Very interesting article in this week’s issue. I’m going to give it a shot for a month, doing the exercises every day and following the progression the author provided. We’ll see if my waist get smaller. I won’t radically change my diet, supplementation or weight training during this time. Anyone else want to be a lab rabbit with me? I start today (Saturday).
PS- Dig that picture of Frank Zane! I’d shit if I saw a waist like than on one of today’s bloated pros!
Okay, finished day one. Took under two minutes. My pelvis came up a little so I really had to watch that. I’m not using the blood pressure cuff trick. It’s not painful really like regular ab training, but it’s been about 20 minutes and I can still feel my inner muscles, so this definetly hits them. I’m really tempted to do this again this afternoon. The author says you can do it every day, but what about twice a day?
TEK, just wanted to say I’m in. I tried it for 4 sets last night as I was lying in bed. I definitely felt it, as well, for another 10 minutes or so.
Good idea. I’m in.
I’m in like Flynn!
Count me in too, are you guys going to do this as your sole ab training, or include other stuff as well? In the article he talked about using this to sort of kick start the abs before other exercises.
Pavel talked about taht in a MM a couple of months back…i know i know…he reccomedd forceful breathing or "power breathing three sets of 5 reps , done about 3-5 times throughought the day…he also reccommended vaccums after doing a set of power breathing…this was too damn painful though and i almost blacked out. Any of you guys familiar with his breathing for abs suff?Mike
Mike M, I’m not too familiar with Pavel’s breathing routine. If you have more info, can you help us out?
Alright, trying it tonight. We’ll see how it goes!
Count me in!!I’m just gettimg to the end of my diet,and I got a descent 6 pack back.I’d love to tighten it up more,and the increased trunk stability will be a welcome benifit when doing squats and deads.
I think I’ll do only the vacuums for the first week, maybe twice a day, then after that I’ll add some other regular ab work to go along with the vacuums. The author wrote that you need to learn how to contract the “inner” abs first so I think I should get the hang of that, then add in Swiss ball crunches, leg raises etc.
Did my first 3 sets this morning, 30 secs each. Last set tough enough. 4 hours later I tried again. Lasted 8 secs on first rep. Obviously does something. JR.
I have added the breathing ala Pavel, with much skepticism at first. 20 minute drive to work, did 3 sets of 5, one powerful vacuum, 2 times on the drive there and 2 on the way back. During work, did it 3x. Night training, did Pavels Full Contact Twists. OMG, DOMS like a MoFo. Its been two weeks and I have lost relaxed girth in my waist measurement.
I am going to re-read this issues article and give it a go.
I have been big for a long time, albeit soft. New mission, RIPPED. Bowflex commercial guy ripped. 15 pounds off, face looks better already. If I twist I see abs and obliques with seperation. I want others to see it to ensure its not my imagination.
(35 years old, broke up with girlfriend, shy, need approachable body type that attracts hotties so much that I can be selective, as opposed to the big-n-bulky build that attract the meatier girls, the “she’s so nice” type, the inner beauty is more important…)
When i do the vacuum, it actually seems to create a vaccum in my body. That skin in between my clavicles is sucked down, similar to what i’ve seen when a buddy of mine has an asthma attack. When I open my mouth to take a shallow breath, my stomach fills with air and I lose the contraction. Do you folks know what i’m doing wrong? Should I start the contraction without any air in my body? I can only seem to get a full contraction with no air, but i can’t go without breathing for more than 20 seconds. Any Suggestions?
FYI…if you don’t have a BP cuff, slide one hand under your back until your MCP joints (where your fingers attach to your hand) are under your spine. This maintains a neutral spinal alignment and subs for the cuff. Just maintain constant contact (do not press you hand into the floor). If you would like the entire progression of exercises for TA training(the article just gave the first level) look for Paul Chek-related articles, tapes, etc.
I too am having probs w/ doing the vacuum while still breathing… after the first night I tried it, my abs had a lot of DOMS, but that doesn’t seem like the muscles that should’ve gotten sore (should’ve been those inner muscles). Guess I’m doing it wrong… I’ll try the hand trick tonight.
Made a mistake today and tried to do my ab work after leg day. I couldn’t hold my breath or even breath shallowly at all because I was so winded from a vicious leg day. Decided to do them tonight instead. Lesson learned: do this kind of ab work first in the workout!
I have been doing vacumes for sometime now because of the fact that one day i notice that if i do it i hurt the next day…so i have been doing them for about the past year…Only i do them hanging from a bare. After that, i then atempt to raise my feet to my head from the rear while hanging…Great stretch!
power breathing in a nutshell. inhale and force an exhale thru trumpet lips, huff the last bit out in two or three bursts, all the while clenching up your arse like you were trying to hold one back. Dunno why exactly, but it increases the contraction mmensely. I do a set of five, then a vacuum. do this 4-5 times per day. give it a try, it won’t hurt anything.
If you can’t breath while you are doing the vacuum you are compressing your abdominal contents with your diaphragm and squeezing with your obliques, rectus abdominis, and TA. This is typical with trainees who are only familiar with flexion oriented ab exercises. It is not going to feel like other ab exercises. If you feel your “six-pack” tightening, you are using the wrong muscle. Simply work on drawing your umbilicus toward the spine. Think skinny!