The Only Exercise You’ll Ever Need to Make Your Waist Smaller

I am going to share with you one exercise you can do anywhere, anytime that will literally take inches off your waist. When I say you can do this exercise anywhere, anytime, I truly mean that. You could do this exercise standing right in front of someone and they wouldn't even notice. Anyways, enough with the introduction, let's get to the last exercise you'll ever have to do to make your waist smaller.

The exercise is called the "stomach vacuum." I know, it sounds more like a surgery than an exercise, but it is 100 percent legitimate. Bodybuilders have been using this exercise for decades to shrink their waists and create that tapered look they are famous for having. You've probably even seen them doing it during competitions if you've ever watched on. Doing the vacuum stomach exercise is basically just sucking your stomach in.

Here's how you do it:

Stand up straight and tall and exhale until all of the air is out of your lungs. Next, take a deep breathe and suck your stomach in as far as you can. Hold your stomach in for about 20 seconds and then let it out. Rest for a few seconds then repeat the exercise two more times. Once you've gotten better at it, you can hold it for up to 60 seconds at a time.

Why does the stomach vacuum work?

Regular crunches and most other ab exercises mainly work your rectus abdominis -- the long paired-muscle that makes up the first outer layer of your abdominal wall. When you look at someone's "abs," what you're seeing is their rectus abdominis. The problem is: exercising this muscle doesn't make your waist smaller; it can actually make it bigger!

The vacuum stomach exercise, on the other hand, strengthens your transverse abdominis - the deepest muscle inside of your abdominal wall, responsible for sucking your stomach in. When your transverse abdominis is weak, your stomach sags. When it is strong, your stomach stays firm, making your waist smaller. Having a strong transverse abdominis also improves your posture, which will give you more of a lean look, too.

So, the next time you're thinking about doing 100 crunches, you might want to reconsider. Crunches are great if your want stronger, more defined abs; but if your goal is a smaller waist, the stomach vacuum is the only abdominal exercise you need to do.