Transverse Abdominis Exercises: 9 Moves for Your Deep Abs

Transverse abdominis exercises train your deepest ab muscle, a corset-like layer that wraps around your waist and steadies your spine. Start by learning to draw your lower belly gently in as you exhale, then build through heel slides, dead bugs, bird dogs, side planks and Pallof presses. Three or four sessions a week of 10 minutes is plenty.

I’m a NASM certified trainer and corrective exercise specialist. The transverse abdominis, or TVA, is the muscle I work on first when a woman tells me her core feels weak, her back aches, or her belly pushes out when she lifts. You can’t see it in the mirror, but you’ll feel the difference it makes.

What the Transverse Abdominis Does

The transverse abdominis is the deepest of your four ab muscles. Its fibers run horizontally around your waist, from your lower ribs to your pelvis, and connect to the tissue around your spine at the back.

Coach Luke’s Top Pick

The two with the most research behind them.

Creatine + HMB

Creatine is the most studied performance supplement there is, and HMB is aimed at protecting the muscle you already built. Together they cover strength and recovery without the pre-workout jitters.

• Strength & power
• Supports lean muscle
• No stimulants

Read My Creatine + HMB Review →

My honest review — contains affiliate links. 90-day money-back guarantee.

When it tightens, it narrows your waist slightly and raises the pressure inside your trunk. That gentle pressure helps steady your spine before you lift, reach or step. Research on people with low back pain has found the TVA can be slower to switch on, which is one reason it gets so much attention in rehab.

It also works closely with your pelvic floor, diaphragm and the small multifidus muscles along your spine. I explain how this whole team works in my guide to deep core exercises.

How to Find Your Transverse Abdominis

Before any exercise, learn the feeling. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat.

1. Place your fingers just inside your hip bones, about an inch in and an inch down.
2. Inhale and let your belly rise softly.
3. Exhale slowly through pursed lips, as if blowing out a candle across the room.
4. Feel the tension under your fingers as your lower belly gently draws in. That’s your TVA.
5. Keep breathing while holding that light tension for 5 to 10 seconds.

If your fingers get pushed out, or your belly bulges, you’re bearing down. Try a smaller, softer exhale. Many women also find it easier when they add a gentle lift of the pelvic floor, the same feeling as a kegel.

The 9 Best Transverse Abdominis Exercises

Work through these in order. Do 8 to 10 slow reps per side, or the hold times listed, and keep that gentle TVA hug the whole time.

1. TVA Breathing Holds

Lying on your back, exhale and draw your lower belly in. Hold the tension for 10 seconds while breathing normally, then relax. Repeat 8 times. This is the foundation for everything else.

2. Heel Slides

Keep the TVA engaged and slowly slide one heel away along the floor, then back. Your pelvis should stay level and still.

3. Bent-Knee Marches

With your TVA on, lift one foot a few inches off the floor, then lower it and switch. If your lower back arches or your belly pushes up, make the lift smaller.

4. Dead Bug

From a tabletop position with arms up, lower the opposite arm and leg slowly as you exhale. It’s one of the best TVA moves there is. My guide to the dead bug exercise shows several versions.

5. Bird Dog

On hands and knees, let your belly hang, then exhale and gently draw it up toward your spine. Hold that as you reach one arm forward and the opposite leg back. See my bird dog exercise guide for form tips.

6. Side Plank on Knees

Lie on your side, prop up on your forearm and lift your hips with your knees bent. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, breathing steadily. The TVA works hard here to keep your waist from sagging.

7. Seated TVA Squeeze

Sit tall on a chair with your feet flat. Exhale, draw your lower belly in, and hold for 10 seconds while breathing. This is a quiet move you can do at your desk or in the car.

8. Standing Pallof Press

Anchor a light resistance band at chest height and stand side-on to it. Hold the band at your chest, exhale and press it straight out, resisting the pull to twist. Hold for 2 seconds and return. This trains your TVA to work while you’re upright.

9. Plank

From your forearms and knees, or forearms and toes, hold a straight line from head to heels for 15 to 30 seconds. Keep breathing and keep your belly from sagging. My guide on how to do a plank covers the details.

Coach Luke's Pick

Fitness & Workouts

Complete Plant-Based Protein

Clean, dairy-free protein to hold muscle and recover faster after every workout. Prefer whey? I review that one too.

Holds MuscleDairy-Free

Read My Honest Review →

✓ 90-Day Guarantee · Member Pricing

My honest review — contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission at no cost to you.

Transverse Abdominis Exercises by Position

How to Progress Your TVA Training

The TVA responds best to steady practice, not to burning out. Use this simple order:

1. Weeks 1 and 2. Breathing holds, heel slides and bent-knee marches, 3 or 4 times a week.
2. Weeks 3 and 4. Add dead bugs and bird dogs.
3. Weeks 5 and 6. Add side planks and seated squeezes during your day.
4. Week 7 and on. Add Pallof presses and planks, and start using the same gentle hug when you lift weights.

How long does it take to strengthen your transverse abdominis? Most women feel more control within 2 to 4 weeks and noticeable strength in 6 to 8 weeks of regular practice.

Common Mistakes

• Sucking in as hard as you can. A full suck-in makes breathing hard and often pushes pressure down onto your pelvic floor. Use gentle effort.
• Holding your breath. If you can’t talk while holding the tension, ease off.
• Flattening your back hard into the floor. A small natural curve in your lower back is fine.
• Only training lying down. The muscle needs to work sitting, standing and moving too.
• Expecting a flat stomach from TVA work alone. It helps your belly feel supported, but fat loss comes from overall habits.

Transverse Abdominis Exercises and Diastasis Recti

If you have a gap between your six-pack muscles, TVA training is usually one of the first things a physical therapist will teach you. Because it tightens around your waist, it helps create tension across the midline.

Watch for doming, a ridge down the middle of your belly. If you see it, pick an easier move. My diastasis recti exercises guide has a full progression.

When to Get Checked

See a doctor or physical therapist if you have back pain that’s getting worse, a bulge in your belly that doesn’t go away when you relax, or pelvic symptoms like pain, bleeding, worsening leaks, numbness or a heavy dragging feeling. My article on weak pelvic floor symptoms explains more of these signs.

Your This-Week Plan

1. Day 1. Practice finding your TVA with your fingers inside your hip bones, 5 minutes.
2. Day 2. Do 8 breathing holds, 8 heel slides per side and 8 marches.
3. Day 4. Repeat and add 5 dead bugs per side.
4. Every day. Do 3 seated TVA squeezes whenever you sit down to eat.

Quick Questions

This guide is part of my core and pelvic floor guide for women. For a whole-core routine beyond the TVA, see my 10 core exercises for your entire midsection.

The Bottom Line

Transverse abdominis exercises are simple, quiet and surprisingly powerful. Learn the gentle exhale and lower belly hug, then build from heel slides to dead bugs, bird dogs, side planks and standing presses.

A few short sessions a week will help your core feel steadier, your back feel more supported, and your pelvic floor work as part of the team.

This article is for general education and isn’t medical advice. Check with your doctor or a physical therapist before starting if you have a hernia, recent abdominal surgery or ongoing back pain. Get medical help for pelvic pain, bleeding, worsening leaks, numbness or a heavy dragging feeling in your pelvis.