Fix Belly Pooch for Good

Key takeaways:

Pooch belly may be caused by lack of co-contraction between abdominal muscles and pelvic floor.
Postural or muscle activity functions can contribute to the appearance of pooch belly.
Elevated frog breathing exercises can help improve neuromuscular control and reduce pooch belly.

Understanding Pooch Belly #

Pooch belly refers to the lower portion of the abdomen bulging out, which may not be solely due to belly fat.
A study showed that a lack of co-contraction between abdominal muscles and pelvic floor could cause the pelvic floor to descend, resulting in the abdominal contents moving down and forward, creating the appearance of a pooch belly.

Postural or muscle activity functions can contribute to the appearance of a pooch belly.
Upper abs contracting and pelvic floor relaxing can lead to the abdominal contents moving down and forward, causing the pooch belly appearance.

This exercise aims to increase muscle activity in the pelvic floor while relaxing the upper abs.
Start with an elevated surface, with knees wider than hips and feet touching. Place arms with elbows wider than shoulders and hands touching.
Lean forward slightly, with hips ahead of knees. Subtly glance up at fingertips, keeping the head neutral.
Silently breathe in through the nose, and exhale slowly through the mouth while pushing elbows down and moving the entire torso away from the surface.
Repeat for five sets of five breaths, twice per day.

To increase difficulty, remove the elevation and perform the exercise on the ground.
If the exercise is too challenging, perform prone breathing on the stomach with the same cues.
Spend at least two weeks fine-tuning the technical aspects of the move before progressing.

To further increase intensity, narrow the stance of both the knees and elbows while maintaining the same cues.
For an added challenge, lift the knees during any variation of the exercise.
Maintain consistent cues throughout each variation: eyes glancing upward, silent inhale through the nose, slow exhale through the mouth, pushing gently into the ground, and moving the entire torso away from the ground.

Note: If struggling with a slouched posture, consider addressing posture to help reduce the appearance of a pooch belly.

Summary for: Youtube