Stomach Vacuum
Trains the abdominals. No equipment needed. None of our programs use it yet, but you can add it to any session you build.
Free to use. The app times the hold, times your rest and remembers every set.
In the programs
None of our programs use the Stomach Vacuum
It is in the app, so you can add it to any session and log it like anything else. It is just not written into one of our 50 free programs. If you want a abdominals exercise that is, there are 9 on the Abdominals page.
Muscles worked
What Stomach Vacuum trains
Technique
How to do the Stomach Vacuum
- Stand tall, kneel on all fours or lie on your back with your knees bent, whichever position lets you relax your stomach completely.
- Exhale fully, emptying your lungs as far as is comfortable.
- Draw your navel in and up towards your spine as far as you can, as if trying to touch your belly button to your backbone.
- Hold the vacuum for the planned time, taking small sips of air if you need to, then relax and let the stomach out. Rest and repeat.
Form cues
Getting it right
- Start with 10 to 15 second holds and build up gradually; the deep abdominal muscle tires quickly.
- Keep your ribs down and your spine neutral; the movement is the stomach pulling in, not the chest lifting.
- Practise on an empty stomach, ideally first thing in the morning.
- Take small breaths through the nose during the hold rather than holding your breath entirely.
Substitutes
Swap Stomach Vacuum for
The app's swap picker ranks these the same way: same muscles, similar movement, similar equipment.
Let the app run the Stomach Vacuum for you
Durata times the hold, times your rest and puts last session's time in front of you, so you always know the number to beat. That works on any of our 50 free programs, or on a session you put together yourself.