Hipopressive gymnastics, also known as hipopressive abdominal, is great for toning the abdominal muscles, and is especially suitable for people who suffer from back pain and can not do the traditional and postpartum abdominal abs.
In addition to strengthening the abdomen, the hipopressive method also fights urinary and fecal incontinence, improves body posture, cures genital prolapse, and improves bowel function.
The advantages of hypopressive gymnastics are due to the difference of pressure that exits in the abdomen during the exercise and also the absence of movements with the spine. As these spine-sparing exercises can be performed even in case of herniated disc, contributing to your treatment.
This video shows you exactly how to do this exercise:
When will I see the results?
These exercises can be performed for 20 minutes to 1 hour, 3 to 5 times a week so your results can be observed. When performing about 20 minutes per week should be observed the reduction of waist and the decrease of symptoms of urinary incontinence. In 6 to 8 weeks it should be possible to see a reduction of 2 to 10 cm from the waist and greater ease to perform the exercises.
After 12 weeks you should go into the maintenance phase, doing 20 minutes a week before the usual workout but for better results it is advised to do 20 minutes to 1 hour 2 times a week in the first month and 3 to 4 times a week from the 2nd month.
How to do hipopressive gym at home
To do hipopressive gym at home one should start slowly, paying close attention to how exercise should be performed. The ideal is to start the series lying down and then progress to sitting and then leaning forward.
Hypopressive gymnastics consists of:
- Breathe in normally and let the air out completely until the abdomen begins to contract on its own and then 'shrinks', sucking the abdominal muscles inwardly, as if it were to touch the navel in the back.
- This contraction should be maintained for 10 to 20 seconds initially and over time, increasing the time gradually, remaining as long as possible without breathing.
- After the pause, fill your lungs with air and relax completely, returning to normal breathing.
Now that you know how to perform the diaphragmatic contraction, do the following exercises:
Exercise 1: Lying Down
Lying down on your belly, with your legs bent and your arms along your body, follow the instructions above. To begin, do 3 repetitions of this exercise.
Exercise 2: Sitting
In this exercise you should sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor or you can sit on the floor with your legs bent in the case of beginners and with your legs straight for the more experienced. Release the air completely and then 'suck' your belly in completely, breathing out for as long as you can.
Exercise 3: Leaning Forward
In the upright position, tilt your body forward, slightly bending your knees. Take a deep breath and as you let the air out, 'pull' the abdomen in, as well as the pelvic muscles, holding your breath for as long as you can.
Exercise 4: Kneeling on the floor
In the 4-position position, release all the air from the lungs and suck the belly in as much as you can and hold your breath for as long as you can.
There are still other postures that can be adopted to do this exercise such as in the standing position and 4 supports. Whenever you do a series of hypopressives you should vary the positions because it is normal for the person to be able to maintain the contraction for longer in one position than in another. And the best way to know which positions hold the contraction most effectively is to test each of them.
Caring for hipopressive gymnastics
Some important precautions to take when performing hipopressive gymnastics are:
- Do not do these exercises after eating;
- Always contract the pelvic muscles when shrinking the belly to the maximum;
- Do these exercises 3 to 5 times a week;
- Start the exercise program lightly with few contractions and increase the number of contractions gradually, respecting the limits of the body.
Those who practice these exercises regularly can observe their benefits in 4 weeks.
Does Hipopressive Abdominal Fat Slim?
To lose weight with this exercise you need to adjust your diet by reducing the consumption of foods rich in fat, sugar and calories and also spend more energy doing other exercises that burn fat like walking, running, cycling or rollerblading, for example.
This is because hipopressive gymnastics does not have a high caloric expenditure and therefore is not effective in burning fat and so only thin when these other strategies are adopted. However, these abs are excellent for defining and toning the abdomen, leaving the belly hard.
See other exercises that strengthen the abdomen without doing the traditional abs by clicking here.
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