Full body chair exercises for office workers

Training at home can be quite effective. In the absence of special equipment, you can also build the right training program, designed for the harmonious development of the body.

Abdominal exercises are part of almost any program. Abdominal exercises while sitting on a chair can be included both in home exercises and as a break at the workplace.

Such movements allow you to work out your muscles efficiently and do not require special skills or equipment.

Is it possible to pump up the abdominal muscles at the office workplace?

Office work characterizes a sedentary lifestyle. Such an employee moves little, has problems with the spine, and experiences constant stress. The ideal option in such a situation is to visit the gym, but not everyone has such an opportunity.

Attention! If possible, it is recommended to devote at least a little time to performing the simplest movements and warming up. You can also spend a few minutes doing abdominal exercises.

Most often, the abs are pumped by lifting the torso and twisting, but this method requires either the presence of a special bench, or the movement is done while lying on the floor, which is impossible during work, since clean work clothes will get dirty. Therefore, at work you will have to look for other methods, one of which is doing exercises on a chair.

There are several options for such movements, for which you need to take a simple, stable chair, and not an office chair on wheels, since exercises on it can be traumatic. You shouldn’t do abdominal exercises every day, but spending a couple of tens of minutes a couple of times a week will be useful.

Be sure to check out:

Making a slender waist and tightening the abs: exercises and tips A set of exercises for the abs and legs: a set of workouts for the muscles, buttocks, thighs Details on how to properly pump the abs to remove belly fat How to pump up the oblique abdominal muscles: basic exercises

Technique and types of exercises

There are three main groups of special exercises. Each of them has its own execution technique and elaboration features. Let's take a closer look at them

Crunches

This involves multiple joints (incline crunches). The trainee overcomes his own body weight - the movement is suitable for advanced and intermediate levels.

Technique:

• The starting position is to lie on a bench at an angle of 15-30 degrees, bend your knees and place your feet on the bench.
• We put our hands behind our heads. We don’t lock our fingers.
• As you exhale, slowly bend your upper body.
• Upon completion of the movement, bend the torso at the waist and tilt it towards the knees.
• We linger in this position for a short time and return to the starting point.

Hyperextension

Perfectly develops the spinal erectors, hip flexors and buttocks. The risk of spinal injury is low, the joints are not overloaded. The spinal tendon corset becomes stronger with regular use. Recommended for beginners.

Technique:

• Starting position – lie down with your back up, bring your heels under the cushion.
• We bend down, and then smoothly return the torso to a straight line. We stay in this position for a few seconds.
• You should not use inertia; we do everything slowly with full amplitude.

Side crunches

This is an isolation exercise that does not engage the muscles around the abdominals. It differs from simple twists in its starting position - lying on its side. The oblique abdominal muscles are more actively involved.

Technique:

• Starting position - lie on your left side and cling to the lower bolster with the foot of your outer leg. We put our hands behind our heads and clasp our fingers together.
• We bring the right elbow closer to the right thigh with the oblique muscles.
• We fix the body for a few seconds and lower the body.
• We try to maintain muscle tension throughout the entire approach.

A set of effective loads and execution techniques

When we pump up our abs in the office, we provide the body with at least the minimum physical activity that it so badly needs. But any movements must be performed in accordance with the technique, which is different for everyone:

Important! You need to perform such exercises in 3-4 approaches. You can perform 2-4 exercises at once, and another time replace them with others, alternating from workout to workout.

Rules for performing exercise therapy complexes for the elderly (sitting on a chair)

Are you thirsty during class?
Don’t be impatient, drink water a little at a time and in small sips. There are no special requirements for exercises while sitting on a chair and the complexes made up of them.

Nevertheless, we list the basic rules for exercising in old age, even if they are performed in a lighter starting position:

• You need to practice every day, preferably several times a day;
• the duration of one lesson is determined by how you feel - from 5-7 to 30-40 minutes;
• There is no need to warm up before performing the complex, but if necessary, you can do a little self-massage of problem joints;
• strength, coordination and joint exercises should be performed in accordance with breathing cycles and additionally alternated with “pure” breathing exercises;
• the number of repetitions of one exercise, as a rule, is 6-10 times, and if a greater load is needed, the increase occurs by increasing the number of approaches (cycles) with short pauses for rest between them;
• taking into account the age of the student, the pace and nature of the exercises - calm, without jerking or jerking, slow or medium.

For your information. Training while sitting on a chair does not provide a full load on the cardiovascular system. The price of a special home exercise bike for the elderly is significant, but exercise on it will help support the functioning of the heart, joints and blood vessels of the lower extremities.

Horizontal exercise bikes dose the load and optimal body position

Expert advice and assistance

Most experts believe that working out in the office or at home is also necessary. If you don’t have the opportunity to work out in the gym or do a full workout at home, you should pay attention to simple exercises that you can do even at lunch at your workplace.

