When it comes to fitness, my most requested topic is about my number one core workout; stomach vacuuming. I’m constantly getting questions about how to perform this exercise, how often you should do it, is it safe for postpartum and more, so this post will answer it all!
First things first, let’s talk about WHY this exercise is so important. Stomach Vacuuming not only helps to trim your waistline, but it also strengthens your transverse abdominals, which is a crucial part of your core that is often missed during typical core exercises.
Why do we even care about the transverse abdominals? They are known as stabilizer muscles and they protect everything that is found in our midsection.
(Plus, it’s a killer workout that will leave you feeling the burn)
So, how do you do it? Well, there are two different ways to practice stomach vacuuming.
If you’re a beginner and have never practiced Stomach Vacuuming before, here it is broken down into a few steps.
- Lay down on the floor on your back with your knees up and feet on the floor
- Roll your hips forward
- Contract your stomach down towards your belly button
- BREATHE
You can also do this from a table top position.
Get into tabletop position and from there into cow pose. Focus on contracting your belly button to your spine and hold.
Watch my full “How to Stomach Vacuum” Tutorial Below that shows you how to do this core workout in more detail.
If you’re wondering about frequency as a beginner, start practicing three times a week, holding each time for at least 30 seconds.
Once you get the hang of this and really nail your form down, continue to build your strength until you can do it daily! Aim for at least three sets every morning or evening of at least 45 seconds. The beautiful thing about stomach vacuuming is it’s the perfect beginner core workout that you can do at home or at the gym.
I also get new mama’s asking about whether they can do this postpartum and the answer is, YES! It’s especially good for mamas who are postpartum because first, it doesn’t take a lot of time to do this in the morning or before bed and it will really help heal your core after giving birth.
Once you have mastered the basics of stomach vacuuming and feel confident in how to do it properly you can begin to add dynamic/compound movements to your workouts where you are stomach vacuuming at the same time. These are definitely for people that are looking for a more advanced core workout.
This will not only burn more calories, but it also engages your core and other muscle groups, including your stabilizers. This is important for two things; preventing injury and building a strong core overall.
Here is a full example of how you can get the best core workout into your routine while also practicing stomach vacuuming (you’re going to want to save this one for later).
Please remember that if you are starting out with the exercise to take it slow, practice and make sure your spine is aligned.
I will always recommend stomach vacuuming as the top exercise to train your core because it is a more functional ab movement and rather than training one or two core muscles, it trains your entire core.
Here is another more advanced workout for those who have been practicing – and this one is standing!
On another note when it comes to trimming your waist. Something that I tell people to avoid if you want to trim your waist are any twisting movements with weights like side to sides, russian twists, and hip dips.
Instead, go for the stomach vacuuming exercise. Why? Because it is a full core workout. Rather than working smaller muscles throughout the core, this will help you achieve your waistline goals way faster than basic ab movements.
Twisting will target the external obliques and can cause them to bulk up. This causes a thicker waistline. Doing ab exercises that target the internal obliques and transverse abdomens will trim the waist!
Here are these workouts in a video so you can see just what I’m talking about
Remember, consistency is key, so make sure to keep up with your sessions and before you know it, you’ll have those abs you’ve always wanted.
If you’re looking for more videos, head to my Instagram Guide that has all of the videos on this movement and some other great educational workouts that are easy to mix into your routine.
If you’re looking for any workout fit details, most of them are from amazon and if not they’re always from Buff Bunny. Plus I have this full blog post on affordable workout clothing and the shoes that I LIVE by when it comes to fitness.
