5 Captain Chair Workout to Work Up Your Abs

Captain chair workouts are great for developing stronger core. (Image via Unsplash/ James barr)
Captain chair workouts are great for developing stronger core. (Image via Unsplash/ James barr)

Captain Chair workouts are one of the best exercises for developing core strength. Although it may sound a little frightening, the equipment is rather simple. It is a very adaptable gadget because of how easily it can be used for various activities.

Most likely, you've used a Captain's Chair at the gym or perhaps you passed it without ever realizing what it was. It is essentially a tall chair without a seat. A chair with no seat? It doesn't seem that cozy, does it? However, there's more to this equipment than meets the eye!

Captain Chair workouts target the obliques and abs, and to exercise their core muscles, users can lift their legs. Parallel grips can also be found on some Captain's Chairs, allowing dips to be done as well.


Best Captain Chair Workout for Abs

The Captain's Chair, which includes a backrest, elbow rests with vertical grips, and typically horizontal dip bars, is a device designed primarily for core exercises.

Check out the best Captain Chair workouts:

1) Standard Captain Chair Crunch

To avoid under-emphasizing your abs, and working largely on your hip flexors, during this Captain Chair workout, elevate your knees above your hips. Brace your shoulders and back. However, you wouldn't want to let your shoulders relax because that would cause you to droop awkwardly.

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Instructions to follow:

  • Mount the Captain's Chair and place your elbows and forearms on the armrests while pressing your back onto the backrest.
  • Legs should hang straight down.
  • Controlled knee raises to your chest are required.
  • Pulling your belly button closer to your spine can help you to work your abs while you lift your knees.
  • Bring your legs back to the beginning slowly.

2) Captain Chair Single-Leg Lifts

When it comes to Captain Chair workouts, you might occasionally want a little diversity. While exercising your shoulders and stomach, this workout focuses on one leg at a time. To prevent strain when performing single-leg lifts, keep your shoulders relaxed.

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Instructions to follow:

  • While leaving the opposite leg hanging, pull your right knee toward your chest.
  • Your right leg should now be hanging loosely to the side.
  • While leaving your right knee hanging, bring your left knee up to your chest.
  • Put your left leg back in the dangling position once more.
  • Aim to complete three sets of ten reps.

3) Captain Chair Leg Raise

Make sure you perform a regular crunch before moving on to the Captain’s Chair leg raise because they are unquestionably an advanced move. Stop right away if you experience back pain since you could be hurting your spine.

You can also check out the best exercises for lower back pain that you can do at home.

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Instructions to follow:

  • Take up your position in a Captain’s Chair extending your legs towards the ground.
  • Maintain a tight leg connection while lifting your legs parallel to the ground by bending at the hips.
  • Do not swing so that momentum takes over; instead, move slowly and methodically.
  • By exercising control once more to prevent swinging, bring them back to the starting posture.

4) Captain Chair Oblique Crunches

With the exception of a small change in the angle at which you elevate your legs, this Captain Chair workout is very similar to the normal captain's crunch. Your shoulders, back, and abs get a good workout, which helps you define and tone your muscles.

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Instructions to follow:

  • Legs raised to the right side as you crouch at the hips.
  • Bring your legs back down gradually until they are hanging.
  • Once more raise your legs, this time to the left.
  • Reposition your legs so that they are hanging loosely.
  • As you continue to switch sides, finish this exercise in 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

5) Captain Chair Criss-Cross

This Captain Chair workout is quite challenging. You want your legs to cross horizontally while keeping your muscles tight.

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Instructions to follow:

  • Take up your position.
  • Lift your legs to a 90-degree angle, leaving a space that feels comfortable.
  • Allow the right leg to slide over the left as you move both legs inward.
  • Put both legs back in their starting positions.
  • Repeat the movement, but place your left leg higher than your right this time.
  • Aim to perform 12-15 reps.

Conclusion

These are some of the best Captain's Chair workouts. What makes the Captain's Chair superior to other traditional core exercises is that its adaptability makes it possible to target all core areas.

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