Why then do we hear about high abs?
So why do we keep hearing about upper abdominal exercises? Because some movement variations can make us perceive the work in one area more than another, but it is a sensation, not a real selective activation.
After the age of 40 the abdomen is not an aesthetic issue
However, there is a much more interesting – and often overlooked – aspect, especially after the age of 40: the real function of the abdomen is not aesthetic, but containment. The abdomen serves to support and protect the bowels, stabilize the spine and collaborate with the diaphragm in breathing.
The key role of breathing
The most useful exercises, at home or in the gym
Whether it’s exercises at home or in the gym, the goal should not be to “crush” the abdomen with hundreds of repetitions, but to train it to work in synergy with the breath.
The result? A flatter stomach, yes, but above all a more stable body, elegant in movement and supported from the inside. Much more than a question of “high abs”.
Supine diaphragmatic breathing
Lie on the ground, knees bent. Inhale through the nose expanding the ribs, exhale slowly through the mouth bringing the navel closer to the spine. Essential basis.
Modified plank
Resting on your forearms and knees, pay attention to alignment and controlled exhalation. A few seconds, but well done.
Dead bugs
From supine, arms and legs raised. Slowly move opposite limbs while keeping the abdomen active and the back neutral.
Slow and conscious crunch
If performed, let it be controlled: deep exhalation on the way up, no rushes, few repetitions.
Pilates and postural gymnastics
Excellent allies after 40: they work on control, breathing and deep stability.
Who is Paola Miretta
Paola Miretta he is a Personal TrainerYoga and Pilates Director and founder of Fitness Boutiquebased in Piacenza and followed by a large audience of students from all over the world on Zoom.
Paola Miretta, personal trainer, Yoga and Pilates director
I have always loved movement, understood as physical and mental change. I associate sport with the figure of my father, who took me to the pool as a child, saying that swimming would give me an “appetite” and strengthen me. My first element, in fact, is water. Competitive swimming characterized my adolescence.
I go from swimming to asphalt, always thanks to my father, who gives me my first running shoes, a pair of white and yellow Mizunos. I dedicate myself to endurance running, at least until my twenties. I discovered the world of fitness during functional recovery from an injury: first the weight room, then the group courses.
I am passionate about musical fitness, energy in time with music, sharing movement, joy and fun, things that I miss in individual resistance training, in the water and on the road. My journey as a fitness and personal trainer begins here.
