Vacuum for belly slimming: 5 options + breathing technique

Vacuum is popular both among bodybuilders who form six-pack abs, and among “fit girls” who demonstrate perfectly smooth and flat stomachs.

One of the most effective exercises for losing belly fat is a vacuum. It is both physical and respiratory. Despite its apparent simplicity, it has a complex technique, but with perseverance and patience, everyone can master it. In terms of effectiveness, it is not inferior to planks and crunches. Equally suitable for men and women. Anyone who dreams of a slim figure should include it in their workout plan.

Mechanism of weight loss

This exercise harmoniously combines physical activity on the abdominal muscles and breathing exercises aimed at enriching the body with oxygen. So it’s not surprising that many people choose a vacuum to lose belly fat . Its effectiveness, which is scientifically explained and confirmed by numerous positive reviews, is beyond doubt.

Abdominal pumping, crunches, planks, and various exercise machines work mostly with the superficial (rectus and oblique) muscles. They give a beautiful relief in the form of cubes and slightly tighten the stomach.

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Vacuum is a training of the internal transverse and deep multifidus muscles. They allow you to become the owner of a seductive curve in the back, a completely flat stomach and graceful posture.

Educational program. The transverse muscle that is being worked is called the weightlifting belt, running from left to right. Its task is to hold the internal organs.

Vacuum breathing performed during exercise helps burn visceral fat in the abdomen, waist, and sides. It provides cells with additional portions of oxygen - the main participant in redox reactions, during which adipocytes are broken down.

A person does not even suspect that its regular implementation leads to improved functioning of many organs and systems:

• digestion: oxygen is responsible for the complete absorption of nutrients from the gastrointestinal tract into the blood;
• liver: the respiratory organs additionally remove toxins from the body, facilitating its functions;
• immunity, which is strengthened by increasing the vital activity of cells;
• nervous system: exercise gives peace and tranquility.

Directly or indirectly, all this leads to lasting weight loss, especially with proper nutrition and regular exercise. And deep pumping of the abdominal muscles does not leave a single chance for fat to remain in this area.

You shouldn't expect rapid weight loss. Vacuum is an exercise that produces results after a while. Therefore, you need to be patient. By the end of the first month of training, the effect will already be noticeable, but a perfectly flat stomach can be achieved only after six months. Although this will depend on the initial condition of the abdominal muscles and the amount of fat in this area.

From the world of stars. The vacuum has another name - the Schwarzenegger exercise, since the famous Hollywood actor-bodybuilder is a true master of its implementation.

Is it possible to do a vacuum every day?

Anastasia:

The exercise is simple, performed in series of 3-4 approaches, each lasting 20-40 seconds, so doing it regularly every day will not be difficult. Since its main task is to increase the endurance of the transverse abdominal muscle, daily execution is the best option for obtaining results.

Secrets of beautiful abs. How to achieve relief?

What will happen to your body if you do a vacuum every day?

Of course, you can take breaks in training, but then the result may be much worse than expected. For endurance, muscles need regular exercise. From a physiological point of view, endurance decreases significantly already on the third day of no load.

Contraindications

Since losing weight using a vacuum involves working with deep abdominal muscles, visceral fat and affects the functioning of vital organs, it is not available to everyone.

Absolute contraindications:

• pregnancy;
• recent cesarean section or any other abdominal surgery;
• respiratory and cardiovascular diseases;
• problems with the gastrointestinal tract;
• menstruation;
• obesity;
• abdominal pain of any nature and origin;
• elevated body temperature, acute illness;
• neoplasms and inflammatory processes in the pelvic area and peritoneum;
• pathologies of the biliary tract.

A relative contraindication is the postpartum period. First, you need to wait for the lochia to stop and consult with the supervising gynecologist whether it is possible to begin such serious training. This precaution is due to the fact that powerful vacuum breathing stimulates the uterus and can slow down its recovery after childbirth.

Advantages and disadvantages

The main advantage of a vacuum is its high efficiency and versatility. It can be done anywhere and anytime. No sports equipment or special clothing is needed. It is also valued for the beneficial effects it has on the body:

• massages organs;
• normalizes digestion, stimulates peristalsis, tidies up the stool;
• improves metabolism;
• removes waste from the body;
• reduces volumes;
• burns visceral fat;
• strengthens abdominal muscles;
• straightens posture, relieves pain syndromes in the spine;
• prevents the formation of hernias.

Flaws:

• a large number of contraindications;
• complex execution technique;
• achieving results takes too long: sometimes you have to wait six months or even longer;
• feeling of discomfort in the abdominal area;
• side effects.

Despite all the effectiveness of vacuum, trainers and doctors warn about side effects and complications when it is performed regularly against the background of existing contraindications - even visceroptosis.

