Before becoming governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger was known as The Austrian Oak. He was huge. During his heyday as a bodybuilder, they stood five times Mr. Universe and six times Mr. Olympia 6 feet three, weighed between 225 and 235 pounds and had a 22-inch biceps, a 57-inch chest and 28.5-pound thighs. And his waist; can you guess?
Only 30 inches.
Like many old bodybuilders, Schwarzenegger got the hourglass-shaped upper body with a special technique based on a common position used in physics competition in the 1970s, known as the “vacuum position”. Bodybuilders like Frank Zane, Lee Haney, Arnold and others would suck in the stomach to emphasize the chest in competition. But the vacuum pose is a good exercise for the rest of us, even if we only pose in front of the bathroom mirror. The exercise, called “stomach vacuum” or more precisely, “inner-ab vacuum” has been credited for relieving back pain, strengthening the core and reducing the waist by an inch or more in as little as three weeks.
“Your inner-ab muscles, called transverse abdomen, act as a natural weight belt, like the type you see workers wearing in Home Depot, explains exercise researchers Ellington Darden, Ph.D., a pioneer in the Nautilus Training System. “When you contract the muscles that lie horizontally deep below your abdomen, the internal abdominal pressure increases to support your spine.”
Related: This simple trick is the key to better workouts, experts say.
These muscles are also responsible for good posture and for keeping your organs in place. So by reinforcing them, you automatically pull your stomach up and back and reduce its visible size.
Darden says doing this simple move a few times a day, in addition to a strength training program and a healthy diet, can help anyone trim their waist size. Darden devotes an entire chapter to the narrow technology in his book Flat stomach breakthrough for women. Here is an abbreviated instruction. Read on, and for more on healthy eating, do not miss 15 underrated weight loss tips that actually work.
Having an empty stomach helps you perform the movement correctly. When lying on your back, place your hands on the bottom of your chest, at the top of your abdominal muscles. Breathe normally and blow out as much air as possible for about 8 seconds.
Suck in the stomach (this is the vacuum movement) as far as you can use only your inner abdominal muscles. In other words, do not breathe air into the lungs to help during this process; use only your abdominal muscles. Done right, it should feel like you are trying to suck your navel in the spine.
You will not be able to hold this position for very long. But try for 8 to 10 seconds. You should feel and see a concave formation under your ribs. Then release and breathe. Try the vacuum several times while lying down. “If you experience a little dizziness, it’s normal,” says Darden. “Just rest a little longer between attempts.”
Now that you have slowed down, stand up and move in front of a mirror to test the vacuum. Due to gravity, the internal vacuum movement is more difficult to do in a standing position. But with a little practice, you will be able to master it. Practice this for 10 or 15 minutes a day for three days in a row to make the transition to muscle memory. Related: The perfect time to exercise every day, says a new study.
Darden asks his trainees to perform the internal vacuum twice before each meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Why? First, it is a simple schedule to remember. Doing it before a meal is also an effective way to make you more aware of your stomach and what you put in it just before you eat, says Darden. Speaking of lunch … check out the 20 best lunch habits to drop 10 pounds.
