Abdominal skin differs from much of the skin covering the rest of the body. It has a subcutaneous tissue that loves to hoard fat. It can store up to several inches. Those fat-free torsos you see in advertisements are possible for less than 10 percent of the population. You have to have really thin skin to show muscle and this takes more than diligent exercise; it takes the right genetics.
Instead of obsessing about fat, we'd do better to focus deeper. Right under the skin, a sturdy wall of four paired muscles stretches over our internal organs. On the surface, the straplike rectus abdominus extends along the front, from pubic bone to sternum. On either side, a thin but powerful muscle, called the external oblique, courses diagonally from the ribs to the rectus, forming a "V" when viewed from the front. Running perpendicular to the external obliques, the internal obliques lie just below. These two pairs of muscles work in concert, rotating the trunk and flexing it diagonally. The innermost layer of abdominal muscle, the transversus, runs horizontally, wrapping the torso like a corset. You flex this muscle to pull in your belly. The sinewy, three-ply sheath formed by the transversus and the obliques provides a strong, expandable support; it protects the viscera and provides compression that aids elimination and a housing flexible enough for diaphragmatic breathing.
Cobra Pushup With Roll
Squeeze a foam roll between your thighs and lay flat on your belly, tucking your tailbone toward the mat. Place your hands under your shoulders, with elbows up, and push the tops of your feet into the floor. Next, inhale and push up into Cobra, opening your chest and pulling your rib cage forward. Be sure to keep your shoulders down. Exhale and release, lowering yourself slowly and carefully, one set of ribs at a time. Repeat three times.
Fire Breathing - AgniSara Breath
(Agni is fire in Sanskrit, this pranayama technique stirs up internal heat in the body)
- Stand erect with your legs fairly apart and hands hanging by the sides.
- Bend your trunk forward and bend your knees slightly.
- Place your palms on the corresponding knees.
- Exhale completely.
- As in Uddiyana Bandha, retain your breath.
- Blow out your stomach without inhaling.
- Keep this for about 2 seconds.
- Pull in your stomach.
- Pull in and blow out your stomach 4-6 times.
- Inhale.
- Repeat steps 4-10 four to five times.
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