When one thinks about “ab” (or “core”) workouts, one wouldn’t typically think of anything other than the aesthetic aspect of having a flat stomach or six-pack abs. However, the function of the muscles that form the abdomen goes beyond simply making you look good. The abdominal muscles in the front and sides of our abdomen (external obliques, internal obliques, rectus abdominis, and transverse abdominis) are also involved in helping to keep our internal organs functioning properly.
How our abdominal muscles, which are part of the core, influence our spinal alignment and posture. These muscles keep the spine straight, help us stay upright and balanced when walking, and regulate intra-abdominal pressure when we inhale or exhale and lift heavy things. In fact, several studies in functional health demonstrate that strong core muscles assist our digestive function.
This doesn’t mean that crunches cure digestive issues. Rather, it means having strong muscles to protect the digestive organs may result in better organ function.
How the Core and Digestive System Physically Overlap
Core exercises help build strength in the abdominal wall and reduce abdominal swelling and the symptoms of digestive discomfort. The organs in your core muscles, including your intestines, colon, and stomach, share the same area where your core muscles surround and protect.
If your core muscles are not strong enough to provide proper support for these organs, or if they are tight from not moving during the day, your ability to digest food will be affected due to several factors:
- Postural collapse, such as slouching over while sitting, can put pressure on the abdominal organ cavity and decrease the speed of the transit of food through the digestive system. As a result, after a meal, you will experience bloating and discomfort.
- Reduced circulation to the abdominal area can reduce the body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food and eliminate waste products from the body.
- Shallow breathing patterns due to a lack of core activation, which often can limit the movement of the diaphragm, and thus decrease the diaphragm’s massaging of the organs underneath it.
Typically, supporting the core addresses all three of these indirectly. Even though core muscles other than the pelvic floor and diaphragm aren’t directly involved in digestion, exercising those muscles helps stimulate the abdominal muscles and increases abdominal pressure, which can help stimulate the GI tract.
The Role Movement Plays in Gut Motility
Gut motility is how a person’s digestive system can contract, and then the muscle in the digestive system relaxes, which is the process of digesting food and expelling waste throughout the body. The enteric nervous system (the second brain) in the gut controls digestion and how we react to exercise and stress.
Exercise, more specifically through core workouts, helps to improve gut motility in the following ways:
- Abdominal muscle activation is increased, which creates a constant, gentle pressure in the abdominal cavity and helps stimulate peristalsis (the wave-like contractions that move waste through the colon)
- Improved vagal tone from regular exercise helps us regulate the gut-brain axis (a system that controls both our gut and how we process stress)
- Reduced sedentary time is consistently correlated with lower rates of constipation, bloating, and sluggish diarrhea, according to various studies.
It is important to note that a single ab workout does not mean to cure stomach problems. Consistently incorporating core workouts is one practical way to improve digestion over time. This is especially effective for those with a sedentary lifestyle.
Stress, the Gut, and Why Short Workouts Help
Chronic stress is among the most disruptive factors of optimal digestion, both as it manifests physically (e.g., in your gut) and psychologically (e.g., in your brain). This gut-brain axis can also work in the opposite direction, meaning stress leads to slow or dysregulated digestion, while unhealthy guts increase mood issues like anxiety.
Also, how you work out is as important, or maybe more important, than how often you work out. Long, intense workouts can cause a spike in cortisol, which can exacerbate gut symptoms. On the other hand, shorter and lower-intensity workouts tend to help you regulate stress and don’t spike cortisol. Five minutes of core strength work, 3 to 4 days a week, can:
- Give you adequate stimulation to help facilitate activation of your parasympathetic nervous system after each session
- Be a consistent, easy daily habit promote longer-term stress resilience
- Engage your abdominal muscles over the course of several days without the recovery demands of higher intensity workouts
Again, note that consistency is key. One long, intensive workout per week is far less influential on your gut-brain axis than five moderate intensity workouts during the week.
A Practical Place to Start
For all the beginners of core training or coming back after a long break, the main approach should be to first build the habit, not the intensity. This 5 minute ab circuit routine trains all of the base muscles. This is a single necessary thing you need. It needs less time than your ten-minute daily smartphone scrolling ritual before bed.
Building Your 5 Ab Circuit
A 5 minute ab circuit targets your entire core efficiently. You do not need to spend an hour on digestion-focused work. Quality matters more than quantity.
Consider these foundational movements:
- Crunches activate your upper abs.
- Leg raises strengthen your lower abs.
- Planks engage your entire core.
- Bird dogs work stabilizer muscles.
- Rotational twists massage your organs.
Start with 8 to 10 repetitions and build up from there based on your comfort level and physical abilities.
The Takeaway
Ab exercises are not a therapy for any dysfunctions in the gut. Nevertheless, the creation of the connection between core strength, posture, exercise, stress management skills, and digestion should be taken into account.
A regular core practice creates a solid base for the nervous and the digestive systems, which ultimately allows the gut to function correctly. That makes it alone valuable to the daily routine. Plus, a good gut is directly related to good mental health via the gut-brain axis, microbiome balance, and balanced neurotransmitter production.
