One of the frequently encountered topics, how do you actually achieve it? From an athletic perspective, what does this actually mean? Why does it not work for me? How to achieve sustainably long-term?
I will try to bring some additional information and tips to help answer these questions.
Situps = a slimmer waist, right? Well, kind of. There are 3 components to a slimmer waistline:
- Perhaps the most obvious – the fat layer under the skin (subcutaneous fat
- Muscle tone – bit more complicated than it may seem
- Volume of internal organs
Subcutaneous fat
An obvious factor which everyone knows. This is the most important factor, when it comes to the legendary 6-pack! A clear example is with people who are naturally very lean, even without any “abs” training will have a 6-pack.
Reducing this is not rocket science. If calorie output > input, the fat in our bodies will reduce. This can vary in different ways for different people e.g. in the way their bodies utilise stored energy. Also genetic predisposition where the body deposits and uses the fat can make things easier/harder.
Muscle tone
I am going to go into a bit of detail here. Muscle strength is not the primary driver, but muscle tone (i.e. the tension the muscle has when it is “relaxed” – too much muscle tone affects mobility but that’s another story).
Also typical abs exercises target a layer of the abdominal muscles, where the primary function is to bend/prevent from bending the torso.
Here’s an experiment; pull the belly button in, as if you are trying to make it touch your spine. That movement i.e. pulling the waistline in, is achieved by a completely different muscle layer than your situps. For the slimmer waistline, this would be a more effective movement.
Volume of internal organs
Fat affects the visuals and total circumference, muscle tone holds everything in; the internal organs give outward pressure onto the abdominal wall.
You can have cases of a person with low body fat, well trained abs, yet still a “large” waistline, due to the internal volume of the organs in the torso. An easy way to test this is to fast for a couple of days. The amount of food in the stomach, intestines will reduce, resulting in a slimmer waist.
That is a short term impact. To have a lasting impact, by consistent reduction of food portion sizes, reduce the volume taken by the stomach and intestines. People with high alcohol intake can also have enlarged livers, which again would take time to resolve.
Conclusion
By recognising the various factors, by having the self-knowledge, steps can be taken to move in the desired direction.
The athletic advantages manifest with lighter weight, more mobility, more core strength, which are transferable across every activity or sport.
