hypopressive abs at home

Although still not as popular as the Pilates methodhypopressive abdominal gymnastics has more and more followers and has already revolutionized the world of physiotherapy due to its enormous effectiveness when it comes to tone the deep abdominal muscles and the pelvic floor muscles.

It is the result of the investigations of the Belgian physiotherapist Marcel Caufriez at the end of the 80s, when this expert was looking for a method that would reduce intra-abdominal pressure and allow the recovery of damage caused by pregnancy and childbirthavoiding the numerous cases of urinary incontinence derived from these.

hypopressive abs: why they work

hypopressive gymnasticsfights abdominal flaccidity and increased volume or “tummy” which results from it.

It happens because everyone the exercises that compose it directly affect the abdominal manometric strap, which goes from the waist and surrounds the entire abdomen below the navel.

Like the pelvic floor muscles, the abdominal girth, both in men and women, weakens over time. His hypotonia manifests with a feeling of pressure in the lower abdomen and the appearance of an increase in volume in this area.

Specific after pregnancy the abdominal girth muscles are always open and separated. Hence, after childbirth, many women complain that, even without having gained weight, they have lost their waist and with more “belly” in the lower abdomen, a volume that they try to reduce through traditional sit-ups.

However only hypopressive gymnastics makes it possible to tighten the abdominal manometric girth again and tone it without the danger of harm the cervical and lumbar muscles and without increasing the pressure on the pelvic flooras it happens with the realization of the traditional abdominals.

After six months of 15 minute practice daily it is possible to reduce up to two holes in the belt.

hypopressive abs: the easiest and most effective exercise

To reduce the belly you can practice this highly effective hypopressive abdominal:

Stand with feet parallel and knees bentseparate the scapulae and empty all the air through the mouth.While holding your breath (apnea) and sinking your abdomen, slowly raise your arms maintaining maximum separation of the scapulae.

Here’s how to do your freediving well and contract your muscles while doing this exercise.

Hypopressive abdominals: how to do freediving well

The key to the effectiveness of hypopressive gymnastics is that it is performed in apnea, that is, without air in the lungs or abdomen..

Hypopressive gymnastics is performed with empty lungs. This, which entails considerable physical effort, not only reduces intra-abdominal and pelvic floor pressure, but also open the ribs well and mobilize the entire diaphragm.

Another of its benefits is increased flexibility of the breathing muscle and lung capacitysomething very useful in those who tend to breathe superficially.

To encourage this expansion, before you start it goes well disengage the ribs laterally by opening them with the hands (they put their fingers under them at the bottom) and perform the first exercises placing one hand on each side of the ribcage. This is how we make sure that it opens well in the exercises.

In all the exercises, all the air is first emptied through the mouth, the glottis is blocked, and the abdomen sinks. as much as possible, while opening the ribs to the maximum by separating the scapulae.

hypopressive abs: how to contract the muscles

The pelvic floor is a system of muscles and ligaments that close the floor of the abdomen. keeping the bladder, uterus or prostate and rectum in the correct position and suspended against the force of gravity.

Its weakening produces incontinence straining urinary, prolapses (fall and displacement of intra-abdominal organs) and sexual dysfunctions. Incontinence after childbirth affects around 30% of women and haemorrhoids 50% of pregnant women.

Imagine that the abdomen is a balloon and the pelvic floor is the lower part. and the weakest of that globe. Consequently, any increase in air pressure affects this part of the globe. It’s the same thing that happens to the pelvic floor.

Any activity we do during the dayfrom getting out of bed, walking, coughing, any physical exercise (cycling, running, swimming…) produces an increase in abdominal pressure and pressure on the pelvic floor muscles pushing it down.

The sports that involve jumpsthe hormonal changes of menopause, the genetic weakness in the pelvic floor muscles recorded by two out of ten women, the obesityhe constipationthe cough chronicle and the stressThey are other causes of weakening of this musculature.

Marcel Caufriez designed the hypopressive abdominal gymnastics exercises with the objective, not only to counteract this continuous pressure on the pelvic floor, but to raise it as much as possible.

his method, by emptying the lungs and releasing the abdomen from pressure exerts the descent of the diaphragm and part of the thoracic area, manages to raise all the muscles of the pelvic floor and the viscera that it holds.

