From The Straits Times    |

Sick of doing so many crunches that your neck strains? Well, there is another solution to zip your tummy up for your next cocktail party. Famously advocated by Arnold Schwarzenegger, he uses this unique technique to trim his physique (but what if we told you that you can lose weight without exercising at all). Many claim that this stomach vacuum exercise is the most efficient way to flatten your abdomen. 

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Don’t be alarmed just yet! This method involves no machines or vacuums. It’s a simple breathing exercise that will significantly reduce the size of your midsection. Common abdominal exercises such as crunches only target your outer abdominal muscles, but the stomach vacuum exercise gets your deepest abdominal muscles into action.

Called the transverse abdominals, they are the innermost muscles in your midsection. Read on and learn how to correctly execute the stomach vacuum. Oh and of course, keep track of your diet as well.

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1. Stand (or sit) upright and place your hands on your hips.

2. Then, exhale all the air out of your lungs. And we mean all the air.

3. Place one hand on your belly button and the other at the back of your spine to avoid any strain on your back.

4. Now stay with your stomach sucked in. Imagine your belly button almost touching your backbone.

5. Hold it for 20 seconds.

6. Repeat another 2 times.

(Tip: If you can, breathe normally during the stomach ‘suction’. Plus, read here if you want to complement your workout with diet.)

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Being such a seemingly simple exercise (want to know this celebrity’s secret to slim tummy?), you’ll be surprised at how tired your abs feel after 3 repetitions. Combine the stomach vacuum with other common ab exercises and a clean diet to see inches melt off your waist.

Trainer Karen Sessions recommends this exercise to be carried out on alternating days: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As the weeks go by, feel free to hold your abs in for up to 60 seconds per repetition during the exercise.

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Being such a simple and sweat-free move, it can be done anywhere- even at work (while you’re at it, practise these 6 other exercises as well). It’s also possible to do this exercise sitting down. Just remember to support your spine so you work your abs, not your back. And now we know the secret to losing the stubborn flab that won’t budge!

This story first appeared on Shape, July 6, 2017.