The Captain’s Chair is one of those weird, slightly awkward-looking pieces of gym equipment that many of us don’t really know what to do with. But, we’re here to tell you that the Captain’s Chair is an essential addition to your workout routine, in particular your core workouts. Yes, that strange piece of equipment with two poles, armrests, and a bosu ball/padded backrest, really targets the abs muscles, the obliques, and the hip flexors.
Not sure how to use the Captain’s Chair? We’ve got you. Plus, our expert shares some easy-to-follow but brutal exercises to try for rock-solid abs.
How to use the Captain’s Chair
It does look awkward, but the Captain’s Chair is easy to navigate. With your back against the backrest, step up using the raised steps on either side of the Captain’s Chair. Rest your forearms on the padded armrests, press your back against the backrest, and let your legs hang. Now you’re in position, it’s time to work the abs.
Jordan Shelley is the Head Coach at WIT Fitness. He’s shared five Captain’s Chair exercises that will torch your core. “Complete each exercise for 45 seconds, with 15 seconds rest and repeat three times,” says Jordan.
1. Hanging Knee Raise
“This exercise is great for beginners and a great way to engage your core to build strength,” explains Jordan. The hanging knee raise is great at working the abs, the obliques, and the hip flexors.
- 1. Get into the Captain’s Chair. Bend your knees and hold them together, driving them up toward your chest.
- 2. Keep your arms relaxed and your lats engaged as you do this. Go as far as you can before you start losing tension and your legs start swinging.
- 3. Lower them slowly to the starting position and repeat.
“You can make this easier by doing single knee raises or harder by doing straight leg raises,” explains Jordan.
2. L-Sit Hold
This helps build stronger abs as it requires you to hold and tighten your core.
- Get into position in the Captain’s Chair. Raise your legs up to a 90-degree angle. Point the toes and squeeze the quads to stabilize the lower body.
- Keep your arms relaxed, but squeeze your abs into your spine to maintain trunk tension.
- Hold the position for 45 seconds.
“You can make this easier by doing shorter holds for 10-15 seconds at a time or harder by adding a small amount of weight between the feet,” explains Jordan.
3. Straight Leg Raises
“This helps build positional strength and strengthens the hip flexors,” says Jordan.
- Get into the Captain’s Chair. Straighten your legs out and lift them up so they’re directly in front of you.
- Squeeze your quads and compress your abdominal muscles whilst doing this. Point your toes and keep the legs completely straight before lowering them down.
Make this exercise easier by doing this as a single-leg exercise.
4. Hanging Side Knee Raise
“This helps activate the oblique muscles,” says Jordan.
- Get into the Captain’s Chair. Bend your knees and hold them together, forming a squat position in mid-air.
- Raise your knees to your chest. As you move your knees up to your chest, angle them towards the right side.
- Lower your knees, then repeat for the left side.
“You can make this easier by doing single side knee raises or harder by doing straight leg side raises to increase the intensity,” says Jordan.
5. Bike Crunches
This is a great exercise to work your obliques and is slightly less advanced than the other exercises, so may be more suitable for beginners.
- Get into position in the Captain’s Chair.
- Lift the left leg up with a bent knee so that it’s at a 90-degree angle. Your right leg should be hanging down straight.
- As you lower the left leg down, raise the right knee up.
- Keep alternating sides as you go.
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