Hypopressive abdominal exercises were developed by physician Marcel Caufriez. He found that traditional crunches could sometimes cause incontinence problems or sexual dysfunction. So, he suggested reducing the pressure on the abdomen to help tone and strengthen the core muscles.

The result is the same as with regular crunches: to reduce belly fat. In this article, we’ll show you how these exercises can help you and recommend ten hypopressive exercises you can do at home.

Before you start any hypopressive abdominal plank, it’s important to make sure you have good posture and are breathing correctly. Hypopressive exercises, which you can do at home, are based on breathing to strengthen the abdominal area. Using your diaphragm during these exercises will also reduce the chance of getting a hernia.

How To Breathe During Hypopressive Abdominal Exercises?

For all of these, you should breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth slowly to control the diaphragm. Combining diaphragmatic breathing with apnea is a great way to achieve this effect.

Apnea is when you hold your breath during hypopressive exercises to tone your abs and lift your internal organs. This will contract the pelvic floor muscles and lower the pressure.

Once you’ve mastered this technique, you can use it for different movements that will give your abdomen, pelvic area, and perineum a real workout.

Advantages to doing hypopressive abdominal exercises

1. It can also help to prevent prolapse. A hypopressive exercise routine can also help improve your respiratory function. That means you can exercise after childbirth without worrying about uterine prolapse.
2. Trim your waistline. If you’re trying to lose weight, exercise can also help you reduce your waistline. Of course, a balanced diet is also important.
3. They can also help to prevent incontinence. A routine of hypopressive exercises at home can help you avoid leakage and urinary incontinence.
4. Treat yourself to a better posture. Your help in strengthening the postural muscles helps to avoid the appearance of hernias.
5. Sexual performance and function. Hypopressive exercise training tones the muscles in the vaginal area and can lead to more enjoyable sexual experiences.

Simple hypopressive abdominal exercise routine you can do at home

1. Toning the Abdomen

Stand with your feet parallel, bend your knees, and place your hands on them. Grab your chin and neck and pull your head in towards your chest, letting your body weight fall on your feet. Take a deep breath to open up your chest. Inhale and then exhale, holding your breath for about 10 seconds in between.

2. Automatic stretch

Make sure your body is straight, and your feet are parallel to your hips. Then, raise your arms above your head and try to make your body grow. Your abs will tighten up a bit.

3. Recovery

When you’re ready, sit or stand with your spine straight. Pull your arms down to activate the serratus muscles on the sides of your chest. This will help to reduce the pressure on your joints.

4. Do a pelvic tilt

Start in the same position as the last exercise, then push your arms out to the sides and lean forward from the hips. Breathe in and out twice. For the third time, try to take out as much air as you can from your lungs and hold your breath to get into the state of apnea.

5. Hypopressive abdominal plank exercise

Get down on all fours, resting your body on the floor with your forearms and the tips of your toes. Your elbows should be aligned with your shoulders, and your back should be relaxed. This exercise helps to build muscle and improve endurance.

6. Taylor

If you sit on the floor with your legs bent, your back straight, and your arms by your hips, this exercise will help you work your abs. It’s great for toning the body after the relaxing effects of pregnancy and childbirth.

7. Hypopressive Breathing

Lie on your back, bend your knees, and rest your heels on the floor with the rest of your foot lifted. Bend your arms and place your hands on your stomach.

8. One-legged forward crunches

Start by putting one leg forward and bending forward at the trunk. Keep your weight on the front leg and stretch the back leg. Then, raise your arms in full extension and push vertically. At this point, take a breath and hold it.

9. Knee Crunches

Get down on your knees and lean your body weight forward without lifting your feet off the floor. Grab your knees with your palms facing down and roll your shoulders forward, keeping your back straight.

10. Knee Squats

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your heels on the floor. Lengthen your spine and place your chin on your chest. Then, bend your arms and place them at shoulder height, palms facing up.

One of the best ways to strengthen your abs is to do hypopressive exercises. These put a lot of pressure on your pelvic floor, which is great for giving your abs a workout. They also help other areas of the body perform better. If you’re short on time, hypopressive abdominal exercises are a great way to get in shape. Map out your hypopressive abdominal plank and get started!