Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow to Do ThemBenefitsBefore StartingAfter StartingWho Is It Not Right For?
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How to Do Them
Benefits
Before Starting
After Starting
Who Is It Not Right For?
Continue reading to learn more about the stomach vacuum workout and why you may want to integrate it into your fitness routine.
Stomach Vacuum and Diaphragmatic BreathingBoth the stomach vacuum exercise anddiaphragmatic breathingchallenge you to engage your breaths and core differently. However, diaphragmatic breathing—which expands the belly outward—is focused on your lungs and diaphragm.The stomach vacuum exercise—which pulls the belly in—engages your transverse abdominis, part of the six muscles that make up your abs. If you’re doing the stomach vacuum correctly, it’s about more than just exhaling or sucking in—your stomach moves because you’re contracting your muscles.
Stomach Vacuum and Diaphragmatic Breathing
Both the stomach vacuum exercise anddiaphragmatic breathingchallenge you to engage your breaths and core differently. However, diaphragmatic breathing—which expands the belly outward—is focused on your lungs and diaphragm.The stomach vacuum exercise—which pulls the belly in—engages your transverse abdominis, part of the six muscles that make up your abs. If you’re doing the stomach vacuum correctly, it’s about more than just exhaling or sucking in—your stomach moves because you’re contracting your muscles.
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How to Do Stomach Vacuum Exercises
Anecdotally, the most helpful cue many people use when learning the stomach vacuums exercise is to pull your belly button to your spine. You can also think about how your body reacts when you enter a cold lake or swimming pool—most people contract their transverse abdominis without even thinking about it in response to frigid water.
Here is how people say to perform the stomach vacuum ab exercise in four positions, from easiest to most difficult:
Lying Stomach Vacuum
Lower Back PainIf you have lower back pain, you may have to slightly modify these exercises to avoid rounding your back or crunching forward. Discuss with a healthcare provider how to do these exercises if you have back issues.
Lower Back Pain
If you have lower back pain, you may have to slightly modify these exercises to avoid rounding your back or crunching forward. Discuss with a healthcare provider how to do these exercises if you have back issues.
Hands and Knees
The next progression of the exercise is to do an ab vacuum while on your hands and knees. Here’s how.
Kneeling Ab Vacuum
The final variation is to do the exercise kneeling or standing.
Standing Ab Vacuum
The most challenging way to do the ab vacuum is while standing.
Benefits of Stomach Vacuum Workout
The stomach vacuum engages your transverse abdominis. This muscle runs from your ribs to your pelvis, wrapping from front to back. It supports your core in the same way that wearing a supportive belt can.
Having a strong transverse abdominis can have these benefits:
Before Starting Stomach Vacuum Exercises
Before starting stomach vacuum exercises, learn how to recognize your transverse abdominis. When you do the ab exercise, the muscle should contract away from your fingers. It wraps around the area from the ribs down to the pelvis, much like a large belt.
Many exercise programs, including yoga, pilates, and bodybuilding, use the stomach vacuum exercise, sometimes called a hollow body hold. If you’re nervous about getting started, consider taking a class with a fitness professional who can guide you through the move.
After Starting Stomach Vacuum Exercises
When you get started with the stomach vacuum exercise, you may feel some pain or tightness in your core. That’s normal, since your muscles aren’t used to being engaged in this way. However, stop if you have any pain, including in your lower back, or changes to your mobility.
Recovery Time
One of the benefits of the stomach vacuum exercise is that you can do it anywhere, at any time. However, if you’re experiencing muscle soreness, you may want to do the exercise every other day to begin. This will give your muscles time to recover between sets.
Should Anyone Not Do Stomach Vacuum Exercises?
The stomach vacuum exercise is generally safe. As with any other exercise program, it’s always good to talk with a healthcare provider or fitness professional before beginning a new exercise.
Summary
The stomach vacuum is an exercise that’s had a lot of attention on social media lately. However, this way of engaging the transverse abdominis is nothing new. Fitness professionals have long used the exercise, sometimes called a hollow body hold, to increase core strength and stability, while protecting the lower back and spine. Incorporating the stomach vacuum into your days can help keep you strong and healthy.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Harvard Health Publishing.Learning diaphragmatic breathing.Lee J seok, Kim T ho, Kim D yeon, Shim J ho, Lim J yong.Effects of selective exercise for the deep abdominal muscles and lumbar stabilization exercise on the thickness of the transversus abdominis and postural maintenance.J Phys Ther Sci. 2015;27(2):367-370. doi:10.1589/jpts.27.367Selkow NM, Eck MR, Rivas S.Transversus abdominis activation and timing improves following core stability training: A randomized trial.Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2017;12(7):1048-1056. doi:10.26603/ijspt20171048Moghadam N, Ghaffari MS, Noormohammadpour P, et al.Comparison of the recruitment of transverse abdominis through drawing-in and bracing in different core stability training positions.J Exerc Rehabil. 2019;15(6):819-825. doi:10.12965/jer.1939064.352
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Harvard Health Publishing.Learning diaphragmatic breathing.Lee J seok, Kim T ho, Kim D yeon, Shim J ho, Lim J yong.Effects of selective exercise for the deep abdominal muscles and lumbar stabilization exercise on the thickness of the transversus abdominis and postural maintenance.J Phys Ther Sci. 2015;27(2):367-370. doi:10.1589/jpts.27.367Selkow NM, Eck MR, Rivas S.Transversus abdominis activation and timing improves following core stability training: A randomized trial.Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2017;12(7):1048-1056. doi:10.26603/ijspt20171048Moghadam N, Ghaffari MS, Noormohammadpour P, et al.Comparison of the recruitment of transverse abdominis through drawing-in and bracing in different core stability training positions.J Exerc Rehabil. 2019;15(6):819-825. doi:10.12965/jer.1939064.352
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Harvard Health Publishing.Learning diaphragmatic breathing.Lee J seok, Kim T ho, Kim D yeon, Shim J ho, Lim J yong.Effects of selective exercise for the deep abdominal muscles and lumbar stabilization exercise on the thickness of the transversus abdominis and postural maintenance.J Phys Ther Sci. 2015;27(2):367-370. doi:10.1589/jpts.27.367Selkow NM, Eck MR, Rivas S.Transversus abdominis activation and timing improves following core stability training: A randomized trial.Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2017;12(7):1048-1056. doi:10.26603/ijspt20171048Moghadam N, Ghaffari MS, Noormohammadpour P, et al.Comparison of the recruitment of transverse abdominis through drawing-in and bracing in different core stability training positions.J Exerc Rehabil. 2019;15(6):819-825. doi:10.12965/jer.1939064.352
Harvard Health Publishing.Learning diaphragmatic breathing.
Lee J seok, Kim T ho, Kim D yeon, Shim J ho, Lim J yong.Effects of selective exercise for the deep abdominal muscles and lumbar stabilization exercise on the thickness of the transversus abdominis and postural maintenance.J Phys Ther Sci. 2015;27(2):367-370. doi:10.1589/jpts.27.367
Selkow NM, Eck MR, Rivas S.Transversus abdominis activation and timing improves following core stability training: A randomized trial.Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2017;12(7):1048-1056. doi:10.26603/ijspt20171048
Moghadam N, Ghaffari MS, Noormohammadpour P, et al.Comparison of the recruitment of transverse abdominis through drawing-in and bracing in different core stability training positions.J Exerc Rehabil. 2019;15(6):819-825. doi:10.12965/jer.1939064.352
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