Hey guys, after several weeks the Abs Training Guide is back. Yay! Some of the readers have contacted me asking if there are any good exercises they can do at work, sitting in a chair, not attracting too much attention from co-workers. Now this is a very good question, as most of you probably work on a computer in an office, where you just can’t take a break for a 15 minute workout. Maybe you’re too tired at the end of the day, when you finally get home, lacking any motivation to start doing exercises. I’ve been there, so I know how hard it can be sometimes.
She got it wrong...
As for the answer to your question:
Yes, there are a few abs training exercises you can do sitting in a chair.
But I’ll make it clear now: these exercises won’t bring half as much improvement as the best exercises I’ve discussed in this blog earlier. However, doing these less effective exercises is still WAY BETTER than not doing any exercises at all! The key point here is the same as with other workouts: make it a daily routine, or at least an every-other-daily routine (yes, I just made up that word). Consistency and repetition is the key ingredient of most great achievements.
If you don’t have your own well separated office, you might feel awkward doing some of these exercises. But don’t worry, as my sifu always tells, “a wonder lasts for three days”. When your colleagues first notice what you’re doing, they will be surprised, maybe even curious. They might think you’re a weirdo. Some of them might even laugh at you behind your back. So what… The next day they will still think there’s something wrong with you. Next week, they will get totally used to it, and everything will be back to normal. Again, this is my own experience. Been there, done that. Actually, when a fellow student seen me once doing these exercises before a very long and extremely boring presentation, she asked me what am I doing (in a nice way). I told her I’m doing my pre-sleep workout routine. She then tried these exercises, and was very happy about it, apparently. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t recommend using this method to pick up chicks 
So let’s move on to the actual exercises.
1. Spread knee lifts:
Sitting on your chair, spread your thighs a bit so that they shape a V. Lift your left knee up as high as you can, hold it there for a second, then lower it back to the ground. Do it 15-20 times with the left and then with the right leg. This exercise utilize most muscles down from the obliqes to the thighs.
2. Closed knee lifts:
Sit with your legs closed together, your knees touching each other. Let your arms support your upper body weight by leaning on the sides of your chair. Raise both knees towards your chest, as high as you can. Hold them at the highest point for a second, then slowly lower them back. Repeat 10 times. Don’t worry if you can’t raise your knees up for more than a couple of inches. Just raise as high as you can. This is a very good abs training exercise that utilizes most of the abdominal muscles.
3. Sit uptight, and do ab vacuums.
4. Ab twists:
Sit with your legs closed together, with a straight back. If you have a water bottle nearby, then take it in your hands. Extend your hands forward, both holding the bottle. With your legs staying fixed on the ground in front of you, slowly but steadily turn your upper body to the left. Make sure you reach the point from where you can’t turn any further. Hold it for a couple of seconds, then turn back to the middle and do the same to the right side. Repeat 5-10 times on both sides.
These four easy exercises will keep you fit every day, pump some blood into your limbs and make you fresh, ready for the rest of the long day at work.
I hope you found this article useful. I’ll be back soon with more abs training tips, stay tuned!
Tags: abdominal muscles, abs, benefits, exercises, knee raises, leg raises, lose fat, rewards, routines, the best, vacuum
01.Nov.09 
exercises, office 
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I have read seven books on abs training and muscle improvement in the last 2 years. Most of these books were reciting the same old training tips and workout strategies, a few of them also mentioned some kind of diet as well. They were good books, worth reading each and every one of them. As I might have mentioned earlier, I’m the kind of customer who doesn’t buy anything that costs more than $10 without doing some research and reading reviews on the item. And I’m extremely picky when it comes to books, since reading and understanding a several hundred pages book takes a lot of time, and I hate wasting my time on useless stuff. So I always choose carefully.
Last friday I’ve bought another book on abs training. It’s called The Complete Book of Abs: Revised and Expanded Edition
. Man, this book totally blew my mind! It’s just what the title says: a 100% complete book, that covers all areas and aspects of abdominal training. Let me tell you some details.
