NASM Group Personal Training Specialist (GPTS) Practice Exam

Bracing the core means actively co-contracting the muscles around the abdomen and spine to create a rigid, stable torso during movement. This tension stabilizes the spine and helps transfer force efficiently from the lower body through the trunk to the anywhere else you’re moving, improving control and safety.

Holding your breath isn’t the same as bracing, though some lifting cues use a brief breath-hold to aid intra-abdominal pressure. The essential idea of bracing is the deliberate, continuous activation of the abdominal and spinal muscles to keep the torso stiff. Tensing only the hip flexors doesn’t provide the needed spinal stability, and relaxing the core obviously removes the stability bracing aims to achieve.