The lesson of anatomy
The abdominal press consists of the outer and inner oblique muscles (they create the lateral bends of your waist), the transverse abdominal and rectus muscles, which is responsible for the shape of the front wall and is the "calling card" of your abdomen. Normally, the anterior wall only protrudes slightly forward, and the abdomen remains flat. However, after such tests as childbirth, or because of the lack of regular training, the muscles of the press cease to keep in shape, the belly protrudes, or as if it hangs. The picture is aggravated and fatty deposits. A healthy woman "has the right" to 23-24% of the mass fraction of fat, while half of it accumulates in the abdomen, buttocks and thighs. And getting rid of them is not easy: working out the press requires a lot of effort and patience. The struggle for an ideal press is impossible without control over nutrition. "If you want your belly to look taut, pay attention to your diet. Problems of the stomach and start with the stomach. Reduce portions, do not drink a lot of liquid at one time. A large volume stretches the stomach, it presses against the abdominal wall and worsens the appearance of the stomach.
Features of the structure
First of all, due to anatomy: our rectus abdominis is full only from the sternum to the navel. Below it becomes thin and weak, with a large content of connective fibers, which practically do not lend themselves to "pumping". Women are by nature not allowed to have such a strong press, like men. Our stomach is not designed for global muscle work, such as lifting weights, but for bearing children. The straight muscle of the female abdomen should be both strong and elastic, to hold the fruit, not experiencing it.
Low sensitivity of abdominal muscles
Protecting women from monthly pain, the brain weakens the connection of this zone with the central nervous system, and the training of the press becomes a difficult task, requiring a long effort. Finally, another factor - the muscles of the press are quickly restored, therefore, the result of even the most intense training can "resolve" in a short time. It is enough to stop training the press for a month or two, and the ideal form is lost. And if you add to this the violations in the diet ... By the way, it is the lack of systematic training and balanced nutrition is often due to the presence of "tummy" in skinny girls by nature. They just do not bother about it. As a result, the press weakens, and the internal organs, to which not much space is allocated (a narrow basin), begin to press from the inside onto the abdominal wall, as if pushing it forward. But this problem is solved: if you will systematically train, then the stomach will gradually "go away." Load the muscles of the press at least three times a week, ideally - every day.
A beautiful belly is impossible without proper posture
With a stoop, the muscles of the press are reduced and even compressed. Therefore, during training, the abdomen and back are trying to strengthen in parallel, performing exercises that help to tilt the pelvis back to normal, expand the scapula, open the chest and stretch the muscles of the press. Yoga can help you in this. Two powerful factors affecting the shape of the abdomen are age and pregnancy.
Age
The older we become, the more slowly metabolism slows down; decreases the number of growth hormones that are responsible for the preservation of muscles, and with them the amount of muscle fibers responsible for the force. Every 10 years a woman loses an average of 1.5 kg of muscle mass. Therefore, to keep the press strong, and the belly beautiful, work it will have a large number of repetitions. It is important to remember that with age, the process of recovery after training is not so fast, therefore it is necessary to do no more than 2-3 times a week. And that the number of calories that you need daily, is now 400 less than in your younger years.
Pregnancy
During pregnancy with the abdominal muscles there are major changes: they are very stretched. But they contract after birth not immediately, therefore, for some time (which depends on the course of pregnancy and childbirth, on the original muscle strength), the stomach remains flabby and has the shape of a "bag". However, experts warn that it is not worth hurrying with training. To resume active employment by fitness with the consent of physicians it is possible only later 3 months after sorts. Before that, if you did not have a cesarean section, the breathing exercises will help to train the press (inhale the belly, inhale as much as possible, repeat several times a day 10-12 times).
All exercises for the press are divided into three groups:
1) on the upper part (straight muscle is strengthened),
2) on the lower part (straight and transverse),
3) on the lateral zones (oblique muscles).
In the first and second cases, as a rule, you perform various twisting, bending the spine and lifting the upper part of the body with the legs fixed or vice versa. To engage the oblique muscles in work, perform slopes, cross arms and legs lifts, circular torso rotations. However, in the process of training the whole press works like a well-coordinated mechanism in which it is impossible to completely isolate the work of some "details" and not to involve others. In the struggle for a flat stomach, concentrate, first of all, on a straight muscle. It is one of the largest and most powerful muscles of the body. And it is she who most often loses elasticity and sags, making the belly ugly. The oblique muscles form lateral bends of the body, making us more feminine, but to work through them, it is necessary with caution: if you overdo it, you can expand your waist. But to make it thinner, if by nature it itself is short and wide, with the help of fitness is unlikely to work. All that is possible in this situation is simply to remove the fat from the stomach. An indication that you correctly load the muscles of the press is the burning sensation that arises in them on the last repetitions of the exercise. If you do not, you're wasting your time. Increase the load and again check the technique of doing the exercises. With some diseases, work on the ideal form of the abdomen is simply impossible. Contraindications are any surgical interventions (postoperative and rehabilitation periods), hernia (umbilical, inguinal). It is impossible to work out the press even with certain diseases of the internal organs. And with caution - with intervertebral hernias.
Giant work
The best training for the press is a giant set. Several homogeneous exercises are performed one after another, without stopping. Include in it, for example, can be straight and reverse twisting, V-twisting and "bicycle". Perform them at a fast pace and with the maximum number of repetitions, resting after each set one minute. At the end of such a "marathon" the press should just burn. The only condition is that you need to be prepared for such a load. To the giant set should be approached gradually, gradually increasing the intensity of the classes. Choose the load, focusing on your physical condition, and do not forget that the recovery after training should be at least 24 hours.
Follow the technique
To work on the press does not require burdens: it's enough for your body weight. But it is necessary to perform the exercises technically very accurately. The most common error when working on the press is the load on the muscles of other parts of the body. While doing the exercises, exclude the muscles of the buttocks and the shoulder girdle from the work, do not pull yourself by the neck, do not swing your legs. Only the press works!
Do not stop
With proper training and observance of rational nutrition, the stomach significantly changes for the better after a month and a half or two months. But to maintain a form and achieve the ideal will have to constantly: a flat stomach - not a one-time action, but a way of life. And get used to living with a belly!
Breathe correctly
The second important subtlety is proper breathing. Exhalation needs to be done at the end point of the movement: this gives the muscles a full load and makes the training effective. If you come to a peak, already exhaling all the air, the press does not tighten up to the end.
Make a variety of exercises
About once a month, try to change the set of exercises, so that the muscles of the press do not have time to adapt to the monotonous load. It would be nice to supplement them with such classical Pilates exercises as "hundred" and "bar" and training on unstable surfaces. Fans of dances will be helped by Belly Dance with twists, waves and "blows" in the belly.