Most gyms and fitness facilities offer a Captain's Chair exercise unit. /Getty Images Doing leg raises while on the Captain’s Chair can be an effective way to develop strength and tone in your abs, as long as you perform the exercise with correct technique. Leg raises are commonly performed in a manner that places focus on the hip flexors, rather than the abs. However, lifting your legs higher than your waist will ensure you effectively work your abs. Captain’s Chair leg raises are appropriate for all training levels, because you can increase the difficulty of the exercise by adding a weighted implement. Exercise Effectiveness The major muscle in the abs is your rectus abdominis. When performed correctly, the leg raise on the Captain’s Chair is effective at recruiting and thus developing the rectus abdominis. According to a 2001 study by the American Council on Exercise, the Captain’s Chair exercise came in second in ability to strengthen the rectus abdominis out of 13 major abdominal exercises.
The study also found the Captain’s Chair exercise to be the best out of the 13 exercises for strengthening the obliques. Mastering the Technique A Captain’s Chair unit features two padded parallel bars for you to rest your forearms on. Begin with your legs hanging down toward the floor and then lift your thighs and bend your knees to bring them toward your chest. Continue lifting until your knees are beyond the height of your hips and then lower them until your legs return to vertical. Targeting the Abs To work your rectus abdominis, rather than your hip flexors, you’ve got to lift your upper legs passed the height of your pelvis so that you’re performing waist flexion. If you only lift your legs to waist-height, your rectus abdominis and obliques will only work as stabilizers. There has to be forward bending at the waist for the abs and obliques to become dynamically involved. Further Challenging Your Abs You can make the leg raise exercise even more difficult for your abs by adding the amount of load that they have to lift.
Squeeze a medicine ball, a weighted plate or a dumbbell between your feet as you perform the exercise. In addition, you could perform the exercise while keeping your legs straight throughout the entire movement. It’s extremely difficult to lift the legs beyond the height of the hips with your legs straight. /Getty Images Suggest an Article Correction FREE Shipping on orders over $35. Used & new (13) from $22.31 Ships from and sold by OJCommerce. There is a newer model of this item: Perfect Fitness Ab Straps FitStar Personal Trainer will keep you moving. Perfect Fitness Ab Carver Pro FREE Shipping. Buy "Perfect ABS Strap” from Amazon Warehouse Deals and save 36% off the $42.89 list price. Quick connect a pair of heavy duty performance Ab Straps to your Perfect Pullup bar or any standard pull up bar for ab defining workouts the way the pros do it. Experienced professionals use Ab Straps to perform off-the-floor crunches and leg lifts. Perfect Ab Straps are sturdy, comfortable and designed for years of performance.
Made with heavy-duty nylon straps and mountaineering-grade steel carabiners. Extra comfortable - cushioned with thick foam padding.Includes 2 deluxe Ab Straps, quick connect steel carabiners, workout guide 16 x 8 x 2 inches 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) 5 star67%4 star18%3 star6%2 star3%1 star6%See all verified purchase reviewsTop Customer ReviewsGreat ProductWrap around straps fit any size hanging bar|Well made, especially for the price|I am pleased I chose to purchase the Perfect Pullup Ab Straps See and discover other items: hanging exercise bar, standard pull up bar, abs exercise equipment, arm strap pull up bar, abs fitnessThe Captain's chair exercise was found to be one of the best exercises to work the muscles of the abdomen. This was discovered by a study conducted at the Biomechanics Lab at San Diego State University. It tested abdominal exercises with and without equipment to see which ones were the most effective. The study was commissioned by the American Council on Exercise and led by Peter Francis, Ph.D.
The Captain's chair exercise recruits the muscles of the rectus abdominis and the obliques. The rectus abdominis muscle, nicknamed the "six-pack muscle," runs vertically down the abdomen from the ribcage to the pelvis. The only exercise that showed more activity in this muscle during the study was the bicycle maneuver. However, the Captain's chair worked the oblique muscles better than any other exercise. The oblique muscles criss-cross along the sides of the abdomen at the waist. The basic Captain's chair exercise is performed on a piece of equipment called a Captain's or Roman chair. It is a freestanding piece of equipment consisting of an upright, a backrest, two arm rests and two side rails. You step onto the side rails, place your arms on the arm rest, your back on the back rest and then step off of the side rails so your legs are dangling toward the floor. The basic exercise involves bending the knees and raising them together to waist level. Your back should remain in contact with the backrest at all times to ensure proper activation of the abdominal muscles.
Another exercise you can do when positioned on a Captain's chair is a flutter or scissor kick. This exercise involves raising one leg at a time up to waist level, but because the leg is held straight it is more difficult to stabilize your body against the backrest while you do lift legs. By raising one leg at a time you will have an easier time controlling the movements. You should not try to move your legs too quickly until you have sufficient abdominal strength to do so without arching your back or using momentum. The more difficult exercise of the ones done on a Captain's chair is the straight leg raises. The basic is very similar to the basic exercise and the kicks. You will sit on the Captain's chair as you did in the other exercises. You will bring your legs together and lift them straight up to waist level. You must keep your back against the backrest. Do not do this exercise if you cannot do it without keeping proper form. Gain 2 pounds per week Gain 1.5 pounds per week
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