MuscleandHealth.Org
Weight Lifting and Muscle Building leads to a better quality of life.
Build Muscle to Look and Feel Better!
Your Subtitle text
How to Get a Tighter Waist






Biotest Hot-Rox A7-E, 72 Gel Caps - $ 17.95
Retail Price: 32.95
You Save: $15.00
From: Discount Anabolics





ALRI Venom Tri-Lean System - $ 87.95
Retail Price: 189.99
You Save: $102.04
From: Discount Anabolics

How to get a "Tighter" Waist

A lot of people yearn for a smaller and tighter waist or a flatter stomach. This seems to be an especially important goal for women when starting a weight loss program.

Unfortunately, most people have very weak abdominal and core muscles. Your core muscles consist of all the muscles within the trunk of your body. This includes the muscles in the abdomen, mid and lower back, hips and neck. Strong core muscles are essential for most balance and movement. The most common physical effects of a weak core is a hunched posture and back problems.

Of interest for a tighter waist or a flat stomach are the abdominal muscles. A lot of people could be having protruding stomachs attributed to weak abdominal muscles. This is simply a problem of the abdominal core muscles not being able to hold the entire contents (organs and intestines) of the abdomen firmly enough. Its just like a flimsy plastic bag bulging in all directions when trying to hold the contents that are within it. One may not even have excess fat and yet the stomach protrusion can be very obvious.

The Transverse Abdominis Muscle

Trunk Muscles

The transverse abdominis or TVA, is an abdominal muscle whose function amongst others, is to stabilize the spine and firmly hold the contents of your abdomen in place. This is the innermost muscle in the group of flat abdominal muscles. It is placed beneath the internal oblique muscles. The TVA helps to provide stability in the thoracic and pelvic areas. It is also happens to be the primary muscle helping a pregnant woman deliver her child.

When adequately strengthened, it also helps to keep the waist nicely tucked in. It is important to emphasize that this muscle is below the fatty layer of the stomach. All this muscle helps to do is to prevent your organs and intestines from bulging out due to lax muscles. It does not do anything for the fatty layer under the skin. Fat must still be burnt via a caloric deficit.

How to Strengthen the TVA and Flattening Your Stomach

Transversus abdominus muscle


While the TVA works in unison with other core muscles for any core exercise, it is difficult to target as it is an internal muscle. As such one needs to perform a more targeted exercise. This is an exercise that you can do anytime or anywhere, even as you read this article.

Here are the 3 steps to train the TVA with the vacuum exercise;
  • SUCK your stomach in by exhaling all the air out of your lungs and bringing your navel as close as possible to your spine,
  • Hold each contraction for up to 30 seconds.
  • Do at least 3 contractions up to 3 times a day
That’s all it takes! Because the nature of this muscle, it can be trained every day at any time. If you are religious in doing this day in day out, your waist will shrink, because of the tighter TVA muscles.

Most people have never even heard of this exercise, yet it was a staple in Arnold's training, and every pro bodybuilders since. It's one of less glamorous moves that can have a large impact on your body shape. You don’t need any special ab-exercisers nor do you need any special guidance or training. All you need to do is to diligently perform the 3 steps above. I am not a believer of spot training as a means of fat removal. Fat is stored in layers and can only be burnt off. But this exercise certainly can help to strengthen lax TVA muscles which help to firmly keep the contents of the abdomen in.

Problem with other abdominal exercises

Traditional exercises that work the rectus abdominis muscles or your 6 pack muscles cannot ultimately give you a flat stomach as these muscles don’t have the function of holding the contents of your abdomen. That's one of the reasons that otherwise lean people can still have a bulge at or slightly below the wast line. A strong and firm TVA will firmly keep all the abdominal contents within the abdomen and thus giving the appearance of a flat stomach. Sort of like standing straighter and holding your stomach in, except now it is holding itself in. For a firm stomach one needs to train the rectus abdominis via the various abdominal exercises and the TVA with the vacuum exercise.

There is one caveat here. If you have a whole layer of fat in your abdominals, don’t expect this exercise to get rid of it.

While it may shrink the waist slightly, it will not burn fat. As I have said before, the only way to get fat out of the body is by burning it by a proper regime of exercise and nutrition.
Bodybuilding.com


This site is solely for informational and educational purposes. It is not intended as medical advice.
Consult a physician before beginning any new exercise, nutrition or supplementation program....Disclaimer

Copyright 2007-2008 Steve R. Robbins. All rights reserved.
Web Hosting Companies