i do the breathing pretty well.

so with the as far as pullung my scapula down, that's a check as well, but you're saying that because you're thinking about focussing on my lats and serratus during hundreds, and pulling my sternum down, both to the ground and to my hips?

.... i have to look up multifidus.... ok, so i can't describe it here cause its really wordy to do so but when you say "work" on them, you mean strengthen them? what exercise would isolate or trigger them? it would make sense to me to work on that. it would help me maintain nutral spine and pelvic stability so that i might be able to focus my transversus more on curling up my upper body... is that what you're thinking?

i'm sort of thinking i need to sort of start over with my upper ab curls (i hate starting over!) and only go as high as i can without firing my 6pk. and that if i were to work on my serratus, lats, and obliques a lot, it might help me to pull out of my 6pk. and then i was thinking maybe doing cats will help since that can be done in a way that replicates upper ab curls but without having to lift the weight of my upper body off of the the ground.

does that sound right?

thanks for your input. :) i really appreciate it!

thank you! i love the image of using the scapula as a cradle.

i do indeed have one of those rings and just discovered using it this way: laying on back, arms up with ring between palms, lift arms up reaching finger tips towards the ceiling while pressing the ring inward, keeping ribs on the ground and then setting the shoulder blades back down with control, widening them on the mat while gently releasing pressure on the ring. that's kinda like what you're describing right?

geez. i'm realizing that while its hard enough to give instruction outloud while modeling, its even harder to type it out.