How to exercise to get a nice waistline without expanding your abdominal muscles and not optically widening it? I am short (154 cm), BMI is normal (around 22-23), but my waist is 83cm! It is too much for such a short stature. I would like to slim my waist by about 10-15 cm without losing weight in the hips and bust. Is it possible?
Slimming the waist requires a very specific training program. In most cases, enlarged waist circumference is the result of weakening of the abdominal muscles (rectus abdominis, external and internal obliques, and the transverse abdominal muscle) and the deposition of fat in this area of the body. This is because weak muscles are unable to hold the internal organs in place, pushing the abdomen out. Your BMI is normal, but take it easy and without worrying about your he alth, you can lower it to 20-21. In practice, this means losing weight. You should not be afraid of expanding the abdominal muscles because it is a very difficult process and requires many months of training with heavy loads. To get a flat stomach, you can use isometric exercises, i.e. exercises in which the length of the muscle does not change during work. These types of exercises are used in the following classes: Pilates, Yoga, Fitball or a he althy spine. I encourage you to visit a fitness club in your area and participate in such activities. A sensational exercise is the so-called "plank" - lying in a support (ang: plank or side plank). It forces us to tighten the deep abdominal muscles, pelvic floor muscles and buttocks. Do this exercise every morning and / or evening. Start in the most basic position, which is with your knees on the floor. At the beginning, one series of 15-30 seconds is more than enough. Then start increasing the time until you reach the point where you can hold out for about one minute. This will be a sign that your muscles are ready for a bigger challenge. Then start doing the same exercise with only two points of support this time: the toes and the forearms. The next step will be to increase the number of series to 3-4, each series should last more than 1 minute. Some technical tips. Raise your hips high so that your entire body forms a line parallel to the floor. Remember to tighten the abdominal muscles very strongly, suck in the navel and tighten the muscles of the buttocks.This will stabilize your pelvis and spine, which in turn will help you avoid pain in the lumbar spine. Of course, you can also add all kinds of abdominal bends and tense, but remember to do them in long series until you are no longer able to continue this exercise, then you will not be in danger of abdominal muscle growth. I also recommend you additional aerobic activity, thanks to which you will burn excess body fat and slim the waist even more. Unfortunately, in many cases, the decrease in the amount of adipose tissue is reflected in a reduction in the size of the breasts. However, this is not necessarily the case. Good luck to you and remember to further limit the high-calorie foods in your daily diet. This will surely accelerate your achievement of the goal you set.
Remember that our expert's answer is informative and will not replace a visit to the doctor.
Michał JanikA graduate of the Academy of Physical Education in Warsaw - he graduated from the specialization of Sport Manager, Instructor of Movement Recruitment - Fitness specialization and Sports Instructor with specialization in Bodybuilding. He has been working in the fitness industry for over ten years. During this period, he gained experience in many Warsaw clubs by conducting aerobics classes and personal training. Currently, it inspires club members to a he althy lifestyle in the network of Holmes Place clubs and raises the qualifications of personal trainers.
Hobbies: dietetics, psychology, skiing, volleyball, tennis, squash, running
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