Juan Carlos Santana, coach

The fitness instructor and author of home training methods believes that classes can be organized in any conditions. Even in the office, you can take some time to perform movements aimed at developing the abs and other muscles. You can do them on a chair, the main thing is to remember that when we pump up the abs, they need to be given adequate time to recover, so it’s better to alternate the muscle groups being trained.

Ruslan Panov, coach

The fitness expert and author of home and group exercise methods also believes that you can get your body in order by working out at home. To do this, it is enough to perform several exercises aimed at different muscle groups, including the abs. This will be enough at the first stage, and later, when you need to increase the load, you will need to look for other training methods.

Leonid Ostapenko, member of the Association of Sports Sciences

A member of the Sports Science Association and an experienced athlete, he believes that working out at home can be just as beneficial as working out at the gym. The load should be selected adequately to the athlete’s capabilities, but one should not forget about proper nutrition and regimen. In this case, you can quite effectively develop your abdominal muscles, as well as other muscles.

Roman chair. Design and application. Exercises and how to choose

A beautiful flat stomach, preferably with a six-pack, is the dream of many people. Some people go on a diet, wanting to get rid of their bulging belly without much effort, but this doesn’t help much. To achieve good results, you must combine proper nutrition with exercise. Exercise machines, in particular a Roman chair, will help you find the desired parameters.

Design

The Roman Chair exercise machine is a type of strength device. It is designed to perform a variety of exercises aimed at pumping the lower and middle parts of the body with resistance in the form of its own weight.

The device is a structure made of steel pipes with a rectangular cross-section with thick walls. It looks like a bench located on a metal frame with bolsters for the legs.

The main purpose of the device is to pump up the abdominal muscles and oblique abdominal muscles. At the same time, the design allows it to be used to work other parts of the body, depending on the position. In addition to strength training, it is successfully used in fitness and to maintain muscle tone.

Some variations of the exercise machine have an adjustable back, which allows people with different physical shapes to exercise on the machine. The rollers, which are designed to hold the athlete’s legs and body in the selected position, are located on an adjustable axis, and therefore the device is suitable for training people of different heights.

It is possible to change the angle of the seat using a bearing unit. The angle of the backrest can vary from 0 to 30 degrees to the surface. This allows athletes with different levels of training to train.

Increased structural strength is achieved through the use of radial bends and roundings on the frame. The equipment is safe and can be used both in the gym and at home. To make the exercises more effective, additional weight is used, for example, dumbbells.

Purpose

This machine pumps the abdominal muscles by raising the torso to the knees. To achieve a better result, lifting the body can be done with twisting.

The design also allows you to raise your legs towards your body, which can also be done with crunches. Regular lifting helps develop the rectus abdominis muscle, while crunches help develop the oblique abdominal muscles.

The leg rollers firmly hold the legs in the desired position, which makes it possible to raise the body straight, i.e. face up and in reverse, i.e. facing the floor. The variable angle of the backrest allows athletes with different levels of training to exercise, and therefore the device is suitable for exercise by adults and children.

Benefits of using a simulator

Exercising on a simulator increases the effectiveness of training. Of course, you can practice by lifting your body from the floor or even through a regular bench, catching your legs on something, as you did in childhood. However, the comfort and convenience of a device specially designed for this will make classes more effective.

The benefits of exercising on this device also include:

• Preparing the spine and joints for the intense loads that accompany basic exercises (squats, pull-ups, presses, etc.) will help prevent injuries.
• The Roman chair improves your posture, which has a better effect on how others perceive your appearance, pumped-up pectoral muscles and abs.
• Training on the simulator strengthens the spine and makes it more flexible. And the spinal column is, in fact, a large joint, the condition of which affects the functioning of all other parts of the body.

How to exercise

The main exercise on this device is lifting the body at an angle to a horizontal surface. The effectiveness of classes depends on the correct execution.

In order to do it correctly, you must:

• Sit on a Roman chair. In this case, the buttocks should not hang over the edges of the bench.
• Hug yourself by the shoulders or cross your arms over your chest, hooking your ankles into the bolsters.
• Inhale, hold your breath and lower your torso below the level of the seat, leaning back.
• Exhale and rise 30-60 degrees. In the initial stages of training, it can be difficult to keep your body weighted. In this case, you can raise your torso at an angle of up to 90 degrees.

To achieve better results, exercises are performed at a slow pace.

