How Breathing Gives You Abs
Proactive Core Health Mini Series
Part One: 7 Aspects of TRUE Core Training
Part Two: How to Breathe During Resistance Training
Part Three: How Breathing Gives You Abs
Part Four: Improving Pelvic Circulation and Lymph Flow
Breathing is a critical component to proactive core health and it has a remarkable power to transform the way your core functions and looks! Last week, we discussed how to breathe during resistance training for better results. Today, we’re talking about how breathing can act as an effective ab workout to strengthen your core, slim your waistline, and sculpt your abs.
Your abs are instrumental in stabilizing your spine and managing intra-abdominal pressure. But let's not overlook their primary function: breathing. The abdominal muscles work with the diaphragm to bring fresh air into the lungs and also to expel used air. Your abs should be doing this all day long without you having to think about it. Each inhalation and exhalation should trigger a gentle activation of your abs, creating a consistent and continuous workout for this essential muscle group. This perpetual activity, occurring day and night, makes breath work a very functional and efficient ab workout.
The best “ab workout” will activate the involuntary muscle fibers of the core.
Did you know that approximately 80% of your core muscles consist of involuntary fibers? Targeting these special involuntary muscle fibers is the key to achieving those toned abs we all strive for. However, accessing these special muscle fibers requires triggering a reflex that activates them. Read on to learn what that reflex is!
When seeking toned abs, it’s important you remember that 80% of your abdominal muscle fibers are involuntary, and we have no voluntary control over them. So in order to get a complete core workout and recruit ALL of the muscle fibers of the core, involuntary reflexes must be elicited.
The secret to core training is targeting those involuntary muscle fibers. Without focusing on those involuntary fibers, your core training won’t give you the results you’re seeking (ie. waist slimming, reduction in pain, deep inner strength). Targeting only the voluntary muscles in your core (i.e. doing kegels or drawing belly button to spine) is only working 20% of the muscle group. True core training must elicit reflexes that trigger the involuntary activation of ALL the core muscle fibers.
So how do you trigger and sustain the reflexive activation of the abdominal muscles that will lead to a toned core?
Breathing! The way you trigger sustained reflexive coordinated activation of the abdominal muscles is through breathing. How you breathe either turns your ab muscles ON or turns your ab muscles OFF. Breath work training has significant carry over into the way you breathe unconsciously throughout your day. So training yourself to breathe in a way that triggers reflexive activation of 100% of your abdominal muscle fibers will lead to a more tone belly and a narrower waist much faster than focusing solely on the voluntary muscle fibers.
The key breath work skill to master in order to narrow your waist and tone your abs:
It is when your rib cage is flexible enough that it can comfortably accommodate a full breath of air without your belly expanding, that your abdominal fascia naturally tightens and your core visibly “tones”. This tighter fascia, combined with daily breathing originating from the rib cage rather than the belly, contributes to a smaller waist circumference.
There are 3 main styles of breathing that will tone your core muscles and narrow your waist:
3 dimensional rib breathing. When the movement of breathing takes place in the rib cage (and not the belly) the core fascia is activated in an eccentric way that narrows the waist and triggers reflexive activation of the core muscles. This style of breathing is where the rib cage expands on the inhale, and stays expanded for most of the exhale.
Inhaling through the nose with a closed mouth. Nose breathing results in a slower, more controlled intake of air that is more easily directed into the rib cage. Slow intentional breathing through the nose increases core muscle activation by creating more expansion in the rib cage. There are also thousands of other benefits to nose breathing such as improved mental clarity, reduced stress, improved immune function, better posture and fascial structure, and improved digestion.
Breathing with full lung capacity. Inhaling until your lungs are completely full, and exhaling until your lungs are completely empty leads to improved oxygen delivery to your whole body, which improves the activation, strength and endurance of your core muscles. This also allows CO2 to build in the bloodstream for a longer period of time, which is the trigger that allows oxygen to pass through the cellular membrane and improves oxygen saturation of your tissues.
Learn 4 additional breathing practices for core strength.
Sculpting Your Abs Through Breathwork
Breath work is a transformative practice that can redefine your core health and aesthetics. By integrating breath work into your fitness routine, you're tapping into the body's natural mechanisms for toning and strengthening the core. Longevity, optimal organ function, spinal and digestive health also rely on proper core muscle function. Form follows function, and when it comes to achieving those desired abs, and it all begins with your breath!
