
Remember to contract your abdominal muscles while doing this. A useful cue is to imagine your belly button being pulled towards the back of your spine. You should feel your transversus abdominis contracting on your fingers.

How do you do the stomach vacuum exercise? SummaryĪIso known as “stomach vacuuming” and the “abdominal drawing in maneuver”, the stomach vacuum exercise targets the transversus abdominis, which is your deepest abdominal muscle.
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When this muscle is stronger and you’re more aware of how to use it, you’ll be better able to protect and support your spine during exercise and everyday movements.

Thus, the stomach vacuum exercise was developed to help people practice contracting and strengthening the transversus abdominis. Since the transversus abdominis sits deep in the core, it can be hard for some people to contract it, or even feel an awareness of it. Its main roles include protecting the spine, supporting internal organs and viscera, and helping with expulsive forces (e.g., expiration, urination, defecation) ( 1, 2, 3). The transversus abdominis sits horizontally (transverse) around your abdomen, almost like a corset. This exercise is also known as stomach vacuuming, stomach hollowing, and the abdominal drawing in maneuver (ADIM). The stomach vacuum exercise is an isometric contraction of the transversus abdominis, which is your deepest abdominal muscle.
