Chair ab exercises are clutch for people who want to strengthen their midsection but can’t (or don’t want to) get on the ground to do so, including beginners and folks with mobility limitations.
Most often, chairs are a tool for sedentary tasks, like working at a computer, eating dinner, or binging Netflix. But they can also be used to level up your core strength. Yes, really. In fact, doing chair exercises for abs can be a surprisingly great and convenient way to show your core some love after you’ve just spent a bunch of time sitting.
The chair is also a smart exercise prop for folks who are new to exercise, since many common ab-igniting moves–like push-ups, planks, and mountain climbers–can be made less challenging by elevating your hands on the chair instead of the ground. To boot, using a chair can provide tactile feedback that boosts overall core activation. Take the TA bracing drill, for instance: This is a simple yet effective core exercise that Becca Revier, CPT, a personal trainer and Pilates instructor at Life Time Lakeville in Minnesota, has clients do in a chair to hone their ability to fire up their transversus abdominis , a deep core muscle that stabilizes the spine. The chair is a key part of the exercise, providing a tangible support for good form. Chair ab exercises are also clutch for people who want to strengthen their midsection but can’t get on the ground to do so. That may include folks with mobility limitations as well as those whose floors have seen cleaner days. Basically, using a chair can make core exercises more accessible to more people, Revier tells SELF. In that spirit, we rounded up 5 awesome chair exercises you can do at home to fire up your abs. You can do these as one-offs in between Zoom meetings as a way to add more core-focused movement to your day, or string them together for a full-body circuit. Katie Pierson, CPT, a Montana-based personal trainer, suggests starting with three sets of 8 to 10 reps of each exercise. Increase that volume over time as you build your strength. Last thing: However you approach these exercises, make sure to use a stable, stationary chair. Your rolling swivel chair is not the smart choice here. “You definitely want a chair that’s going to keep you where you need to be,” Pierson tells SELF. 1. Elevated Push-Up Stand facing a sturdy chair with your feet hip-width apart and arms at your sides. If you’re a beginner, place your feet even wider apart to make the exercise a little easier . Lower your upper body toward the chair and place your palms flat on the seat. They should be directly below your shoulders. Extend your legs straight out behind you with your toes planted and heels elevated off the floor. Brace your core muscles and keep your back flat and straight. Keep your eyes looking down at the seat. Your body will be at a slight angle. Bend your elbows to slowly lower your chest to the seat until the elbows are at a 90-degree angle. Push your body away from the chair until your elbows are extended. This is 1 rep. OK, so the elevated push-up is technically a full-body exercise, but it’s also “basically a dynamic plank,” Revier says, which means there’s a strong emphasis on the abs. In the push-up, your core is working hard to stabilize your spine while you complete the pushing motion, Pierson says. As you do your reps, focus on keeping a neutral pelvis and draw your bellybutton in and up, Revier says. This will ensure good core activation. 2. Mountain Climber Stand facing a sturdy chair with your feet hip-width apart and arms at your sides. Lower your upper body toward the chair and place your palms flat on the edge of the seat directly below your shoulders. Extend your legs straight out behind you with your toes planted and heels elevated off the floor. Brace your core muscles and keep your back flat and straight. Keep your eyes looking down at the seat. Your body will be at a slight angle. Bring your right knee toward your right arm. Then, as the right leg returns to the starting position, bring your knee toward your left arm. That’s 1 rep. Continue alternating. Keep the pace moderate and modify if needed. To make it easier, perform this movement at a walking speed. Quicken the pace to make it more advanced. The elevated mountain climber is another dynamic plank exercise. Your core has to really activate here to keep your spine stabilized as you move your legs. Focus on pulling your shoulders down and back and draw your bellybutton in as you drive your knee to your chest, Revier says. You should feel a mini crunch in your abs every time your leg comes up. Also make sure your hips stay steady the whole time–don’t let them rock side to side, she adds. “That will help you connect to that transverse abdominis.” 3. Chair Squat Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and back facing a sturdy chair. Clasp your hands together to make a fist and hold in front of your chest. Your heels should be close to the chair legs. Brace your core, shift your weight into your heels, push your hips back, and bend your knees to lower into a squat. Lower your butt to the chair without sitting on it. Pause at the bottom of the squat, and drive through your heels to stand, squeezing your glutes at the top. This is 1 rep. Squats are a great leg and butt exercise, yes, but they also deliver sneaky core work. That’s because your abs need to fire to support good posture as you do your reps. Plus, doing squats with a chair helps enforce proper form by encouraging you to push your hips back onto the chair, versus keeping your weight shifted forward as you bend your knees, Pierson says. As you do these, focus your gaze outward like you’re watching TV, rather than looking at your feet. “That's going to help you keep your chest elevated and help you engage that transverse abdominis,” Revier says. 4. Single-Leg Squat to Chair Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, one foot slightly in front of the other, with your back facing a sturdy chair. Clasp your hands together to make a fist and hold in front of your chest. Your back heel should be close to the chair legs. This is starting position. Brace your core, shift your weight into your back heel, push your hips back, and bend your back knee to lower into a squat. As you lower your butt to the chair, straighten your front leg and raise it in the air. Touch your butt in the chair and sit down. Pause at the bottom of the squat, and drive through your heel to stand, squeezing your glute at the top. This is 1 rep. Complete all your reps on one side, then switch sides. This is a more advanced variation of the chair squat, since you’re performing each rep with the strength of just one leg. And that single-leg element is what really engages your abs. “You probably naturally want to tip over if you're just in that single leg stance, but your core has to work to help you stay upright,” Revier says. Using a chair adds some protective stability to the move: “It's a lot safer to sit down into a chair rather than just doing a squat in space,” Revier says. 5. Alternating Cross Crunch Sit on the seat of a sturdy chair with your torso upright away from the back of it. Place your feet about hip-width apart flat on the floor and your fingertips behind your head, elbows pointing out to the sides. Raise your left foot off the floor and bring your right elbow toward your left knee by twisting your torso. Touch your right elbow to the left knee if you can and squeeze your obliques while you are rotating and crunching. Repeat the same motion with the left elbow and right knee. This is 1 rep. Continue alternating. Here you’re especially targeting your obliques, the muscles on the sides of your torso. Focus on exhaling as you bring your elbow to the opposite knee to really emphasize the core contraction. Related: Jennifer Aniston Swears By These Arms and Abs Exercises—See the Moves 12 Standing Core Exercises That Will Fire Up Your Abs The Workout That’s More Efficient Than Walking or Running Get more of SELF’s great wellness advice delivered right to your inbox.
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