Another related controversial topic is toning the ‘core,’ or strengthening the abdominal muscles in order to support the lower back. The old paradigm is that to help lengthen the lower back and to better stabilize the mid-section of the torso, the soft belly area should become strong through contraction or shortening of the abdominal muscles. A very common objective for this postural paradigm is to flatten the abdomen and ‘knit’ the floating ribs down toward the front of the pelvis in order to fortify the alignment of the core and lower back.

With Bowspring we build abdominal strength by first creating the optimal bowed template in the lower back by anteriorly tipping the pelvis and establishing a uniform lower back curvature through T-12. Then we integrate all the back muscles into this optimal shape. Finally, when we root and rise this spring bow shape, all of the abdominal muscles elongate in a curved tonus from the front groins up into the ribcage. So, instead of flattening and shortening the abdomen to make it strong, in Bowspring we tone the abdomen as part of a whole connective tissue system woven around the mid-section which is bowed long and strong.