If you spend a lot of time at your desk, you can still strengthen and tone your abs by doing an abs workout in a chair. An abs workout in a chair is generally safe for you every day.
Note:
- To begin with Find a sturdy chair: a flat, stable chair without arms would be idle. A dining room or kitchen chair works well – avoid chairs with wheels because they aren’t stable and can roll out from under you.
- Maintain a proper posture with your shoulders back, your shoulder blades pressed down alongside your spine. Sit on your sitting bones, not your tailbone. Your knees should be bent at roughly right angles with your feet flat on the floor. If you’re not able to do this, your chair may not be the correct height.
- Take a moment to get comfortable in this position and connect with your breath. Take a couple of minutes to breathe deeply, in through your nose and out through your mouth.
- Pin your arms firmly to your sides, and rest your hands on your thighs. Make sure you are positioned slightly in front of the back of the chair. Your back should not be right up against the back of the chair.
5 Seated Ab Exercises
Seated Marches
Target muscles: Lower abs and hip flexors
Steps:
- Sit tall on the edge of a chair with your feet flat on the floor, and your hands resting on your thighs.
- Engage your core and slowly lift your right knee towards your chest, keeping your back straight.
- Lower your right foot back to the floor then repeat with your left knee.
- Alternate legs for the desired number of repetitions.
Variations:
- To make it easier, perform the exercise one leg at a time.
- To make it more challenging, hold a lightweight or resistance band around your feet.
- Mistakes to avoid: Rounding your back or using momentum instead of engaging your core muscles.
Seated Russian Twists
Target muscles: Obliques and rectus abdominis
Steps:
- Sit on the edge of the chair with your feet flat on the floor and knees bent.
- Hold a lightweight object or clasp your hands together at chest level.
- Engage your core and lean back slightly, keeping your back straight.
- Twist your torso from side to side, tapping the weight or your hands on either side of your hips.
Variations:
- To make it easier, perform the exercise without weight or with a smaller range of motion.
- To make it more challenging, lift your feet off the ground or use a heavier weight.
- Mistakes to avoid: Rounding your back or using momentum to twist your torso.
Seated Plank
Target muscles: Entire core, including rectus abdominis, obliques, and transverse abdominis
Steps:
- Sit tall on the edge of a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your hands resting on your thighs.
- Engage your core, press your hands into your thighs, and lift your hips off the chair, keeping your feet flat on the ground.
- Hold this position for the desired amount of time, maintaining a straight line from your head to your knees.
Variations:
- To make it easier, do the exercise with your hands on the chair for support.
- To make it more challenging, lift one leg off the ground while holding the plank position.
- Mistakes to avoid: Letting your hips sag or arching your back during the hold.
Seated Obliques:
Target muscles: Obliques, and transverse abdominis
Steps:
- Place your hands behind your neck. From the same seated position, bend your right elbow and rest one hand on your neck. Then, stretch out your left arm and raise it over your head. Take a moment to connect with your breath and check your posture.
- Lower your right elbow to your right hip. Bend your upper body sideways – not forward or backward. You should feel a stretch or a pull along your left side. Only bend to the side until you feel the stretch, without trying to force yourself further.
- Keep your movement slow and controlled. Hold the contraction for a few seconds, then slowly return to the center.
- Repeat the same movement with the left side. Lower your left elbow toward your left hip, stopping when you feel a stretch on your right side. Keep your back straight and make sure you’re not crunching your shoulders.
- Pay attention to how the left side feels compared to the right. If you’re able to bend further on one side than the other, this may indicate a strength imbalance.
- Do 5 to 10 repetitions of this exercise on each side, engaging your core continuously.
Seated Scissor Kicks
Target muscles: Lower abs and hip flexors
Steps:
- Sit tall on the edge of a chair with your hands gripping the sides for support.
- Engage your core and lean back slightly, lifting both legs off the ground.
- Kick your legs in a scissor-like motion, alternating one over the other.
- Continue for the desired number of repetitions.
Variations:
- To make it easier, perform the exercise with bent knees or while resting your hands on your thighs.
- To make it more challenging, add ankle weights or increase the speed of the movement.
- Mistakes to avoid: Rounding your back or using momentum to kick your legs.
Give these accessible and versatile exercises a try, and embrace the benefits of a stronger, healthier core.
Ref: https://www.wikihow.fitness/
For more: https://darebee.com/workouts/