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Expert Q&A

	By Catherine Cram, M.S. Postpartum Fitness Expert Exercise Physiologist

What are the best exercises to tone your stomach?

There are a lot of great abdominal exercises out there, but for most women the area they most want to target is below the belly button. If you've had children or are out of shape, this is the area that causes the most problems. I recommend a series of progressive exercises (called the Sahrmann exercises, developed by physical therapist Shirley Sahrmann) that target that area without causing stress to the low back. These exercises, if done correctly, work wonders.

Sahrmann Exercise 1

1. Lie on the floor with knees bent and arms at your side.
2. Hold your tummy in by doing your basic breath contraction. Keeping one leg bent, slowly slide the other leg out until it is straight on the floor and then slide it back up to bent-knee position. Relax your tummy.
3. Repeat the process for the other leg. Remember, don't flatten your back, and keep the curve relaxed.

When your abdominal muscles are contracted, it helps to stabilize your pelvis while your legs and lower tummy muscles work. This prevents strain in your back muscles and trains your abdominal muscles to protect and support your spine.

When you can comfortably do 20 legs slides on each side, you can move to the next step.

Sahrmann Exercise 2

1. Lie on floor with knees bent and arms at side. Pull in your tummy and hold, then raise one knee toward your chest and slowly straighten it out parallel to (about 2 to 3 inches above the floor), but not touching, the floor. Return extended leg to starting position with knees bent, feet resting on floor and relax your tummy.
2. Repeat on opposite side, keeping one knee bent as you extend the other leg. Work up to five repetitions on each side without stopping, building to 20 repetitions or more on each side.

Sahrmann Exercise 3

When you can comfortably do 20 of the no. 2 Sahrmann exercises with each leg, you can move on to level 3.

1. Use your basic breath as you bring your legs up one at a time toward your body with knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
2. Keep one leg bent as you slowly lower the other leg down to the floor and back up. Repeat on the opposite side, working up to 10 times on each leg.

Sahrmann Exercise 4

If you can comfortably do 20 repetitions with each leg for exercise no. 3, you're ready to move on to no. 4.

1. Do your basic breath as you bring both legs up and keep your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
2. Slowly extend one leg out parallel with the floor but not touching.
3. Bring the leg back, and repeat with opposite leg. Work up to 20 repetitions on each leg.

With each repetition, remember to keep breathing, contract your tummy as you move your leg and don't let your back pop up. If the arch in your back keeps popping up during the exercise, it means you're not strong enough to progress to this level and need to go back to the previous exercise until you build greater strength.

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