Some tips

The result of the exercises depends on the correct technique. At the same time, when working out in the gym, a trainer monitors this, and when training independently:

• The body should be lowered so that the back arches in the lumbar region. This helps stretch the abdominal muscles, making them more elastic, which will subsequently allow them to be strained more strongly.
• At the same time, you should not lower your back very low, especially if you have weak back and abdominal muscles, as this can lead to injury.
• When lifting your body, be sure to round your back. This will help develop the spine and strengthen the connections between the discs.
• For the correct execution of the exercises, the position of the pelvis on the seat is of great importance. He should rest fully on the bench. This will make it easier for you to lift your body and round your back. The load in this position is directed to the upper part of the abdominal muscles, which is what is required. When your buttocks hang from the seat, the load is distributed between the hip flexors and lower abs. This is generally not bad, but can lead to injury later.
• When training with additional weight, you should not use objects that are too heavy. Due to the increased amplitude, the difficulty of performing exercises increases compared to simple lifts of the torso on the floor, and massive dumbbells or barbell plates can make training completely impossible, especially for beginners.

• It is recommended to warm up before exercising on the machine. After straight raises on a Roman chair, you can do oblique or standard crunches.
• Depending on your level of training, you should do 3-4 sets of 10-25 repetitions.

How to choose a Roman chair

When choosing a simulator you should pay attention to:

• Strength of frame materials. It should be completely steel, and not made of alloys. This guarantees the safety and long service life of the device.
• The material covering the seat and backrest must be non-slip. Natural or artificial leather is best. It should be stitched with reinforced threads that will not tear over time.
• Leg bolsters must be equipped with a soft filler so that bruises and abrasions do not remain on the legs during exercise.
• The Roman chair must have reliable adjustment with optimal amplitude, which will allow athletes with different parameters – height and weight – to exercise.
• The design must be marked with the maximum possible load weight. As a rule, the weight of the heaviest user is selected and another 10% is added for safety margin. If weight training is planned, the maximum additional weight is also taken into account.

Such a simple and reliable design as a Roman chair will help you achieve good results in the shortest possible time. Moreover, you can combine classes on it with listening to your favorite music or even watching movies.

Related topics:

• Bench for bench press. Types and application. How to choose and features
• Abdominal exercise equipment. Types and application. How to choose. Peculiarities

Benefits of use

Regular exercise increases the effectiveness of training. You can pump up your abs on a Roman chair in the best way. Of course, you can work it out by taking the initial position on the floor or a regular bench, hooking your feet on the edge of the bed. However, the specially designed design of the simulator allows the body to take a more comfortable position, which in turn increases the productivity and effectiveness of training.

Exercises on this device provide many more advantages:

• the ability to prepare the musculoskeletal system for intense loads that accompany basic exercises, namely squats, pull-ups and bench presses, and also prevent injuries;
• Posture improves, ideal body proportions develop, and this better influences others’ perception of the appearance of an athletic person.

When performing exercises on a Roman chair, the spine is necessarily strengthened, on the proper functioning of which the full functioning of the internal organs depends.

Muscles working when performing exercises on a Roman chair

The musculoskeletal system is prepared for intense loads that accompany basic exercises

Regular exercise on the machine allows you to pump up the perfect abs

Exercise has a beneficial effect on the condition of the spine and internal organs

Exercises with a “lifting” effect

What is "lifting"? Skin tightening effects are necessary when losing weight. The presented exercise scheme allows you to tighten the epidermis and start the process of natural collagen production.

• You need to sit on a chair facing the back, move your feet to the back, spread your heels. You should try to keep your knees in a flattened position for as long as possible, move to a sitting position on your feet, and place your palms on the knees. In this position, you need to squeeze your buttock muscles for 40 seconds, then relax them. It is necessary to do 30 times, 4 approaches, rest - 15 seconds.
• Stand up straight, hold on to the seat of the chair with your hands, you need to lean forward 45 degrees, place your palms with emphasis on the seat. When taking a deep breath, you need to pull in the abdominal muscles. It is recommended to hold this position until a feeling of slight discomfort arises. Finally, exhale slowly and relax the muscles.
• You need to come close to the chair, your right leg bent at the knee, your foot should rest against the wall. Then you need to start slowly bending your left leg, at which time you perform a squat. This exercise is an effective stretch for the inner thigh muscles, which has a beneficial effect on the activity of the prostate gland. It is recommended to repeat 50 times.
• Lie down on a hard floor, rest your hands on the legs of the chair, it should be securely fixed. You need to try to raise your knees up, while keeping your lower limbs parallel to the floor. Raise each leg in turn, trying to tighten your thigh muscles as much as possible. Repeat 12 times for 6 approaches.

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Warm-up exercises

Warming up the body is carried out before starting the workout.

