The abdominal region consists of the rectus abdominis and oblique muscles. The rectus abdominis runs from the pelvis up to the sternum and the obliques are found on the sides of the stomach. A good ab workout machine adequately works the upper and lower rectus abdominis as well as the obliques.
Identification
A captain's chair is a good ab machine. In a study commissioned by the American Council on Exercise, the captain's chair ranked second, behind the bicycle maneuver, as the best overall ab exercise. The captain's chair causes 212 percent mean activity --- using the traditional crunch as a baseline activity --- in the rectus abdominis and 310 percent in the obliques.
Features
The captain's chair gets its name from the fact that it resembles a large chair. The difference is that there is no seat. It is made out of steel and has two foot holds on the bottom. The top has padded armrests, hand grips and a padded backrest. It is used with the body in an upright position.
Function
The basic captain's chair exercise is the leg raise. To do this, place your feet on the foot holds, lean back against the backrest and grasp the hand grips with your forearms resting on the pads. Carefully lift one foot at a time and let your legs hang straight down toward the floor, the Six Pack Ab Training website instructs. Your back should be tight to the backrest and your gaze should be fixed forward. At this point, you should already feel your abs contracting. Keeping your upper body still, bend your knees and draw them into your chest. Squeeze your abs forcefully for a full second, slowly lower your legs back down and repeat. For a variation, alternate pulling your knees back and forth toward each shoulder as you raise them up. This will place more emphasis on your obliques.
Size
Unlike other ab machines, the captain's chair does not have a resistance adjustment. If you have gotten to a point that your exercises have become easy, increase the resistance by adding weight to your body; either strap on ankle weights or pinch a dumbbell between your lower legs.
Considerations
If you do not have access to a gym, you can use a regular chair in place of a captain's chair and still get an useful workout. Make sure the chair is sturdy and high off the ground. Sit on the edge of the chair, grasp the sides with your hands and extend your legs out in front of your body. Lean back slightly, tuck your knees into your chest and lower your legs back down. Do not let your feet touch the floor; repeat.
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