About two weeks ago I was chatting on MSN with an online friend of mine, who’s also into fitness and body improvement (I’ll post a link to her blog in the Blogroll once she has it all set up) . We were discussing the material available on the market that we have learned from. Both of us agreed that 90% of the DVD’s and (e)books were… well, let’s say mediocre at best. She mentioned that she had learned most of the abs exercises she teaches today from Kurt Brungardt’s ‘The Complete Book of Abs’ which was released in 1993. I quickly googled for the book – and guess what? There’s a second, revised and expanded edition of this book. As I was desparately looking for a good book that could actually boost my knowledge, I checked out some reviews and customer comments on the book. As all of them were very positive, I decided to order it on Amazon. It arrived on friday, and yesterday I finally had the time to start reading. 288 pages of awesomeness! There are about a hundred abs training exercises with photos, a full description with difficulty rating. It also tells you the risk of lower back stress for each exercise! But there’s more: anatomy and diets are also discussed, and there’s a whole chapter dedicated to The Mind. It tells you about why, and more importantly how you should keep on working out for months, how to fight laziness and finally succeed. Man, I wish I had this book 10 years ago… Actually, it came out it 1998. And before you think that’s a disatvantage, it isn’t. The human body didn’t change much since then, and fortunately this book lacks the popular (but useless) inventions of 21st century fitness gurus.
So if you don’t have the patience to wait for my blog posts, want to get the information from the purest source or just simply like having excellent books on your shelves, get your hands on The Complete Book of Abs! I’ll post a link to the Amazon review page right here:
The Complete Book of Abs: Revised and Expanded Edition
Tags: abs, basics, book, muscle improvement, six-pack, the best
31.Aug.09 basics, facts, reviews Comment (1)
In my previous post, I’ve talked about the Best Abs Training Exercises. I intentionally missed one of the most important exercises, which is also pretty unknown despite its effectiveness, importance and the fact that you can do it ANYWHERE at ANY TIME.
The exercise is called ab vacuum. Don’t be afraid, it’s not related to carrying around some kind of vacuum suction device. At first glance, it’s a simple exercise that’s basically contracting cour inner abdominal muscles. It was very well-known and popular among body builders of the 1970’s and 1980’s. However, for a complete abs training, the ab vacuum must be practiced regularly.
What are the benefits of the ab vacuum exercise?
By doing the ab vacuum, you contract the transversus abdominus. By improving this inner abdominal muscle, you will gain additional core strength, and your waistline will get thinner as well. It will also prevent developing a protruding belly, which happens to many practitioners of common abs training exercises. The transversus abdominus is a supporting mucles. It holds your intestines and more generally your stomach ‘in place’ during an intensive workout. Although the transversus is hidden, when it’s contracted your other abdominal muscles will look more defined and toned. Finally, a stronger inner muscle means a much smaller
chance of back pain.
So how do I perform this great exercise?
- Stand up, putting your hands on your hips on both sides.
- Exhale all the air out of your lungs. This might be harder at first than it sounds, just keep pushing.
- Pull your stomach in as much as you can while you exhale, as if you were trying to touch your belly button to your spine.
- Hold this position for 20 seconds. Keep breathing into your chest at a normal pace. You shouldn’t hold your breath while doing the exercise.
- After 20 seconds, finish the exercise by easing your ab muscles.
That’s it. This is a very easy and very effective exercise. You can do it while standing in a queue, listening to your mom on the phone or waiting for the bus. You won’t break a sweat either, so there’s no excuse for not doing it every day.
How often should I do it?
First two weeks: 3 x 20 seconds every day.
Third to fourth weeks: 3 x 30 seconds every day.
Fifth week and after: 3 x 60 seconds every day.
For the best results, you should do the repetitions consecutively.
Oh, and please tell your friends about the best abs training exercise that nobody knows of!
Tags: abdominal muscles, abs, basics, benefits, core strength, exercises, muscle improvement, vacuum
23.Aug.09 basics, exercises Comments (0)
