucking in the abs or deliberately

trying to activate the transversus abdominis (TA) muscle is the best way of

stabilising the trunk during all activities. While one can voluntarily

control muscles during the initial phases of an exercise or during very slow

manoeuvres, it is not possible to do so under dynamic conditions, such as

encountered in the later stages of lifting or in any complex sporting

actions. In fact, any attempts to do so may profoundly disrupt your movement

patterns, as has been pointed out for many years in the form of this aphorism:

‘paralysis by analysis’.

Another anatomical principle should be remembered in this regard, namely "The

body knows of movements not muscles", so that any attempt to deliberately

alter patterns of muscle activation during dynamic movement in a person who

is not exhibiting any neuromuscular pathology may instill faulty patterns,

timings and rates of muscle synergism.

Note that all or most advice on ab ’sucking in’ and TA recruitment has been

extrapolated from the world of ‘average’ folk and not elite athletes, least

of all any type of competitive lifter, few or none of whom would ever

consider sucking in abs or trying to activate TA during the dynamic or

explosive phases of the lifts, because these unproven actions could cause

spinal injury.

Dr Mel C Siff