Quick exercise question

Irishsugar

Ok I have been working out for about 2 months with various videos/weights etc. I feel like I am finally getting the hang of it but I have a (what feels like) silly question... Am I suppose to suck in my stomach the whole time? Lol Denise Austin will say "keep those abs tight" and I never do I just let it all go lol. But should I be sucking it in? Does that help burn fat?? I feel so confused

aub6689

She wants you to keep your core tight. Not sucked in, but flexed or stabilized. Many people say to imagine you're about to get punched in the gut. Basically you just want to tense your abdominal muscles and low back muscles to keep a good spinal position.

Irishsugar

That helps... I felt like in order to hold my gut in I was holding my breath and didn't think it felt right!! Thanks!!

drachfit

sucking in is different from keeping abs tight. think of it more like bracing your stomach for a punch.

abs contract and pull the pelvis UP and the rib cage DOWN, making a nice hard surface to deflect punches.

to get a feel for how to do this, look up the exercise "dead bug." it's an excellent drill for learning how to properly stabilize the core.

TeaBea

aub6689 wrote: »

She wants you to keep your core tight. Not sucked in, but flexed or stabilized. Many people say to imagine you're about to get punched in the gut. Basically you just want to tense your abdominal muscles and low back muscles to keep a good spinal position.

Flexed and stabilized. Clench your muscles (like you would clench your fist).

rainbowbow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSN0JNfO58k

To activate the core i always follow these three steps.