The strange thing was that in my practice I saw a lot of gym strong people, suffering painful injuries from daily living. It seems that many gym trainers were focused primarily on looks, strong exterior muscles. But the body’s inner unit, unseen in selfies but providing strength and protection, was typically left out. Having seen patients vulnerable to injury, I researched to find out what was happening and how to sort it.

My bodywork practice provides individualised solutions to pain and injury so people can feel better and age better. I used a combo of Neuromuscular Therapy, Pilates and information from USA, high performance wellness expert Paul Chek to develop a system to access and strengthen the inner unit for protection and rehabilitation.

Meet your ‘inner unit’

I use the term ‘inner unit’ but you might know this group of muscles by different names. It includes all areas of the abdominals, as well as other muscles in your compression chamber and back line. It’s actually one of the parts of the body that the rest of the body depends on to provide not only strength but also full body support and protection.

I found training the inner unit correctly, and to activate at the right time, in concert with a few easy lifestyle tweaks, is an effective long term fix to a lot of issues of pain and injury. My current clients are active professionals, regularly working out at the gym, actively on weekends and often taking yoga or Pilates classes. Commonly their debut into my office is as a result of again injury in normal daily life. 

Most fitness trainers, yoga and Pilates teachers currently train people to find and activate their inner unit in class. When I test, I can see most people can find and activate their inner unit to stabilise and support their body. What I’m seeing is clients trained in activating their inner units in class only. This is a situation specific neural pattern. Most people have not transitioned their inner unit to activate in daily life. So they are unsupported where they need it most. 

My system of movements for living targets key movements to find your inner unit, activate, and strengthen your inner unit. Integrating this strength into movements of daily living. Strength and protection is then gained for daily life and during workouts. I have been using this system for 25 years. I love that client’s cannot only often resolve current pain, they find ways to work around or avoid recreating old habitual pain patterns. Integrating the use of their inner unit to daily life, they now experience freedom from pain that previously had them seeing professional after professional.

How do I know if my inner unit is working? You can practice finding and activating your Transversus Abdominus, a key muscle in your inner unit. This muscle wraps from your lower back and around your waist. It gives you an internal corset, helps keeping your waist long and strong. With your hand on the soft part at the sides of your waist, pull your tummy in towards your spine. Do not push out! You should feel your tummy drawing in and your hands being pushed outwards as the walls of your inner unit activate. This muscle works with our pelvic floor and diaphragm to create a compression chamber to protect and support your lower back, and to connect your body into a strong unit.

How can I tell if my inner unit is functioning? In daily movements your stomach should draw in and the pelvic floor should activate, all slightly before your body is under load. For instance, rolling over in bed, first your tummy should draw in and your pelvic floor is on and then your move. If your tummy pops out under load, then the inner unit is not supporting you at the right time, in daily life. If your tummy pops out under load your would benefit from a targeted program.