To have a flat abdominal and a small waist, you no longer need to spend hours in the gym and go on an extreme diet. The new trend of hypopressive exercises has surprised with its results, because in addition to reducing your size, it also has benefits for your health.
We have listed a series of hypopressive exercises to explain step by step how to do them without leaving your home.
What are hypopressive exercises and how they work
This technique consists of decreasing the pressure of the belly and focusing the breath on the diaphragm by pressing the abdomen, in such a way that they are carried out in brief periods of apnea, that is, without air and without breathing ; and although these types of exercises were originally a breathing technique for purely clinical use (so they can be used as therapy to help postpartum women to avoid incontinence or prolapse problems), hypopressive exercises have now been become one of the best workouts to exercise the abdomen, improve breathing and posture , and obtain aesthetic benefits.
There are various investigations that have verified the effectiveness of this technique. A  study carried out among 11 rugby players who underwent a hypopressive exercise program for 8 weeks obtained significant results: waist circumference was reduced and pelvic floor muscle tone improved without substantially changing hip measurements.
Another study from the University of Vigo, in Spain, in which 15 women between 50 years of age participated, analyzed a 6-week hypopressive program, with positive results mainly in the abdominal area and without exhaustive conventional routines that  can cause injuries . serious injuries to the pelvis and abdominal muscles, as well as hernias or discomfort in the spine.
Exercises
The ideal is to have a routine of these exercises in the morning before eating any food , so we will avoid damage to digestion and alterations in the sleep cycle. In order not to overexhaust the body and make the hypopressive technique fully effective, take into account:
- Breathing is the vital part of the technique and focuses on the diaphragm to activate all the abdominal muscles.
- Take 3 relaxed breaths before each exercise.
- Take a 45-second rest  between each set or repetition.
- Take 1 minute rest between each activity.
- Also remember to maintain good posture .
1. Venus pose
- Posture: Try to be relaxed, keep your feet hip-width apart. Put your shoulders back trying to keep your spine as long as possible; hands out to the sides with the palms facing forward, as well as the head and chin.
- Exercise: Start with a deep breath in through your nose, hold for 7 to 10 seconds, and slowly exhale through your mouth. It is very important that the lungs are completely emptied, bring the navel in and stay in that position for a couple of seconds.
- Repetitions: Up to 5 times.
2. Flexion of the trunk
- Posture: Standing with your feet parallel, slightly bend your knees and place your hands on them for support, trying to curve your back forward.
- Exercise: Direct the chin towards the neck and drop the weight of your body towards the feet. Take a deep breath and empty your lungs for 10 seconds.
- Repetitions: Up to 3 times.
3. Supine position
- Posture: To perform this exercise, you can help yourself with a mat. Lie on the floor with your knees bent, heels flat, toes pointed up, arms slightly apart, and hands extended on the floor.
- Exercise: Inhale deeply for 2 seconds and exhale for another 4 seconds until the lungs are empty and the abdomen is fully contracted; Try to hold your breath for 10 seconds.
- Repetitions: In series of 3.
4. Knees to the ground
- Posture: With the help of a mat, support your knees on the ground and sit on your heels. Rest your hands on the upper part of the thighs, slightly curve your back forward.
- Exercise: Begin deep breaths and as in the previous exercise, you must inhale for 2 seconds, exhale in 4 times, and keep the abdomen and lungs contracted without air for 10 seconds.
- Repetitions: Up to 3 times.
5. Against the wall
- Posture: Standing facing the wall, place one leg in front of the other and flex them slightly. Recharge your hands on the wall as if you wanted to push it, taking care that the fingers of the hands face each other so that the muscles of the arms are also exercised.
- Exercise: Begin the breaths, always exerting force with the arms against the wall. Inhale and exhale deeply until bringing the navel to the ribs and holding for 10 seconds.
- Repetitions: You can do 3 repetitions of this exercise.
6. Demeter position
- Posture: Lying on the floor or a mat, with the body straight, and the feet aligned with the hips, raise your arms up trying to stretch and with the fingers of the hands looking at each other.
- Exercise: Due to the position your abdomen will contract naturally; Take a deep breath, leaving your lungs empty at the time of exhalation for at least 10 seconds. At the end of each breathing cycle, relax your arms a little without losing your posture. You can also do this exercise near a wall. Slightly bend your elbows and press the palms of your hands on the surface.
- Repetitions: 3 or 4 times.
7. Standing with an elastic
- Posture: To perform this exercise, you will need to use an elastic fabric with which you will support yourself to exert strength in your arms and back. Get into a lunge position, both legs extended one behind the other. The knee of the leg in front should be slightly bent.
- Exercise: Maintaining this position, take a deep breath exhaling all the air through your mouth while pulling the cloth from one end to the other. In this exercise you must hold your breath and pull the cloth simultaneously for 30 seconds, then return to the basic standing position and take relaxed breaths.
- Repetitions: You can do up to 4 repetitions.
8. Sitting cross-legged
- Posture: Sit on the floor or on a mat with your legs crossed. Relax your shoulders down and bring your hands to your knees, keeping your fingers inward; Tuck your chin down, look straight ahead, and lean your back slightly forward.
- Exercise: Breathe regularly once. Then, inhale deeply holding all the air for 30 seconds and then exhale.
- Repetitions: Perform 4 repetitions of this exercise.
9. Quadrupedia I
- Posture: Squat on the floor or mat supporting yourself with your knees and hands. Arms should be shoulder-width apart, fingers turned in, and only the balls of the feet touching the surface. With a straight back, chin and eyes down.
- Exercise: Inhale deeply and hold your breath for 30 seconds; After time, release the air keeping the abdomen firm.
- Repetitions: This exercise needs 4 repetitions.
10. Quadruped II
- Posture: With the same position as the previous exercise, we are going to bring the forehead to the ground.
- Exercise: After a relaxed breath, inhale as much air as possible again, release it and when the air has come out try to bring the navel in and bend over so that the top of the head is now touching the ground; try to hold without breathing for 30 seconds and finally inhale to recover, but keeping the abdomen firm before starting the following repetitions.
- Repetitions: 4 times.
Keep reading: 9 Exercises to Shred and Tone Your Body Without Having to Leave Your Room
