Often
known as the "pooch" belly
(I have no idea why), you can also
call this "protruding inferior
abdominal syndrome" if you want
to make up a more scientific sounding
name for it :)
The
pooch belly is the bulge in the lower
ab area that seems to happen to most
people...and even in people with low
bodyfat AND in people who train the
area directly.
This
can be a really tough area to flatten
out, if you don't know exactly how
to go about doing it. Electric ab
belts aren't going to do it...sorry
to burst your bubble. Those things
won't even hold up your pants.
So
here's how to get rid of your pooch
belly...
It's
a very simple, very easy exercise
that involves very little actual movement,
strangley enough. The key is in WHERE
and HOW the movement takes place.
You have to feel the right muscles
working in order to get the desired
effect out of this one.
I have
to give credit to former Mr. Olympia
Larry Scott for this one...and my
dad for telling me about it. The first
time I tried it I could really feel
it targeting the exact area and in
the exact manner that I knew would
get the job done and flatten out the
lower ab "pooch" area (yeah,
I can't believe I'm using that word
either but you have to admit, when
I say, you know exactly what I'm talking
about :).
What
this exercise is going to do is tighten
up the muscles underneath the pooch
area, pulling them back into better
alignment and basically teaching the
body how to keep that area flat.
Naturally,
if you're got a big, fat gut, you
won't really notice a big difference
by doing this. It's not going to burn
any appreciable fat by itself, so
you have to do it context of an overal
fat-reduction program, if you really
want to notice the best results with
it.
If
you're already fairly lean and you
still have that pooch belly, this
is the perfect exercise to help get
rid of it.
I'll
show you the exercise and tell you
how to work it into your overall training
schedule below.
Lie
flat on your back with your arms out
to the sides and flat on the floor
for balance. Your hips should be bent
90 degress and your knees bent 90
degrees, with your left foot crossed
over your right foot to "lock
in" the lower abs (cross at the
ankles).
You'll
notice when your hips are 90 degrees,
your lower back is not flat on the
floot, due to it's natural arch. THAT
is the key thing to think about.
The
movement itself is simply flattening
out the lower back and bringing your
knees towards your chest by focusing
on tightening the extreme lower abdominal
area. There is very little resistance
in this exercise and you don't NEED
significant resistance...just repeat
this movement doing about one rep
per second.
You'll
repeat this for 10 reps with your
left leg higher then switch and put
your right foot over top to keep it
even. Do this for 100 total reps,
switching the feet every 10 reps.
It's
a little tough to see the difference
in position in still pictures, so
I've got a rollover image below -
just move your mouse on and off the
picture below here and you'll see
it in motion (also I've got a demo
video below, too, which will help
you see the tempo of the exercise).
The
key to remember here is you're not
trying to do a full leg raise...just
bring your hips to 90 degrees and
then bring your lower back flat on
the floor then repeat. Focus on using
the extreme lower ab area to make
this movement happen...not the hip
flexors. It might take a bit of practice,
but the results are worth it.
You'll
need to do this exercise regularly...and
that means pretty much every day as
a habit...to really see the difference,
but it WILL happen. The good thing
is, this exercise is VERY easy and
won't impact your recovery in any
way, shape or form. You can do it
in the privacy of your own home (just
make sure you're on a solid surface
when you do it - no water beds :)
Give
this one a few weeks of regular use
and you should see that pooch belly
flattening out nicely.
