| 2 March |
Abdominal Vacuums – A Different Kind of Ab Exercise |
One good and different ab exercise is not so well known. Everyone who tries to get a flatter stomach should know it, it is abdominal vacuum. Although name would suggest that there were some kind of vacuum or pump involved, that is no the case. The stomach vacuum is an contraction where we tense our muscles without moving them, also called an isometric contraction. It is done to your transversus abdominus. This is one of the better exercises which really effect on your waistline and gets it shrinking. This exercise also helps you to get more control over your abs. Maybe a hard exercise when starting out, but really effective.
Stomach vacuums are easy to execute, just stand straight and place your hands on your hips and exhale all the air out of your lungs and I mean completely empty. Then expand your chest and bring your stomach in as much as you can and hold it there. Think it this way, you are trying to touch your backbone with your navel. One of these contractions is one repetition. Target amount of contraction time is 60 seconds. You should do this exercise regularly, 3 – 4 times a week, 3 sets in one workout. In this exercise there are also many different variations like standing, kneeling, seated and lying versions.
Stomach vacuums are a nice addition to anyone’s workout if your regular ab exercises doesn’t seem hard enough any more. It suits anyone from beginner to more experienced exerciser and by varying the time contracting you can get the exercise more challenging.
You can’t get six pack ab just by doing this abdominal exercise, but it is one piece of the puzzle for sure!
Author of this article and sites such as Get your butt bigger and has over 15 years of experience in different sports, including 7 years of martial-arts and over 10 years of weightlifting.