Suck in that Gut!

Normally, when I hear the phrase "suck in that gut", I'm either regretfully   watching re-runs of Celebrity Fit Club or any movie co-starring R. Lee Ermey.

"Were you born worthless, or did you have to work at it?!"

But one thing I've come to realize is many of us neglect to actually take advantage of this piece of fictional movie advice. Sure we suck in our guts when we go out on dates, check ourselves out in the mirror, or even in the case of Dan Snyder (the owner of the Washington Redskins), try to impress a Hooter's waitress...

Even billionaires have to work at it...

However, when most of us do this, we aren't considering the healthy benefit that derives from what many Yogis commonly practice when performing the "Tadasana" or "Mountain Pose". As Bodybuilding.com explains, "the result [of sucking in your gut] is an increased abdominal tone, that will make you look instantly slimmer, and it also helps protect your lower back muscles." In the case of Pilates, a well known core muscle workout, most instructors will simply command you to "scoop out the abdominals" during a workout, to help with strength training as well as stabilizing the spine and pelvis.

Arnold says suck in those abs before you cause a flabalanche.

So for the past few months now, I've actively worked at keeping my abs tight, and not only do I feel the burn, but it's also even helped my posture. As my two aday workouts continued this week, the results are listed below:

Date	Workout	Sets	Total Time (Morning)	Total Time (Night)	Beak Time Per Set	Total Burpees
4/9/2012	Ladder	11	9 min 45 sec	9 min 47 sec	40 sec	132
4/10/2012	Ladder	11	9 min 44 sec	9 min 38 sec	40 sec	132
4/11/2012	Ladder	11	9 min 34 sec	9 min 29 sec	40 sec	132
4/12/2012	REST
4/13/2012	Ladder	11	9 min 39 sec	9 min 37 sec	40 sec	132
4/14/2012	Ladder	11	9 min 38 sec	9 min 27 sec	40 sec	132
4/15/2012	REST

Today I'll leave you with an inspiring quote from Mr. Joseph Pilates himself:

"Were man to devote as much time and energy to himself as he has devoted to that which he has produced, what an astounding and unbelievable progress would be made; a progress eclipsing all he has so far successfully accomplished."