The results can be spectacular: the organs can rise up to two centimeters, avoiding operations for prolapse of one, two and three degrees.

routine of 15 minutes a day of hypopressive exercises

Today this gymnastics, which requires practically no movement, It is also being successfully applied to back pain caused by postural problems.since it allows to work the back in a global way even when there is pain.Many daily activities, such as carrying weights, have a negative impact on the lower backespecially if there is hypotonia in the abdominal area.

Hypopressive gymnastics exercises tone the superficial and deep muscles that surround the spine and improve posture. In addition, when carried out blocking the movement of the lumbar spine can be recommended even when there is pain.

Hypopressive gymnastics can be recommended at any age. It is only contraindicated in cases of hypertension, severe respiratory disorders, traumatic pathologies (knee or hip replacement) and in diaphragm dysfunctions.

Each exercise proposes a global work, coordinating muscles that are functionally grouped in muscle chains.

The following test can be carried out to check the close relationship between certain muscles.

Standing, with feet together, lower the entire trunk until it touches the balls of the feet. with your hands always keeping your knees straight. See how far you go.

Now return to the starting position and open your mouth as wide as you can, keeping it wide open for at least 15 seconds, thereby maximally tensing the sternocleidomastoid and moving the lower jaw forward.

Again lower the trunk and place the hands on the floor as far as possible keeping your knees straight. Surely this time you have been able to get a little lower.

And it is that the chewing muscles stretch the hamstring muscles or posterior thigh muscles.

In the same way, the separation of the scapulae increases the toning of the abdominals. that’s why it’s so important to maintain separation of the scapulae: in this way the muscles of the manometric girth can be brought together much more.

There are between 10 and 12 basic exercises and more than a hundred variants. It is recommended to learn them in a specialized center to master the technique well with six classes of about 45 minutes.

Once the learning is done, the exercises are very easy to practice at home or anywhere else. You can choose the most comfortable ones, since they all allow you to obtain similar benefits.

There are exercises to be done sitting, standing or on all fours on the floor, but some can even be done lying down in bed. 15 minutes a day is enough of practice to get all the benefits of this new global gymnastics.

These are some of the hypopressive gymnastics exercises that you can practice at home. You can choose the one that is most comfortable, because they all allow you to obtain benefits similar at the level of improved posture and abdominal and pelvic floor toning.

But each of them affects a little more on a certain area of the body. In addition to doing the hypopressive abdominal exercise that we have advanced, complete your hypopressive routine with these exercises:

TO STRENGTHEN THE PELVIC FLOOR

Sitting, simply supporting the seat bones on the chair (the pelvic bones), the legs are kept in a 90 degree flexion and feet in “flex”that is, with the ankles stretched and tip from the feet looking at the ceiling.

then the scapulae are separated by placing the hands in front of the chest, all the air is emptied from the lungs, the abdomen is drawn in and held the position until you have the need to catch air.

to IMPROVE THE TONE OF THE LEGS

Standing, the knees are flexed about 60 degrees.as if we wanted to sit in an imaginary chair.

The entire weight of the body is thrown forward and they are placed the hands almost on the thighs but without supporting them.

To the bring the weight of the body to the balls of the feetthe lumbars and the entire spine are placed in line with the head.

Then the scapulae are separated and apnea is performed.. Hold your breath keeping the abdomen in as much as possible. Breathe and repeat the exercise.

to WORK THE ARMS

Lying face up on the floor on a soft surface, the left leg is slightly flexed resting the ankle on the ground and the fingers pointing to the ceiling.

Right leg is raised to maintain 90 degree hip flexion and a knee flexion also of 90 degrees, with the foot well stretched.

The right arm now approaches the flexed knee and the left arm is raised 180 degrees bending the palm of the hand up.

In this position, the scapulae are well separated, all air is emptied from the lungs, the glottis is blocked, and the breath is held sinking the abdomen to the maximum and opening the ribs well. It is repeated on the other side.

to TAKE CARE OF THE BACK POSTURE

Stand with feet parallel and knees slightly bentare placed hands on hips.

The weight of the body is carried on the balls of the feet.the scapulae are separated and all the air is emptied.

The ribs open laterally and the abdomen sinks.