Human beings always seek to solve their problems in the simplest way and, above all, making the least possible effort. We are tired of saying that the miracle diets They don't work for healthy weight loss and long-term maintenance, but there are those who rely on training methods that claim to burn calories with 5-minute sessions. This is the case of Sakuma method, in which its creator boasts of being able to lose weight in five minutes and without making a great effort. Works? Are we losing hours of training in the gym?
What is the Sakuma Method?
Kenichi Sakuma is a fitness guru in Japan, well known thanks to his book the sakuma method. With more than two million copies sold, it continues to bet on a very short type of training, in which you can reach your goal as soon as possible and shape your body in just two weeks. The key? The core training.
It is true that the core (abdomen, back and stabilizing muscles) is important to enjoy good physical health and, above all, a good body posture. Most of us adopt bad postures in our daily lives, which cause us to lose muscle strength and increase the risk of injury. As Sakuma says in his book, his method consists of correcting the postural habits of the body that prevent fat from being lost. That is, different postural corrections in just five exercises, one minute each. During the first two weeks, he recommends doing these exercises every day and after the third week, interspersing them with rest days (performing them only 3 days a week).
However, as much as I insist that this method is perfect for improving physique and basal metabolism, we assure you that it cannot be the equivalent of exercising, such as running or CrossFit. Neither will it make you lose weight, nor will it shape your figure.
These are the exercises that compose it
Most of them will look familiar to you if you usually attend yoga or pilates classes. The First of all It consists of lying on your stomach, with your hands clasped behind your neck, your chin down and your chest slightly suspended. From that position, two movements are made: press the legs against each other and hold the position for 10 seconds; and cross your legs at the ankles and perform a small flexion that raises your legs and torso as if a string were pulling from the ceiling. He recommends doing the exercise for three times and not resting between repetitions.
El second exercise we will also do it lying down. We will seek to work the gluteus, bending the knees to 90º and crossing the ankles. The legs must be open and, from this position, squeeze the gluteus and raise the legs without reducing the degree of flexion.
If you look at the previous image, it also has a version to do at work and that, according to its creator, will leave you with a wasp waist. Although you want to believe that all these movements can prevent the rebound effect of diets or reduce calories after a heavy meal: it is not true.
The book mentions changes in the eating, such as eating plenty of protein throughout the day to keep us satiated, and eating breakfast within half an hour of standing up. What is striking about this thought is that he underlines it with a crazy statement, which says that «Skipping breakfast is one of the routines that sumo wrestlers follow to gain weight.«.
If you were a firm believer in the Sakuma Method, or have someone who has recommended it to you, we are sorry to disappoint you. There are no miracles that will make you have a figure 10, or make you feel healthier. To lose fat, go to a nutritionist and have the work of a personal trainer. Being healthy is a lifestyle, not a temporary process.