7 minutes
Social networks always bring new challenges and viral exercises that are spread as magic solutions for a flat stomach or to have more defined muscles. This is the case with Asian exercises to slim the abdomen that are touted as effective in a short period of time.
Some influencers and coaches from Asian countries insist on the supposed capacity of the pelvic anteversion and retroversion exercises to “burn fat” from the abdomen. This would lead to a flat, toned belly in less than a month, proponents of the method claim.
Perhaps the best known promoter of Asian exercises to slim the abdomen is Thanh Lê, who disseminates his methods through the social network TikTok. So let’s see what the technique is all about and what real effects it could have.
How are the Asian exercises to slim the abdomen?
Thanh Lê’s exercise proposal consists of fix the soles of the feet to the floor and perform pelvic anteversion and retroversion. This means moving your hips back and forth, repetitively, without lifting your lower extremities off the ground.
When the hip goes forward, the position is complemented with a slight retreat of the upper abdomen, in the opposite direction to the pelvis. In this way, the rectus abdominis muscle activates and works to maintain position and generate a static balance.
But the truth is that the static is momentary, because the trainers who spread this method assure that repetitions should be done for 30 minutes a day for 15 days. This intensity turns movement into a form of aerobic exercise..
What does aerobic training mean for the body? That the demands are not the same and that a series of added circumstances must be considered to avoid injuries and to avoid a loss of muscle mass or energy expenditure that is counterproductive.
Not to mention, the priority rest day is not being contemplated in any fitness routine. Discontinue routines regularly (1 or 2 times a week) contributes to the recovery of tissues and a better final toning.
When there are no breaks, there is a risk of injury, not reaching goals or suffering a rebound effect at the end of the sessions. The situation could translate into an expected result per month, which is lost in the following weeks.
Burn fat or oxidize it
The concept of “burning fat” is wrong. Asian exercises to slim the abdomen promise that the adipose tissue located in the belly will be reduced by performing the pelvic anteversion and retroversion. It’s possible?
First of all, the reduction in fat deposits can hardly ever be localized. In other words, exercising more in a specific area of the body will lead to a toning of the muscles involved, but not to a loss of fats that are only there. Most likely, fitness affects all lipid stores.
It is true that the human body tends to build up excess fat stores in the abdomen and pelvis. But these signs of overweight are also manifested in the thighs, arms and even the double chin. Regular aerobic effort will progressively reduce all of these sites, almost in unison.
Second, “burn the fat” is an expression that does not represent reality. What is intended with exercise is to stimulate the oxidation of lipids.
Oxidizing lipids is using them for energy, as it is well clarified in the magazine Biomolecules. It means that the body, in need of energy sources, uses adipose tissue to sustain the activity we are doing. To do this, it mobilizes fat from its stores and metabolizes it, so that it produces molecules that the muscles can take advantage of to continue their contractions.
In conclusion, Asian exercises to slim the abdomen do not localize the loss of fat, but, in any case, stimulate the reduction of adipose tissue throughout the body, as they are aerobic due to their number of repetitions. That’s good, but let’s analyze the risks.
Risks and precautions with Asian exercises to slim the abdomen
The pelvic anteversion and retroversion suggested by Asian exercises to slim the abdomen are ways to activate the rectus abdominis muscle. This is the famous structure that you want to highlight to have the six pack in the womb.
As we already anticipated, when repeating the movement in a sustained manner for 30 minutes, what we are doing is an aerobic activity, not a static one. This implies a different consumption of energy and a greater possibility of injury when compared to the typical iron.
The plank is a static anaerobic exercise that, done correctly, activates the same muscle and requires fewer repetitions and less time to achieve belly toning. Actually, it is one of the most recommended positions if the objective of strengthening the central area of the body, called core.
So can you choose any alternative? The answer is yes. The difference is that the plate allows more safety and a shorter runtime, which would leave minutes free for the routine to focus on other body areas, achieving a job full body or full body.
What’s more, the chance of injury to the spine is greater with repetitive anteversion. When analyzing the spine-pelvis axis, the authors of a article published in the magazine Efort conclude that forward or retracted hip positions maximize the risk of pathological changes in stability. This could translate into recurring low back pain.
Comprehensive routines are better
One of the great problems of the viral challenges of social networks to tone a single part of the body or to “burn fat” in a localized way, is that are executed by many people without prior training. This usually happens because immediate results are sought with minimal effort.
Asian exercises to slim the abdomen do not replace or come close to the benefits of continued physical conditioning. The scientific research reveal that the more sustained over time the overall exercise is, the more efficient the body becomes in oxidizing fats.
A global exercise will be one that includes anaerobic and aerobic periods, along with rest days that contribute to tissue regeneration. All this with persistence over time; that is, for months and years.
There are no magic bullets to tone muscles in 15 days. Much less can overweight or obesity be controlled with specific movements of less than a month. Instead of looking for viral challenges on social media, it is preferable to consult with experts in fitness and in nutrition that can create a plan appropriate to what we need.
It might interest you …