[microbikinidave]

This exercise works the internal abdominal muscles (the transverse abdominis and the internal obliques). Here is my routine. Do this exercise on an EMPTY stomach (first thing upon arising is ideal). You may drink some water first. Stand up straight in front of a mirror (ideally in front of a full-length mirror), hands on hips (or resting lightly on the glutes, which is what I prefer), shirtless, with the upper torso exposed to the pubic area. Before beginning the exercise, study your navel's shape as well as its distance above the pubic area in your reflection in the mirror. This is your baseline, and the navel's reflection in the mirror will be your sole visual focus throughout the exercise. (You will find it a handy supplement to maintaining the muscular sensations of the deep intake.) Begin the exercise by visually focusing on the navel's reflection, then breathe in deeply through the nose. Next, exhale fully through the MOUTH as you watch yourself draw the navel in towards the spine as deeply as possible. When you have drawn in the navel as deeply as possible, notice its new shape as well as its new location above the pubic area. Using this reflection, maintain the navel's new shape and location for a count of 20 seconds (working up to a max of 60 seconds), and resume breathing. (Focus on shallow breathing so you can maintain the navel's deep intake.) After the specified time, release the abdominal muscles and navel to baseline, resume regular breathing, and pause for a few moments before beginning the next rep. Do one set of five reps once daily. My practice of the abdominal vacuum has brought about additional development and shredding of my abdominal-muscle shield all the way to my pubic area. I hope other Board members will try this exercise. I look forward to your comments as well as results you see for yourself.