3d ⢠Training đŞ
đĽ âSqueeze Your Coreâ Is Bad Advice (Hereâs What Actually Works)
Youâve probably heard this a thousand times:
âJust squeeze your core.â
Planche.
Front lever.
Back lever.
Human flag.
Even pull-ups.
Sounds right⌠but itâs actually wrong.
After coaching hundreds of athletes (and coming from a gymnastics background), hereâs the truth đ
đ§ Why âsqueeze your absâ doesnât work
Try this right now.
Stand up.
Touch your toes.
Now âsqueeze your absâ as hard as you canâŚ
You can still bend forward.
So clearly, squeezing your abs does NOT lock your body into position.
That means abs alone are NOT what keeps you tight in skills.
đ The real secret: posterior chain control
What actually keeps your body tight is your posterior chain:
⢠Glutes
⢠Hamstrings
⢠Lower back
This is what locks your body into a single, solid unit.
Try this test đ
Squeeze your glutes HARD.
Now try to bend forward.
You wonât get very far.
Thatâs the difference.
This is what actually keeps your body straight in skills.
𤸠Why this matters for calisthenics skills
Letâs use the planche.
If your shoulders move but your hips lag behindâŚ
You lose kinetic energy.
The lever gets harder.
The skill feels impossible.
Same thing with:
⢠Dragon flag
⢠Handstand
⢠Human flag
You want your entire body to move as ONE unit.
Loose hips = energy leaks.
Tight posterior chain = efficiency.
đ§ Handstand example (this is where people get confused)
People think squeezing abs creates a straight handstand.
What actually happens:
⢠Abs bring ribs down (positioning)
⢠Glutes + hips keep the line straight
âSqueezing your coreâ is NOT the action.
Itâs a byproduct of being in the right position.
You donât squeeze to get aligned.
You align â and then the core turns on.
đ ď¸ Best exercises to fix this
You donât need fancy drills.
Back extensions
Pause at the top.
Feel the glutes lock the body in.
Superman holds
Bodyweight is enough.
Add weight if needed.
Glute bridges
Hold the top.
If you feel your hips locking in, youâre doing it right.
Dragon flags
Not just abs.
Think hips open, body moving as one piece.
These teach your body how to stay rigid without overthinking.
đŻ The big takeaway
You can:
⢠Squeeze your abs
⢠Still bend
⢠Still leak power
OrâŚ
You can learn to control your hips and posterior chain
And suddenly:
⢠Skills feel lighter
⢠Lines stay cleaner
⢠Strength transfers better
This is the difference between âtrying harderâ
and moving smarter.
đ Want help applying this to YOUR skills?
Information is free.
Implementation is the hard part.
If you want help dialing this in for your handstand, levers, or planche,
đ
Train smart.
Move as one unit.
Stay awesome đŞđĽ
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đĽ âSqueeze Your Coreâ Is Bad Advice (Hereâs What Actually Works)
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