Fitting in a few ab exercises at the office during your busy day may be the only way you'll get your stomach in shape. Exercises can even be done from the comfort of your office chair. But just because you are sitting down, doesn't mean you should slump over and relax. Perfect your posture and work your core with a few simple seated exercises.
Abdominal Vacuum
The abdominal vacuum may very well the single most basic ab exercise you can do, but it is the most important. Being able to actively and consciously contract your abdominal muscles and hold your core in place is a skill that is needed for all other exercises. Holding the vacuum exercise will strengthen your abs, more and more so over time, if you incrementally increase the amount of time you perform it. All you have to do is sit on the edge of your office chair with your feet flat on the floor. Then with your spine straight, pull in your stomach as much as you can and hold the squeeze.
Elbow to Knee
The elbow to knee exercise uses your abs to stabilize your torso in the chair as you move your arms and legs. Although it may feel natural to bend forward as you do this exercise, maintain a steady upright position with your spine perpendicular to the chair. The exercise is done seated on the edge of the chair with the feet on the floor. Begin by raising your left arm overhead and then lifting your right knee into the air while bringing your left elbow down and across your body toward your knee. Repeat on the opposite side.
Seated Oblique Barbell Twists
The seated oblique barbell twists exercise will use a body bar, barbells or pair of dumbbells as added weight. The obliques are the muscles on the sides of your stomach underneath the "love handles," and this exercise targets them perfectly. A barbell is placed across your upper back and shoulders. It's held with your elbows bent at your sides, palms forward. Sit up tall on the edge of your chair with your knees bent and feet on the floor. You can also bend your elbows and place palms on top of your shoulders to do the exercise without weights. If you use dumbbells, do the same motion by holding your hands with a dumbbell resting on each shoulder. Simply rotating your spine from side-to-side is all you need to do for the exercise, though it is important to keep your abs tight as in the abdominal vacuum exercise. You can also rotate to one direction and then back to center first before working the other side.
References
- ExRx: Abdominal Vacuum
- Shape Fit: Seated Oblique Barbell Twists
- Chair Exercises for Older Adults; University of Georgia; Mindy Bell, BS, Tiffany Sellers, MS, and Kathryn N. Porter, BS
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