Hey, Your Transverse Abdominus is Showing! Try This Move To Work Your Lower Belly...

Happy Friday Everyone!
Hope your weekend is off to a grand start?! I'm ending a busy week by...looking forward to a busy weekend, and it's all good! Excercising with great people (clients) for a living? It barely even feels like work. I feel so fortunate to love my jay oh bee....I foresee some family time on Sunday too. I may or may not be showcasing my prowess (note sarcasm) in the bowling department with the Bean and Brad so that could be fun!

Ok so one question I am perennially asked by clients & participants is how to target the lower area of the abdominal region. I don't need to get into all the spectacularly negative names we give our lower bellies, you know them already. So we'll call it what it really is: your Transverse Abdominus. This core muscle of the abdomen plays a key role in keeping you upright, and works to keep your gut 'in' by acting like your body's natural girdle. And on a more aesthetic note, it's the trouble area that so many of us struggle with trying to tone, strengthen & whip into shape for bathing suit season. So here is a simple excercise you can do at home anytime to target that particular area.

Execution:
1)Sit on a carpeted area, or preferably a padded yoga mat.
2)Lower yourself into a lying-down (supine), face up position.
3)Gently press your lower back into the floor so that it is comfortable and your back is not arched way up.
4)Raise your legs up, then bend at the knees so that your thighs extend upwards, but your shins are parallel to the ground; like a table.
5)Now, place both hands on your thighs, just below the knees. You're in the right position, and the real work begins.
6)Once you are properly in place, you will PUSH on your thighs with all of your might. BUT, you must use counterforce so that your legs don't actually move from the pushing from your hands.
7)By activating your TA or lower belly, you remain in that static position. How long can you hold this? Try 10, 15 or 20 seconds, depending on your core strength. Remember to breathe throughout the excercise.
8)Release, take a quick break, 1-2minutes, then repeat a couple more times. If you are completing the excercise properly, you'll feel that tension in your lower ab area right away when you start pushing with your hands, and using counterforce to keep your legs from budging...

I'm not saying that completing this manoevre on it's own is going to give you that lean, flat belly that we all want...but it is one way to work towards that goal. Eating clean, getting regular cardio & completing other ab excercises are all part of the deal too. But giver a go and tell me what you think mkay?

Gotta run. Hope you all have a super weekend, see you next time!
xoMelissa