Copyright 2006 Karen Sessions The vast majority of people who engage in countless sets and repetitions of abdominal exercises such as crunches, leg lifts, and twists fail to see dramatic

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The Stomach Vacuum

Copyright 2006 Karen Sessions
The vast majority of people who engage in countless sets and
repetitions of abdominal exercises such as crunches, leg lifts, and
twists fail to see dramatic improvement, as if something is
lacking.

Are you among those who religiously train your abdominals,
yet still fight the distending gut syndrome?
I can teach you a simple technique to reduce your midsection in
as little as three weeks! By incorporating this technique, with
your regular abdominal training and proper diet, it will reduce the
size of your waist, and help to give you a carved midsection!
Prerequisites
This is exciting news, but it does come along with some
prerequisites which are, pre-established clean eating habits,
adequate water intake, and a low to moderate body fat percentage.
Depending on how you hold your weight, anywhere from 12 to 15% is
acceptable.
Some Background
Before we jump in over our heads let's discuss the reason behind
this specialized technique. This exercise I am speaking of is
called the stomach vacuum.

Relax, we are not going to pump or
vacuum your stomach. This isn't a liposuction technique. The
stomach vacuum was widely used in the early days of bodybuilding
with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Corey Everson and has become what I
refer to as, "the forgotten abdominal exercise."
Have you ever noticed how slim, trimmed, hard, and defined the
physiques of bodybuilders were in the late 1970's and early 1980's?
Many of today's top-level bodybuilding competitors have a distended
midsection.

This could be due to the drug abuse problem and growth
hormone, but it is also connected to the fact that many
bodybuilders have simply skipped over an important training
tactic.
The Inner and Outer Abdominals The abdominal region is composed
of internal and external muscles. The external muscles are known as
the rectus abdominus and the external obliques.
Crunches cause the rectus abdominus to flex.

Crunching forward a
third of the way up targets the entire rectus abdominus. Once the
movement goes past this active zone your hip flexors come into
play, taking emphasis off your abdominals.
Your obliques are targeted to a greater degree when any twisting
action takes place, such as twisting crunches where you bring your
elbow to the opposite knee.
The Real Inner Abdominals
The transversus abdominus and lumbar multifidus are the inner
abdominal muscles.

These muscles are rarely discussed, and are the
most neglected. These muscles lie beneath the rectus abdominus, and
external obliques.
The inner abdominal muscles support posture, and control deep
breathing during power movements, such as heavy squats. They are
the muscles responsible for back support.

Since they are rarely
targeted they are often weaker.
By building a stronger inner abdominal wall you can limit and
relieve back pain, improve posture, create a tighter midsection,
and add explosive power to your training.
The Benefits of the Stomach Vacuum
The stomach vacuum is an isometric contraction of the
transversus abdominus. As previously stated, a stronger transversus
abdominus can create a stronger valsalva maneuver (the powerful
exhale necessary to contract a muscle during an intense
workload).

The stomach vacuum is one of the best exercises you can perform
to shrink your waistline in a very short amount of time. Many
people can lose an inch or two from their midsection in a little as
three to four weeks with this technique, provided the prerequisites
are met. Also, building this area of the abdominal muscle will help
you gain more control over your abs, and assist you better in
explosive lifts. Stomach vacuums take practice, but they are
extremely effective.

How to Execute the Stomach Vacuum
To execute the stomach vacuum stand upright and place your hands
on your hips or over your head, and then exhale all the air out of
your lungs, completely. As you exhale, expand your chest and bring
your stomach in as far as possible, and hold it in. Do Not Hold
Your Breath! To be blunt, simply suck in your gut. Visualize trying
to touch your navel to your backbone.

This is an isometric contraction, like flexing your biceps. You
breathe normally while flexing your biceps and you should breathe
normally while executing the stomach vacuum.
Sets and Reps
Counting reps with this exercise is bit different. One isometric
contraction of "X" seconds is one repetition.

For example, if you
suck your gut in for 10 seconds, that's one repetition. If you do
that two more times, that's 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
Now, before you go saying things like, "'you can't spot reduce,"
"it won't affect skin elasticity," and "you can't get abs by
holding your breath," you have mistaken the point of this article.
This article is not claiming to do such miraculous things.

It's not
about holding your breath or spot reduction. What this exercise CAN
do is strengthen and stabilize your core so you have more control
over your abdominals, and prevent the loose belly hangover from an
underdeveloped transversus abdominus.
There are macho men out there who think since this exercise
doesn't require slinging hundreds of pounds of iron that it's not
effective. Nonetheless, the transversus abdominus is a muscle and
it needs to be trained.

Just because it doesn't take a fancy
machine or an ego-boosting exercise to do it doesn't mean it's less
effective. Effective training is about intensity and form, not
macho egos, and grunting under a stack of plates.
Training Guide for the Stomach Vacuum: Training days for the
stomach vacuum are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, or every other
day. While the abs can be trained more than other muscle groups,
they still need their rest.

Therefore, doing them daily won't be as
effective as you may think it would be.
Week #1 - 20 Seconds - 3 Sets Week #2 - 30 Seconds - 3 Sets Week
#3 - 40 Seconds - 3 sets
The idea is to keep progressing in seconds (reps) or sets. You
can set your own start point and progression phase. Eventually try
to work up 4 sets of a full minute.

As an added bonus, you can use the stomach vacuum when doing
your regular abdominal work. Focus on pulling in on the transversus
abdominus as you do your abdominal work. Simply do this by pulling
in your stomach as far as possible and flex your groin muscles, as
if you are trying to stop the flow of urine.
Conclusion to Stomach Vacuums
Once mastered, the stomach vacuum can be performed in a
standing, kneeling, seated, and lying position.

Now you don't have
an excuse to avoid abdominal training if you are stuck in traffic
or can't get away from your desk.

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Karen Sessions has been in the fitness industry since 1988. She
is a nationally qualified bodybuilder and holds two personal
training certifications. She has written 6 ebooks on fitness and
has helped hundreds of clients transform their bodies.

.theelitephysique.com

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