The complex includes the following exercises:

• Sit down, relax your back, keep it straight. Extend your arms along your body. Leaning on your feet, slowly bend your knees. Pull your lower limbs towards you and at the same time spread them apart. Return to starting position. Perform 4 sets of 45 reps.
• Place the chair with its back to the wall, stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart. Perform slow squats, touching your buttocks to the seat, but do not sit on it. Place your hands in front of you. Perform 5 sets of 20 reps.
• Sitting on a chair, tighten your buttocks. Try to lift your body, staying in this position for 50 seconds.
• Sit sideways on a stable chair with a backrest. Bend your right leg at the knee and slowly raise it. After that, lower it at the same speed. Perform 45 repetitions on each leg.
• Sit down with your body tilted towards the back of the chair. Stretch your legs straight, rest your hands on the floor. Raise your feet above the floor (30 cm) and pull your legs towards your chest, bending them at the knees. Do 2 sets of 50 reps.
• Raise your knees as much as possible. During the jump, pull them up to chest level. Perform 4 sets of 27 jumps.
• Lie on your back, stretch your legs, grab the legs of the chair with your hands. Smoothly bring your feet together and spread them apart. Start the exercise slowly, gradually moving to an accelerated pace. Perform for 1 minute.

While performing these techniques, you should listen to your body. If discomfort occurs, it is recommended to exclude the exercise.

Hand touching the floor

This simple exercise is an excellent “burner” of fat accumulated on the outer and inner thighs.

As in the previous instructions, to perform the exercise, you need to sit on a chair.

Touching the floor with the tips of his toes, the athlete turns his torso to the right and bends down, trying to touch the floor with his left hand in the place where the toes of his right foot rest. Then it returns to its original position. After completing this exercise 20-30 times, perform the same actions for the right hand and left leg (this time the right hand should touch the floor).

Set of exercises No. 1

This universal training complex is suitable for both women and men. The presented exercises on a chair for weight loss are supplemented with videos and photos - to make it easier for you to follow the correct technique. It is not necessary to warm up before training. The first exercises will perfectly warm up your muscles without this.

• Knee pull-up. Sit on the edge of a chair with your back straight. Bend your knees onto a supporting surface and place them shoulder-width apart. Pull your right leg as far as possible towards your stomach, so that your knee touches your chest. You can use your arms a little to pull your knee toward your chest. Return to the starting position and repeat the pull-up with the other leg. Number of repetitions: 25 times.

• Pull up both legs. Now, sitting on a chair, bring your feet together. Use your palms to hold the edge of the chair or its arms. Pull both legs towards your stomach at the same time, trying to do this using your abdominal muscles. When your knees touch your chest, you can lower your legs. But do not place them on the floor, but keep them suspended. Do the exercise 15 times and only then lower your feet to the floor.

Pull up both legs

• Side twists. Bring your feet together and rest your hands on the edge of the chair. Lean your upper body to the right so that your weight is transferred to your right hip. Now pull the knees of both legs towards your chest. Now lower your feet to the floor and take the starting position. Repeat the same movement on the left side. The exercise perfectly works the waist and sides. Number of repetitions: 15 times on both sides.

• Mill in a sitting position. Taking a comfortable position on a chair, spread your legs to the sides and bend them slightly at the knees. Straightened arms extended to the sides. Now bend your torso towards your knees and twist it to the left side. The right hand touches the left foot. Lock in this position for 1-2 seconds and return to the starting position. Repeat the movement in the other direction. Number of repetitions: 15 times on both sides.

Mill in a sitting position

• Pulling the leg towards the elbow. Sit on a chair, feet shoulder-width apart, hands clasped behind your head. Synchronously raise your knee up and, tilting your torso forward, try to reach it with the edge of the opposite elbow. When your knee and elbow touch, straighten up and return to your starting position. Number of repetitions: 15 times, first on one side, then the same on the other.

• Circular rotations with knees. Sitting on a chair, grab its edge with your palms. Bend your legs at the knees and bring them to your chest. Perform 10 leg rotations, moving clockwise. In this case, the feet do not fall to the floor. Relax. Then repeat the rotation, moving counterclockwise.

What muscles can be pumped?

You can even train at your workplace during your lunch break. The complex allows you to work out the following muscles:

• backs;
• buttocks;
• press;
• hands;
• legs;
• breasts

For noticeable muscle development and weight loss, it is recommended to approach the process comprehensively.

The following recommendations must be followed:

• The duration of classes is set independently. The optimal duration of classes is 15-20 minutes;
• Exercises for different muscle groups should be present in each complex;
• Perform each technique in several approaches;
• Take a 1 minute break between sets.
• It is not recommended to exercise until pain appears. Overexertion of muscles can lead to the inability to start training the next day.

While in the office, before performing exercises, you should warm up your body using simple manipulations:

• rub your hands and fingers;
• stretch the upper limbs up and to the sides;
• straighten your back, tensing your muscles;
• stretch;
• move your legs while sitting;
• walk around the office.

Exercises for the lower extremities of the body can be performed during the work process.