Okay so I have been an rAFC on these forums for a while now. I have asked many questions and looked for help in many places. It is high time that I gave something back. So here I go.

This is a concept I learned in Martial Arts, and I have since heard about it in a few places. My teacher told us to activate our cores. By which he means essentially suck in your stomach.

Sucking in your stomach, or activating your core, has a few benefits. This is something you should do all day long, every day. In the beginning it will be challenging and hard. You will find yourself forgetting to suck it in throughout the day, in addition to the fact that it is a strain on your muscles in the beginning. But just catch yourself as quickly as possible and continue on.

This will a) make you look better and, b) make your stomach stronger

You will find it is hard to have poor body language, such as slouching in a chair, with your core activated. This will take weeks, or even months to master, but eventually you will keep your stomach sucked in subconsciously and it won't even take effort anymore because your muscles will be that strong.

I actually mentioned this to my mom and she told me how she did exactly this when she was in college! It only took her a few weeks to master and she did it subconciously for years. If my mom can do it you definitely can too!

P.S. There are a couple of reasons you do this in Martial Arts. Firstly, activating your core will make all of your punches and kicks stronger. Secondly, if you get hit in the stomach the wind will not be knocked out of you.

How do you talk from your diaphragm when you're sucking in your stomach? When fighting you want to breathe into your chest, but when talking you want to breath into your stomach to make use of your diaphragm.

_________________
Do the Impossible
See the Invisible
Raw! Raw!
Fight the Power!

Touch the Untouchable
Break the Unbreakable
Raw! Raw!
Fight the Power!

A chronicle of my reformation from AFC to PUA: http://simpua.livejournal.com/

Wow i can on and on about this topic but basically yeah this is true. By "sucking in" your basically activating your transverse abdominus (TVA) which is a deep and powerful postural muscle that wraps around your spine. Developing this muscle helps alleviate lower back pain and does improve posture. It will also make your waistline smaller.

The best way to train this as a beginner is to do whats called 4 point stances, also known as vacuums, or core draw ins. Look it up for pictures or videos.
But basically you get on your hands and knees, position your self so your spine from head to tailbone is aligned. Then take a deep breath in and relax, next exhale and squeeze your stomach in and try to make your belly button touch your spine. Repeat.

When you get good at this you can start extending your limbs while you exhale.

For people accustomed to working out there are many ways to target your TVA. Anything standing will work it if your sure to squeeze it in and activate it. Other ways are to do planks or other core stabilization exercises. PM me if you want more info.

Also what kind of martial arts do you practice GC blue?

http://www.ptonthenet.com/images/exerci ... uver_1.jpg
http://www.ptonthenet.com/images/exerci ... uver_2.jpg

Hopefully those posted right but there is an example of the 4 point draw in

Hey I am on vacation for a bit now so I won't be able to check this thread as often as I would like, but I am here now .

I practice Muay Thai. I have tried other martial arts such as Karate and Tae Kwon Do but neither are very practical in a real fight, aka a fight on the street. This is why I love Muay Thai, practicality.


In response to the other guy it is quite possible to activate your core and breath deeply at the same time.

My posture is just fine, but I decided to see if this did anything so I tried it out. I can't imagine walking around all day doing this, holy shit it's awkward. I looked like I had a broom up my ass... then I removed the broom, but it didn't make any difference. My gait still had a noticeable awkwardness about it. I can't imagine the solid look of concentration on my face being helpful either.

Vacuums are really effective!
I've been doing them ever since I started lifting and they really help. I mostly like doing it in front of the mirror lol.

This is how you do it:
You can stand up, be kneeling, seating or whatever. Take a deep breath and exhale then suck in your neck and hold it.

This will explain it better:http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ms-fit5.htm

This is a very good idea and is especially helpful for me because usually I can rarely get into a good posture unless I use a mirror.

To make this easier you can also do core exercises to strengthen it (such as "the plank").