It only took me two years to understand and be able to correctly ‘tuck’ in Pure Barre and yoga.
And trust me, it is not easy. When you’re using proper form, you will be challenged during strength training and when holding yoga poses. But that’s the point, right? To have good posture, proper form, and to develop your core muscles, in addition to the rest of your body.
I’ve heard it explained many ways, so let me do my best to summarize it for you (so hopefully it doesn’t take you as long to catch on!).
‘Tucking’ means pulling in your core, which involves your ab muscles, in addition to your entire torso, including your butt, hips, pelvis, lumbar/lower spine and connecting muscles. To properly tuck, or brace, you should simultaneously contract (or flex) the ab, lower back and buttock muscles at the same time. ‘Drawing in’ is a maneuver used to recruit the core stabilizer muscles by drawing in the navel (belly button) toward the spine.
So basically, imagine having a straighter, neutral spine by pulling in your butt toward your stomach/belly button and tightening your abs. If you feel your glutes, abs and maybe even your quads working, you know you’re doing it right!
You might be able to see the contrast and ‘ideal position’ by starting with your butt sticking out behind you, your lower back arched, and your stomach pushed out in front of you . . . and then try the tuck by simultaneously moving and contracting your stomach and your booty to your core center.
Tucking throughout the day—not just when exercising—will teach your body optimal posture and allow you to maintain proper form during more difficult, complex movements that improve your strength and flexibility. It will also benefit those (of the many people) experiencing lower-back pain. So go ahead, tuck away 😊 and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out via email or in the comments.