Flatten Your Stomach Against the Wall — No Crunches. No Sit Ups. Just Results! Dr. Mandell

If you want a flatter stomach but hate crunches or floor exercises, you're going to love this. You can do everything standing right up against the wall. No equipment, no strain on your neck or back. You don't have to get on the ground and you'll feel your core tighten instantly. Most people don't realize that their stomach isn't just made of surface muscles. Deep underneath, there's a powerful band called the transverse abdominus. That's your deep core muscle. It acts like your body's natural core set, wrapping around your waist and spine to pull everything inwards and stabilize your posture. When this muscle gets weak, your belly starts to protrude. It comes out even if you're not overweight. But when we wake it up, your waist literally tightens from the inside out. Today, I'm going to show you exactly how to do that. Let's start out with the wall vacuum. You're going to stand with your back flat up against the wall, your heels about six inches away. Relax your shoulders. Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose. Go ahead. Exhale completely. Get all the air, every bit of air out. As you do so, you're going to pull your belly straight back, your belly button to your spine, tightening those deep core muscles at transverse abdominus. You're going to pull it in and it hurts. Squeeze it five seconds. Now relax and breathe normally again. Do this 10 times. You're going to start to feel your core set tightening, supporting your spine. It's one of the safest, most effective ways to retrain your core muscles after years of being asleep. Let's do it two more times. Take a deep breath. As you blow it out of your mouth, take your belly button and pull it back. Pull it back. It hurts. Come on. That's your transverse abdominus. Relax. One more time. Deep breath through your nose. Blow it out. Pull that belly button back. Just feel that burn. That's what you need to do. When you add a mini squat and you engage your glutes, it makes it so much more dynamic. You'll stay in that same wall position. As you pull your belly button in, I want you to slowly lower yourself into a small squat right here. Not too deep, just a few inches. Keep your back against the wall as you hold that squat. Contract the glutes, your thighs at the same time. Now you're integrating the lower body with your core. This creates a full chain of tension from the pelvis up to the rib cage. You're building stability while training your body to tighten your stomach during real movement. I want to make sure you're doing this correctly. Let's do two of them. Here's what we do. Against the wall, breathing in through your nose, filling up your lungs. As you blow it out, bring your tummy, bring your belly button back towards your spine as you squat down. You come up again when you inhale. Blow it out, pull your belly button back to the spine, and come down again. Again, you'll start out at five or six of these. You can build up over time as you get stronger. In this simple exercise, go ahead and take a step away from the wall. Way to take a deep breath through your nose, filling up your lung. As you blow it out again, bring that belly button towards your spine and hold it. Three seconds to the left, hold it. One, two, three. Three seconds to the right as you're holding it in. One, two, three. Then breathe again. Breathe again. Blow it out. Belly button back to the spine. Three seconds to the left, holding it in. Two, three. Hold it in to the right. One, two, three. Try to do about 10 repetitions of those. You'll really feel a difference. And now you want to do a wall push and core drive. Very easy to do, very effective. Step away from the wall, about a foot. Place both hands against it at shoulder height. Lean in slightly so your weight is supported by your arms. Engage your core again. Pull that stomach in tight as if you're bracing for a punch. Push gently into the wall as you exhale, keeping your abs drawn in. This move mimics the deep bracing that athletes use for power and spinal support. It builds endurance in your core. It helps re-educate your nervous system to keep the abs engaged during daily activities. You'll do this for about five or six slow pushes, breathing out each time. And the wall pelvic tilt for lower abs is extremely effective. Return to standing with your back against the wall. Focus on your lower back. Flatten it completely against the wall by gently tucking your pelvic backwards. Go ahead, tuck the pelvic backwards. At the same time, pull your belly button in. Go ahead, pull it in. That small movement isolates the lower part of your transverse abdominus, where most people lose control and develop that lower belly pouch. Hold it for about five, six seconds, and then release. You want to repeat that 10 times. This movement also strengthens your deep spinal stabilizers and improves your posture alignment. You don't need a gym equipment or crunches to flatten your stomach. All you need is a wall. Just a few minutes a day. These movements will strengthen your body from the inside out. It will protect your spine. It will retrain the muscle that truly defines your core, the transverse abdominus. Start doing this daily. Give yourself two weeks. You will feel the difference, not only in your stomach, but in your posture, your breathing, as well as your energy. Remember, it's not about doing more. It's about doing smarter. So take control of your body and let your core support you the way it was designed to. I hope this video was informative, but most important, put it to work. You will reap those great benefits. Please share this video with your friends and family. Leave your comments below. And most important, make it a great day. I'm Dr. Alan Mandel.