12 hypopressive exercises: much more than gymnastics

no air in the lungs

Caufriez and his collaborators have carried out scientific studies on how these exercises, which they are practiced with the lungs empty of airstrengthen the muscles of inspiration and expiration, solving many cases of asthma and improving the use of oxygen.

To the relieve pelvic floor pressurealso blood flow is increased and sensations in the genital area, which improves sexual relations.

Néstor Serra, a professional certified by Caufriez, explains: “Practically all daily activities and sports increase abdominal pressure. Thus, together with the excessive sedentary lifestyle, the muscles of the abdominal girdle lose tone. It does not support the displacement of organs that cause these activities and the structures that have the function of ensure body stabilityurination and sexual function are damaged.

With hypopressive exercises this pressure is reduced, since they are performed without air in the lungs, thereby reducing thoracic, abdominal and pelvic pressure. “In each one of them, they hold in apnea for between 8 and 12 seconds,” adds Caufriez. “A suction is felt as if air were being taken in through the vagina or anus and, involuntarily, the muscle fibers in these areas are activated and toned.”

The suction effect

The exercises are always performed in a stretching posture, stretching the spine, neck and cervicals well, and placing the chin inward, which generates a kind of double chin. The weight of the body has to move forward, on the balls of the feet.

The arrangement of the arms and hands facilitates the opening of the ribs to hold apnea for as long as possible. The maximum separation of the scapulae is sought by pushing the elbows outwards. This creates tension in the biceps and triceps with the heels of the hands facing down and the fingers together pointing toward the head.

After exhaling all the air through the mouth by exhaling forcefully, the glottis is blocked, the abdominal muscles relax, and the ribs open. In this way it is produced a suction effect and the belly rises visibly due to the decrease in internal pressure. After holding the apnea for between 8 and 12 seconds, he inhales and exhales again.

Good professional advice is important for the coach to make a prior assessment of the tonicity of the Abdominal girdle and the pelvic floor. To do this, eight validated tests are used through ultrasound that quantify the hypotonia of these two areas. For example, if when you cough your belly goes out instead of going in, it is a sign that the abdominal belt is not fulfilling its function.

To notice the effects of the hypopressive method, about two months of training are required.

How long does it take to notice the benefits?

To notice the effects of the hypopressive method, about two months of well-executed practice are required, a period that can reach up to six months in some cases. Constancy is basic: each session should last about 20 minuteswith a frequency of two days a week in the first month.

It is recommended to increase the frequency until you do the exercises daily in the following months. At the end of this period of reprogramming of the abdominal belt, the tests are also carried out. Group classes usually last 30 minutes and it is recommended to attend at least twice a week and also practice at home.

Internal organs more protected

This method constitutes an excellent basis for safely carrying out any type of physical activity, since it acts on the manometric abdominal strap, which goes from the waist and surrounds the entire abdomen below the navel. This girth suffers many strains, especially in women during pregnancy, a process that leaves these abdominal muscles separated by the so-called linea alba.

He hypopressive method manages to correct this separation by working exclusively on this abdominal area without adding pressure and elevating all the organs. The abdominal girdle function It can be divided into three levels of action, as if it were a ladder in which the second rung cannot be accessed if the first has not been climbed first.

on the first level the protection function of internal organs is ensured and the twitch response to increases in intra-abdominal pressure. At a second level there is stability to the area and a correct transmission of forces between the extremities and the center of the body is provided. Finally, work elements are incorporated where the abdominal muscles generate movement.

a better posture

In the event that the abdominal strap cannot ensure the first function, this movement weakens the structures, which can generate a abdominal hernia, inguinal, umbilical and even vaginal. “Hypopressive exercises work so that this first link does not fail. It is about the healthier abs because they tone the abdominal girdle and at the same time protect the back. Postural improvement is achieved in a month of hypopressive exercises which is verified in the repositioning of the projection of the axis of gravity and the reduction of the lumbar and cervical curvature and of the dorsal kyphosis”, explains Néstor Serra.

The feeling of postural comfort increases significantly. Furthermore, thanks to the pneumotaxic excitationthe respiratory center that controls all the muscles involved in breathing, a segregation of dopamine (natural morphine of the body) and a normalization of muscular and corporal tensions, which has just been enhanced with a relaxing visualization that is carried out at the end of each session.