The main disadvantage of this exercise is high intra-abdominal pressure. With obesity, it itself is high, and the vacuum increases it even more, which leads to sad consequences:

• injuries of the distal esophagus;
• hiatal hernia;
• gastroesophageal reflux disease.

To avoid such consequences, you need to observe contraindications, perform it correctly and be constantly monitored by doctors.

Through the pages of history. The vacuum was first demonstrated by Frank Zane, an American bodybuilder who in the late 70s of the last century was a three-time winner of the Mr. Olympia title.

Interesting Facts

The vacuum technique was first demonstrated to the general public by the American Frank Zane, “Mr. Olympia” from 1977 to 1979.

The vacuum exercise became popular thanks to the idol of bodybuilders around the world, Arnold Schwarzenegger - his ideal body was harmoniously emphasized by a thin waist. The abdominal vacuum is also called the Schwarzenegger exercise.

The bodybuilding exercise comes from yoga, where it is called “maha bandha” (translated as “big lock”), and is one of the techniques for deep breathing and strengthening the so-called “subtle” body.

Recommendations

There is no need to exhaust yourself. It is impossible to perform a vacuum by force until severe muscle pain appears.

You need to start with 5-10 seconds of holding your breath with your stomach pulled in, and then increase the time by 5 seconds every day. Vacuum breathing exercises are performed in several approaches with an interval of 40 seconds.

All exercises for losing belly fat (and vacuum is no exception) are performed on an empty stomach. At least 2 hours should pass after the last meal. Do it twice a day - immediately after waking up and shortly before bed.

The greatest benefit can be achieved if you include it in a set of exercises. However, given the certain time pressure for constantly busy modern people, this is a real godsend, because you can suck in your stomach anywhere and whenever it’s convenient - while driving a car, during a break at work, in the kitchen. You can do this in the morning without even getting out of bed.

In the first 2 weeks after starting the exercise, you may experience dizziness, drowsiness and lethargy during the day, even with full sleep. This is due to the saturation of cells with additional portions of oxygen. These side effects will soon disappear.

But tingling in the muscles (and throughout the body, not just the abdomen) indicates an incorrect technique. Watch video tutorials, master classes,

Review Reviews

Thousands of women and men have already tried abdominal retraction; reviews indicate its undoubted benefits. People note an improvement in overall body tone, as well as a tighter stomach and waist. The first results can be observed within a week.

Beginners note the complexity of this exercise and say that at first 15 seconds are out of the question, it’s hard to sustain at least a couple of seconds, but after 5-7 days of regular practice, a habit is formed. It is recommended to perform a vacuum for weight loss along with cardio exercises and proper nutrition. This combination helps to lose excess weight and strengthen muscle mass.

Fitness trainers believe that vacuum does not promote weight loss. But it will improve the functioning of organs due to their massage and saturation with oxygen, improve health and teach you to control the body.

Vacuum breathing

By looking at the pictures that show how to make a vacuum correctly, you cannot master the technique of doing it. They do not fully demonstrate how to breathe. And without this, you will not see a flat stomach and a wasp waist. Therefore, you first need to learn this art using video tutorials or detailed text instructions.

Option 1 is the most common:

• Take a deep and slow breath through your nose.
• Hold your breath for a couple of seconds. Feel the tension in your abdominal muscles.
• A strong, energetic, but equally deep exhalation through the mouth to completely empty the lungs of air.

Option 2 - from the bodyflex breathing program for weight loss:

• Form your lips into a tube, as if for a kiss. Slowly release all the air from your lungs through them.
• Take a noisy and sharp breath through your nose.
• Without holding your breath, exhale through your mouth as quickly as possible until you hear a loud “groin” sound.

As soon as you exhale completely, proceed to the main exercise - pull your stomach towards your spine, according to the chosen technique. At the same time, his muscles should be as tense as possible. Don't make the common mistake of not relaxing them as you exhale.

In the middle of the exercise, a short breath is taken through the nose so that the lungs feel the air in themselves and have the strength to continue.

Ends with a deep, slow and noisy exhalation through the mouth.

In large cities there are special training centers that teach proper breathing - for the treatment of pulmonary diseases, weight loss and simply improving the health of the body. If yours has one, you should start with it.

Advice from a specialist. Breathing gymnastics trainers advise you to first master bodyflex. First, this system will begin the process of weight loss. Secondly, it will speed up results.

Advice from experts

Before you begin such exercises, it is important to consider some subtleties while working. Among these:

• When performing a vacuum, the air must be inhaled only through the nose, and exhaled through the mouth. Be sure to exhale completely, this will improve the results of the workout;
• As you exhale, you cannot relax your stomach; the more you press it inward, the better the result will be;
• doing a vacuum in the morning and evening before bed is the best solution for those who want to achieve the desired shape in the shortest possible time.

