Cueing for Coaches: Why I Don’t Tell Clients to “Turn On” Their Core (or Any Other Muscle)
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Why I Don’t Tell Clients to “Turn On” Their Core (or Any Other Muscle) when I'm teaching cueing for coaches
One of the most common (and misguided) coaching cues in fitness is “Turn on your core!” or “Activate your biceps!” While it might sound helpful, it’s actually not how the body naturally works—and worse, it can lead to inefficient movement, confusion, and even compensation patterns.
Here’s why I never use these cues and what I focus on instead.
1. Muscles Don’t Work in Isolation
Your body isn’t a collection of independent switches where you can just “turn on” one muscle while leaving others off. Movement is a coordinated effort between multiple muscles, stabilizers, and joint mechanics.
💡 Example: The Biceps Myth
If I tell you to “activate your biceps” during a curl, you might think you’re isolating them—but studies show that other muscles, like the triceps (the antagonist muscle), also activate to stabilize the movement. The body works in systems, not isolated on/off switches.
2. The Core Should Engage Naturally
Many people think of “switching on their core” as tensing their abs like they’re about to be punched. But that’s not how the core is meant to function during movement.
🔹 Muscles should engage in proportion to the task required.
🔹 If you brace 100% for a simple movement, you’re over-recruiting muscles, leading to tension and inefficiency.
🔹 Proper core activation should happen automatically when the body is in the right position—not because you’re forcefully contracting it.
💡 Try This Instead:
Rather than saying “Turn on your core,” I cue:
✔️ “Breathe out as you lift.”
✔️ “Imagine your ribs gently drawing toward your hips.”
✔️ “Feel your whole torso stabilizing as you move.”
This keeps activation functional and responsive, rather than forcing an unnatural brace.
3. Overthinking Cues = Worse Movement
When someone is already in the right position, yelling “Turn on your core!” can actually make them second-guess themselves. Suddenly, they start tensing too hard, shifting position, or recruiting the wrong muscles—all because they think they weren’t doing it right.