Vacuum Shot : The Forgotten Pose

When you read the word "vacuum" what comes to mind? Odds are that for most people the first image would be of an upright or canister-shaped machine with a hose that is used for sucking up dirt and scaring the cat.

But if you're a bodybuilder of a certain age the image you formulate might very well be that of Frank Zane, arms held above his head with his hands pulled back behind his neck to maximize the effect of a full ribcage flaring out over a wasp waist and seemingly inverted abdominal column. Or it might be that of the late Mike Mentzer who, despite his herculean build, could still suck his abs seemingly all the way back to his spine while holding his arms straight out to his sides in a "crucifix" pose.

Frank Zane: King of the Vacuum

THEN AND NOW
There was a time when being able to "vacuum" one's abs was de riguer for competitive bodybuilders. Whether it was employed in a double biceps shot (as Arnold and Ferrigno often did), single biceps (Robby Robinson), or in a side chest pose (Mike Katz, among others), not to mention the vacuum pose itself which was practiced by a host of bodybuilders too numerous to list here.

But today vacuum shots are as rare onstage as the lambchop sideburns which were often sported by the last group of guys to perform it with any regularity. In fact, with the exception of Mr. Olympia stalwart Shawn Ray, who vacuums up his ab column when hitting a double bi, many a recent IFBB competition has come and gone without the audience being treated to a single example of ultimate abdominal control.

So, in light of the shift away from hitting vacuum shots over the last decade or so, the question begs: Why has this pose, always a fan favorite, all but disappeared? To get to the answer we must first look at how a vacuum shot is performed.

A DOME AND A HUMAN UMBRELLA
The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle at the center of your body and is the principal muscle used in breathing. It sits just below the lungs, behind the rectus abdominus, or abdominal, muscles. When inhaling the diaphragm drops, when exhaling it rises. Its function is independent of, but not dissimilar to that of the ribcage when it pertains to the breathing process.

Suck in that Gut! Mentzer shows how

Chest breathing involves expansion of the ribcage (specifically, relaxation of the serratus muscles lining it laterally) while exhalation is facilitated by a contraction of the muscles surrounding the ribcage.

Now that we know the two primary muscle movements involved in breathing we can begin to appreciate the difficulty of performing a vacuum.

To achieve that "sucked in" look indicative of a well-performed vacuum its practitioner must be able to contradict these two movements. First, air must be expelled from the lungs, forcing the diaphragm up and out of the way of the abdominal wall. Then, while remaining breathless, the ribcage must be expanded to its fullest.

The effect is impressive to say the least. The abdominal wall flattens and pulled back toward the spine making the waist look miniscule. Whatever the chest-to-waist ratio of the pose's practitioner, it looks to be doubled. The cavity formed by the extended ribcage creates a shadow above the waist that appears as if it could provide ample shelter for anyone looking to escape a sudden shower.

IT AIN'T EASY
Of course performing a vacuum shot and performing one correctly is the difference between a few hours' practice and a few months'. Because holding a vacuum is one thing. Holding a vacuum while flexing every other muscle of the body, a minute into a posing routine, is another entirely.

Which is one reason it is not performed as frequently as the standard double biceps or the most muscular. It's just plain difficult to do. But another reason stems from the shift in bodybuilding standards over the last ten years or so.

Dueling Vacuums: Robinson v. Padilla, 1979

A NEW BREED
Whereas up until the late 80's a trim waistline and well- but not overdeveloped abdominals were considered ideal, today's all-out assault on attaining mass has left such niceties in the gym trash can. Professional competitors consistently sport 35" and higher waistlines and even distended bellies, which they struggle mightily to restrain for individual poses but release like overfilled water balloons during transitions. With the amount of tissue inhabiting their midsections it would be fairly impossible for these competitors to be able to muster enough breath to pull their abs in as described above.

Discussion is frequently overhead in bodybuilding circles of the need for the IFBB and even the NPC to incorporate the arms-overhead vacuum shot into its current series of mandatory poses. But it is mere idle talk at this time and more wishful thinking than not. Because to make the vacuum mandatory would be to make a good number of popular professionals look... less than professional.

And so, for now at least, it seems the vacuum shot will remain a classic pose fondly remembered by a few of bodybuilding's oldtimers as the pose with the funny name that separated the poseurs from the posers.

Images 1 and 2 taken from "The IFBB Album of Bodybuilding All-Stars" by Joe Weider.
Image 3 taken from Joe Weider's "Muscle" magazine- Sept. 1979

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