If your stomach poofs out, it's likely due to poor posture and weak abdominal muscles. Everyone is born with an abdominal muscle called the transverse abdominus whose job it is to pull your abdomen in, though not everyone uses it effectively. You might also want to take a look at your diet and wardrobe, too, as certain clothes might hit your waist at a place that makes your stomach hang over or poof.
Swan
The Swan improves your posture through strengthening your abdominals, back and inner thighs. It is a mat Pilates exercise that emphasizes holding in your stomach, which strengthens the transverse abdominus. It is possible to do this exercise without consciously engaging your abs, but you would be wasting your time. Make sure you draw the abs in and up and don't let go. To perform the Swan, begin lying on your belly. Squeeze your legs together and place your palms on the floor next to your shoulders. Bend your elbows and draw them toward your body. Then, raise your head, chest and abdomen up and back so that your upper body is almost perpendicular to the floor. Elongate your arms as much as your flexibility allows. Pull your belly button toward your spine and relax your spine. Hold for the time it takes you to draw two or three deep breaths and then return to the mat.
Vertical Toe Touches
The vertical toe touches exercise targets your transverse abdominus and the rectus abdominus. The rectus abdominus is the muscle that bends your spine forward, as when doing a sit-up. It also assists the other abdominal muscles in stabilizing your body, so strengthening this muscle along with the transverse abdominus will be effective for combating a stomach poof. To perform this exercise, begin lying face-up on a mat. Bend your knees and then extend them straight toward the ceiling. Use your hands to help pull your legs straight up by grabbing the sides of your knees. Then, curl your head and upper back off the floor as you slide your palms to your shins and up toward your toes. As you lift your body up, draw in your belly button to engage your transverse abdominus and keep it tight even as you lower yourself back to the mat. Lie all the way back down until the back of your head and shoulder blades make contact with the mat.
Supine Reverse Marches with a Mini Stability Ball
Supine reverse marches strengthen your lower back, rectus abdominus and transverse abdominus, which are all important muscles for standing up tall and toning your waist. Using a mini stability ball increases the workload to your rectus abdominus and also recruits your oblique muscles for stabilization. The obliques are the third abdominal muscle group. To do this exercise, lie face up on a mat with the mini stability ball underneath your buttocks. Rest your arms on the floor at 45-degree angles from your shoulders. Bend both knees and point your toes so that just your toes touch the floor. Keep your knees bent at 90 degrees and raise your left knee up until your thigh is almost perpendicular to the floor. Use your abs to keep your lower back from arching as you raise your leg. Lower your left leg and then raise your right leg as if marching in place.
References
- Fitness: 8-Minute Workout: Pilates for a Longer, Leaner Look
- American Council on Exercise: Vertical Toe Touches
- "The Journal of Applied Research"; Core Muscle Activity During Exercise on a Mini Stability Ball compared with Abdominal Crunches on the Floor and with a Swiss Ball; J. Petrofsky et al.; 2007.
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