Posted by Jeanne Schmit on Thu, Aug 06, 2009 @ 12:50 PM
Add the Breath
Now that you're doing crunches with your belly pulled in and pelvic floor engaged (part I and II of Flat Belly), let's add the breath to maximize your results.
1. Get into your crunch position on the floor. Start with your head down, hand on belly.
2. Inhale, then as you exhale, Kegel, "zip up", THEN peel your head off the floor.
3. Slowly lower down to the floor and repeat.
Your exhale helps you PUSH the air out of your body with your deep lower belly muscles. Getting that air out will help you get an even deeper ab connection.
Once you've mastered this, try lowering down only one inch, inhale without expanding your belly, exhale and zip up deeper and peel up. Take it slow and move with your breath.
The key is to NEVER allow your belly to push outwards.
I routinely check technique when I teach classes and find that about 40-50% of the people in the class believe they are pulling inward when they are not. When I inform them that no, they are pushing out, they are often shocked. After coaching them to draw inwards, they do it and their eyes pop open wide with surprise and they gasp.
It's an intense feeling and makes the exercise 10 times more difficult. You'll find you won't be able to lift up as high and you'll stay very very focused with each rep. Once you lose focus, the belly pops out.
Posted by Jeanne Schmit on Mon, Aug 03, 2009 @ 02:18 PM
Let's do an abdominal crunch with the new technique.
Lie on your back, knees bent, feet on the floor.
1. Place one hand your lower belly (below your navel).
2. Use the five part process in Flat Belly I to fully engage your deep abdominals.
3. Kegel and "zip up". You should feel your belly pull away from your hand.
4. Keep the contraction and slowly curl your head up and off the floor.
Did your belly push outwards? Try it again to be sure. Keep your belly is flat and pulled inward.
5. Lower back half way and repeat.
The difference is your belly must stay pulled inward. Your pelvic floor muscle will help you do just that.
Yes, men have a pelvic floor. To find it, draw your jewels up into your body. Feel it?
Contraction of your pelvic floor is necessary before your deep abdominal muscles will connect and work to pull your belly in. If you don't believe me, completely let go of your pelvic floor (pretend like you're peeing) and try to pull in your belly. You can't. Right?
In addition to a flat belly, you get a bonus of a stronger back. In fact, ab exercises done without the pelvic floor are not helping to strengthen your back, and, instead could cause more back trouble.
Apply this to every ab exercise you do and you'll feel and see the difference.
I'd love to hear how it's working for you! We'll take it a bit further in Flat Belly (part III).
photo courtesy of mewall82
Posted by Jeanne Schmit on Sun, Aug 02, 2009 @ 05:03 PM
Here's a key point to assure you're getting everything possible from your abdominal
exercises. I'm assuming you're going for the flat belly look. If you're not actively using your pelvic floor in every ab exercise you do, it's extremely unlikely you're getting the flat belly you dream of and you're most likely wasting your time with ineffective ab workouts.
It's not the exercise itself that's the waste of time. It's your abdominal exercise technique.
5 Steps to a flat belly:
1. Start by pretending you're peeing (no pelvic floor engagement).
2, Now STOP! You feel muscles engage (that's your pelvic floor, or Kegel muscle).
3. Take that sensation and lift it like an elevator upwards toward your waist about an inch or so.
4. Zip up. Pull your belly in, as if you're trying to get into a pair of pants that won't quite zip up. While you zip up those imaginary pants,
5. Draw your pelvic floor elevator upwards even more after zipping up.
Now you've got your deep abs working. You should feel a connection/contraction feeling between your belly button and pubic bone. You've connected to the muscle (transversus abdominus or ta) that holds in and flattens your belly.
Practice these 5 steps a few times daily until you get really good at connecting with your deep abdominals.
Find how to apply this to all your ab exercises for better results in Flatten Your Belly (part II and III).