Behind the Cue: “Zip Up the Abdominals”
There was a time, back in what I like to call the late 1900s, when I could confidently say:
“Zip up your abdominals like you’re putting on a tight pair of jeans straight out of the dryer.”
And everyone just… got it. Because those jeans? They didn’t stretch. They didn’t forgive. They required commitment.
You had to: brace, lift, wiggle and fully organize your life choices just to get them zipped. And honestly? It was the perfect cue.
The Problem: The World Changed… and So Did the Cue
Now? Everything stretches. High-waisted, low-rise, jeggings pretending to be denim, there’s no longer a universal understanding of what it means to work to get something zipped. So when I say “zip up your abdominals,” it doesn’t always land the way it used to.
Which brings us to the real question: What are we actually asking for when we say “zip up”?
Because it’s not about jeans. (It was never about the jeans.) When we cue “zip up the abdominals,” we’re asking for a very specific organization in the body:
1. A gentle lift from the base
Think of the action starting low, almost like you’re drawing energy up from the pelvic floor. Not clenching. Not gripping. Just… lifting.
2. A narrowing through the center
The abdominals draw inward, not by sucking in or bracing hard, but by wrapping. It’s supportive, not aggressive.
3. Length, not compression
This is where most people go wrong. They hear “zip up” and: tuck, crunch and bear down. But the intention is the opposite.
You should be creating space as you lift. A better visual would be the spine gets taller, the ribs soften, the pelvis stays organized
4. Connection, not tension
This isn’t a max effort. It’s not, “hold your abs as tight as possible” or “brace for impact”
It’s a responsive engagement, something that can move, breathe, and adapt.
Why This Cue Matters So Much
Because without it, everything else starts to fall apart.
When the abdominals don’t organize, the lower back overworks, the hip flexors take over, the shoulders grip, the neck jumps in to help, basically it is a complete mess. And suddenly an exercise that should feel controlled and supported… feels hard in all the wrong places.
The Subtle Mistake Most People Make
They try to “zip up” after they move. Instead of organizing first and then moving within that support. They start the exercise
feeling unstable then try to grip their way through it. That’s where things get messy.
A Better Way to Think About It
Instead of “zip up,” try, lift and wrap, connect before you move and create support that can breathe or even simpler “Get organized before you ask your body to do anything.”
And Yes… the Jeans Still Work (Kind Of)
Even though jeans aren’t what they used to be, the spirit of the cue still holds, there’s a moment of gathering, lifting and bringing things in before you move forward.
Just now, instead of thinking:
“tight jeans out of the dryer”
You might think:
“quietly pulling everything together without anyone noticing”
The Bigger Picture (This Is the Real Point)
“Zip up your abdominals” isn’t just about abs.
It is about how you initiate movement and how you support your spine and most importantly, how you distribute effort through your body.
It’s the difference between:
moving with control vs chasing the movement and hoping your body keeps up.
Cues evolve. They have to.
What made perfect sense 20 years ago might not land the same way today.
But the intention behind them?
That’s what matters.
So whether you are zipping up imaginary jeans, lifting and wrapping or just trying to figure out why your neck is doing all the work
Remember this:
The goal isn’t tension.
It’s connection.
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