Exercise options

You can learn how to perform the vacuum exercise for losing belly fat at home. Few people succeed the first time, but regular and persistent attempts will lead to the desired result.

To master his technique, you need to watch several video tutorials. If mistakes are made during classes, this can not only negate their entire effect, but also harm your health.

The exercise comes in four main variations. Each of them is worth mastering separately. Once you’ve learned how to do one perfectly, after a while you can move on to another, more complicated one. This will allow you to strain your muscles to the maximum and prevent them from adapting to the load.

Lying down

1. Lay out a fitness mat on the floor. Lie on his back. Relax.
2. Bend your knees. Stretch your arms along your body.
3. Perform vacuum breathing described above.
4. After completely emptying the lungs, straining the abdominal muscles, pull it in as much as possible, trying to bring it closer to the spine. It should appear that the navel has temporarily moved to the back.
5. Hold your breath for 15 seconds. At first this will be impossible, so you can reduce this time to the best of your ability. But strive for exactly this figure.
6. Through your nose, take a small, shallow breath in with an incomplete chest, only slightly filling your lungs with air, without relaxing your abdominal muscles.
7. Feel their tension again and hold in this position for another 15 seconds.
8. Exhale deeply through your mouth while simultaneously relaxing all muscles.
9. Release the stomach as slowly as possible, without sudden jerks.

Beginners perform 3 approaches with an interval of 40 seconds, more experienced ones - 5 approaches.

On a note. In the first six months after birth, the vacuum is done with a breath hold of no more than 5 seconds to avoid uterine tone.

standing

About 2 weeks after mastering the vacuum while lying down, you can improve it by performing it while standing.

1. Stand up straight: back straight, look straight ahead, feet shoulder-width apart, arms relaxed along the body.
2. Here it is important to achieve complete relaxation of the body, which in the first version was achieved through posture. And here you have to work yourself: your knees should be soft, your shoulder blades should not be tight, your buttocks should not be tense.
3. We repeat exactly the instructions for the previous version, starting from the 3rd point.

You need to do at least 5 approaches with an interval of 40 seconds.

Note. For some, the standing vacuum is the most difficult of all. If you feel that you cannot fully perform this exercise, move on to the next option, and you will return to this at the very end of your weight loss program. There is nothing wrong with this: trainers explain this phenomenon by the individual anatomical features of the body.

Sitting

This option is more complicated, as it involves the work of the back muscles (you will lose weight in it at the same time, if required).

1. You will need a stable chair with a hard seat without a back.
2. Sit on it, put your hands on your hips, bend your knees at an angle of 90°.
3. Look straight ahead without letting your chin rest on your chest.
4. Then follow the instructions for the first exercise, starting from point 3.

You need to perform 5 repetitions at intervals of 40 seconds.

The peculiarity of this option is that at a certain moment the tension in the back will be so strong that you will want to lean back and rest against something. Beginners are not always able to cope with this desire. Therefore, choose a stable chair to avoid falling. Or, at first, protect yourself by choosing a chair with a back.

In addition to losing belly fat, this option helps with back pain of any origin.

On knees

The most complex version of the vacuum, but the most effective. It is recommended to switch to it only after completely mastering the previous practices.

1. Get on all fours. Elbows and knees are at right angles. The spine is straight, without deflections. Look at your own hands without raising your head.
2. In this stance, special attention is paid to the chest: it should be straightened, nothing should interfere with breathing.
3. Repeat the first instruction, starting from the third point.

It is recommended to do 3 repetitions.

Basic rules

Another positive aspect of such gymnastic exercises as “vacuum” (or, as it is also called, “vacuum belly”) is the fact that the trainee does not have to be an athlete and perform technically complex strength exercises. For interested beginners, it is enough to master basic knowledge of the technique in order to begin to effectively reduce waist measurements. But here a very important point is determined by the absolute correctness of performing this exercise: it is impossible to allow a situation in which incorrect execution of the exercise could harm the health of the trainee.

So, what do you need to know about the technique of performing this exercise?

• First: the best option is to do morning exercises before eating, since it is completely inadvisable to eat anything before doing anything.
• Second: you need to tune yourself to learning how to breathe correctly; a lot depends on your favorable mood.
• Third: you need to start doing the exercise only after exhaling deeply. That is, as you exhale the air, you must begin to slowly draw in your stomach.
• Fourth: the exercise will only become effective if the training is carried out regularly. In view of this, it is necessary to develop a kind of habit: after waking up in the morning, you need to do several approaches, and after that, have breakfast and go about your business.
• Fifth: the learning process should begin with the easiest exercises. These are usually the ones performed while lying on your back. Why? Because this is the easiest way to pull in the abdomen. With experience, it will be possible to make the transition to variations of training in a sitting position, in a standing position, or in a pose on all fours.