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.
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!
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!
If you’ve been reading about abs training for a couple of weeks, you must have read about at least 20-30 exercises for the abdominal muscles. You probably can’t even keep in mind that many, not to mention doing them all. So here’s the question: What are the best ab exercises?
I’ve composed a list of them, which I’ll show you now. The exercises are in increasing order of difficulty.
crunches
cross knee crunches
leg raises (lying)
reverse crunches
vertical leg thrusts
knee raises (hanging)
You can start with the easier ones, do just three or four types at one session and switch to harder exercises as you progress. I’ll show you some special exercises in my next post, that are also necessary for successful abs training.
I’ll give you a complete, recommended training program in one of my later posts. But now, let’s see how to do each of these exercises.
Crunches:
The most basic exercise in abs training. Lie on your back. Pull your knees up, so that they are at a 60 degree angle to your torso. You can bend your knees, or just let your feet rest on a chair or something. Your hands should be touching the sides of your head.
Now try to touch your breastbone to your pelvis by slowly raising your shoulders. Breath out as you do it. Your hips shouldn’t move, only your spine bends. Do these slowly, don’t use momentum.
Cross knee crunches:
Same as crunches, but now you try to crunch diagonally. Try to touch your left shoulder to your right knee, then your right shoulder to your left knee. At the top position, one side of your hips should be off the ground.
Leg raises:
The basic and exercise for lower abs training. Lie on your back, with your hands under your buttocks. Raise your legs about 20cm (8″) off the floor and hold them there. Using your lower ab muscles, raise your legs by another 20cm by tilting your pelvis. Your knees should be slightly bent.
Reverse crunches:
For this exercise, you need something behind your head to hold. This can be the legs of a chair, the ankles of a training partner or anything that’s fixed into that position. Lying on your back, holding the thing behind your head, raise your knees above your chest by pulling your pelvis and legs up. Your knees should be bent. Then return to the starting position.
Vertical leg thrusts:
My favorite abs training exercise.
Lie on your back, placing your hands under your buttocks. Knees slightly bent, raise your legs up from the ground by about 20cm (8″). Raise your head and shoulders a bit as well, if you can, to increase the stress on your abs.
This is the initial position. Now the exercise has four steps:
Raise your legs by contracting your abs, until your feet are above your pelvis.
Breathing out, thrust your heels up, towards the ceiling. Your pelvis should raise as well.
Lower your pelvis back from the thrust, setting it between your hands again.
Lower your legs back to the starting position, keeping your knees slightly bent.
Knee raises:
You’re gonna need a branch of a tree, a water pipe or something else that’s strong enough to support your body weight for this exercise. A chin-up bar is the best, if you have access to one. Grabbing the bar with a grip a bit wider than your shoulders, raise your knees up to your chest. Your ankles should be crossed, and you should only use your abs to do the work. Lower your knees slowly, relaxing your ab muscles. Don’t extend your legs, keep those knees bent throughout the whole exercise.
This concludes the six best abs training exercises. They are effective, simple and safe. Just keep in mind that if your lower back hurts while doing any of these exercises, you should bend your knees a little bit more.
In the next post, I’ll show you special abs training exercises that are also required for a complete ab workout.
Until then, you should check out The Winsor Pilates Buzz for the best body improvement and energy-boosting techniques.
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