In fitness I know that one of the biggest concerns people have are their waistline. I get it, of course. But aesthetics aside, another extremely prevalent problem is low back pain. THAT aside, most people don’t know how to engage their core well enough to put stability or power behind any of their movements. The transverse abdominus or the TVA is the single most important muscle in the body, with regards to fitness, and probably the most often neglected.
I encourage ALL of my clients to learn how to do the stomach vacuum from the very beginning. Not only will it make you stronger in everything else you do, but activating the TVA is truly the most effective way to “suck” your stomach in and cinch the waistline. Here’s a video on how it’s done and it’s different approaches:
How to do the stomach vacuum
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The best time to perform this exercise is in the morning when you wake up, while your stomach is still empty.
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As a beginner try to complete 3 sets of 10 seconds, 3 times throughout the day.