Anti-Rotation and Bracing: Training the Core's 'No' Muscles

Producing motion vs. resisting it

Sit-ups and Russian twists train the core to produce trunk flexion and rotation. But just as often, the core's job in daily life and sport is to resist motion that an outside force is trying to cause:

• The plank resists the low back sagging into extension (anti-extension).
• The dead bug resists the low back arching as a limb moves (anti-extension, dynamically).
• The Pallof press resists a cable pulling the trunk into rotation (anti-rotation).

Bracing as a skill

Before lifting anything heavy, a quick trunk brace — tightening the abdominal wall in all directions, not just pulling it in — stiffens the trunk so force transfers efficiently between the upper and lower body. This is why trainers cue bracing before a hip hinge or a carry, not just during ab-specific work.