Bellies, Bums, Boobs & Backs

Many of us start an exercise program because we’d like to look better, but we actually need to strengthen bellies, bottoms, chests and backs to keep our bodies functioning well and pain free.

Bellies

Most of us think that sit ups will give us a flat stomach. What sit ups mostly give us is bad posture — a forward head and rounded shoulders! That kind of exercise can also put too much pressure on our pelvic floor. The stomach muscles or abdominals have three layers. On the outside are the (‘washboard’) muscles used when we do sit ups, beneath that are the oblique muscles that are important in rotating the trunk, and the innermost layer is a horizontal band that is critical in stabilizing our spine and pelvic area and flattening our belly. When the deep abdominals are weak, this can lead to a host of conditions including hip and back pain.

So what’s the best way to exercise the stomach muscles?

For best results you need to work each of the three layers. Pilates type moves work the deep layer and rotational movements activate the obliques. A smart way to work the outer layer with sit ups is to sit on a fitball, so the muscles travel through a fuller range of movement than when you are lying on the floor (but only try this once you have properly conditioned your inner abdominal muscles). Put your tongue behind your front teeth to stabilize your neck and prevent your head from poking forward when you do this.

Women who have had caesarian births often lose their core function and need to pay particular attention to regaining it. Gluten intolerance can also interfere with our capacity to control our core muscles, and since it’s been estimated that 65% of fair-skinned people are gluten intolerant, that’s potentially a lot of us with core muscles that don’t work.

To reduce body fat generally, you need big, high-energy exercises such as squatting, lunging, pushing, pulling (rowing), bending, twisting and fitball exercises. Leave your specific abdominal exercises until the end of your session, because you need your ‘abs’ for stability, and if they fatigue too early you’ll be susceptible to injury.

Your posture also contributes to your belly shape. If your pelvis tips forward, you’ll have a bigger than normal curve in your lower back (this curve is called a lordosis) and your belly will stick out. In this case, the ‘fat’ of your stomach isn’t fat; it’s the contents of your belly being pushed forward by the excessive curve in your spine. Get help to re-align your spine and shift everything back into place.

Your food intake is also important. Stick to fresh, good quality food, stay well hydrated, and eat for your metabolic type. Intolerances to food such as wheat can give you a distended stomach, as can parasites or an intestinal yeast infection called candida albicans, so consider these as possible sources of the problem if you think there’s more going on than poor posture or lack of proper exercise. If your gut is inflamed, you can do endless abdominal exercises and not improve the shape of it.

Bums

Sydney physiotherapist Anna-Louise Bouvier has divided buttock shapes into three categories: the Pear, the Peach and the Pikelet!

Pears are curvy when young and spread sideways as they age. They are often accompanied by saddlebags on the thighs.

Peaches are firm and high-set, but as they get older they move down the back of the leg.

Pikelets are flat and can be a little out of shape.

Bums have three layers: fatty tissue on the outside; powerful muscles for walking, squatting and running in the middle layer; and smaller muscles that control side-to-side movement of the pelvis in the deep inner layer. The inner layer should be activated all the time to stabilize the hip.

What causes a droopy bottom? Gravity, age, poor posture and lack of use.

Many of us unwittingly weaken our bottoms by the way we walk and stand. Slumping on one leg will switch off your deep buttock muscles and weaken your abdominal muscles. Walking with a hip wobble does the same thing. Running in a shuffle that doesn’t use your hips and bottom will also result in a flabby rear end.

Weak Pears and Peaches get bigger, softer and more dimply over time, while Pikelets disappear. Weak buttocks contribute to back pain and sciatic nerve pain, and can trigger tightness in the hips, hamstrings and calves.

How to get a better butt?

1. Stand on two legs, rather than slumping and leaning. When you sit, plant your feet on the floor rather than crossing your legs.

2. When you walk, lead with the heels to activate your bottom.

3. When you climb stairs, use your butt. Push through your toes, and keep your chest up and shoulders back, rather than dragging yourself up with your hands on the rail.

4.Do exercises that lift, strengthen and stabilize your bottom.

Boobs & Backs

The standard chest exercises you see in the gym are push ups and chest presses. These are fine exercises but you need to also condition your back muscles (e.g. with rowing type exercises) to balance your posture. Otherwise your hard work will encourage rounded shoulders (this curve is called a kyphosis) and a forward head, and that’s the last thing we want as we get older. As our head comes forward, our upper back muscles grow long and weak. This also happens if we do a lot of sitting or working at a desk or computer. Exercise can strengthen our back and bring us back upright.

In summary, strength training helps to keep our posture upright, reduce unhealthy belly fat, and keep our bodies functional so that we can do everyday lifting and bending — such as gardening, housework or picking up toddlers — without injuring ourselves. It also helps counter Grandma Gravity: as we age, everything falls forward and down, and only correct exercise can bring it back and up!

Bellies, Bums, Boobs & Backs

Bellies

Bums

Boobs & Backs

Further reading