Office Workouts: How to Get Six-Pack Abs at Your Desk
Can’t get to the gym? You can have a great workout right at your office desk! You will be amazed by the results you can achieve by performing these simple abdominal exercises at the privacy of your desk.
Begin each of these exercises by drawing your navel into your spine. Hold each movement for three seconds, and be sure to breathe through each exercise instead of holding your breath. Maintain perfect posture, keeping your neck relaxed, chest out, and stomach in. Don’t push too hard.
Chair Exercise—Upper Abs
The Chair Exercise—Upper Abs trains your upper-stomach muscles. You may do this exercise while talking on the phone or contemplating a decision. Because your abdominal muscles are endurance muscles, do this exercise several times a day, whenever the mood strikes. While you are leaning back, keep your neck in line with your back. Keep your chin up and don’t look down toward your chest. Imagine an apple tucked between your chin and your chest.
If this exercise is too difficult, don’t lean back all the way to the chair. Instead, lean back until you feel your abs flex. To further tone your abs, cross your arms over your chest. And to make this exercise more challenging, place your fingers behind your head Never interlock your fingers or pull on your head with your hands. Keep your back straight and your head centered directly over your shoulders.
- Sit on the edge of your chair with your arms extended to the front.
- Contract your abs and lean back slowly until your upper back touches the back of your chair.
Using Your Desk—Front Abs
Using Your Desk—Front Abs trains the front of your stomach. This exercise strengthens the front abs as well as the top of your leg muscles. Stand up and stretch your legs between sets. Be careful not to press longer than three seconds and don’t press too hard. Keep your shoulders back and head up. You may have a tendency to hold your breath during this exercise, so remember to breathe normally. You may also exhale during the exertion phase of each repetition if you prefer. Gradually increase the intensity of each static contraction as you get stronger.
- Sit in the front of your chair and lift your knees so that they are pressing against the underside of your desk.
- Place your hands on top of the desk for balance and contract your abs for three seconds, then relax.
Chair Exercise—Lower Abs
The Chair Exercise—Lower Abs trains the lower part of your stomach. Be sure to brace your upper body by grabbing the armrests for balance. Raise your feet an inch off of the floor for one second. To add intensity, raise your feet a couple inches and hold for two seconds. Three inches and three seconds is a very challenging goal to shoot for. If this exercise is too difficult, raise one leg at a time. At first, alternate legs. Then perform all of your reps with one leg, and then all of your reps with the other. This is a very difficult exercise, so start slowly and progress gradually.
The difference between this exercise and Using Your Desk—Front Abs is that on that one you press against the desk as resistance. In Chair Exercise—Lower Abs, the resistance is the weight of your legs, but rather than pressing against the desk you attempt to lift your knees higher than you do on Using Your Desk—Front Abs. This extra range of motion increases the intensity of the exercise.
- Sit with perfect posture on the front edge of your chair with your back straight and your neck relaxed.
- Raise your knees toward your chest and then slowly lower them back to the floor.
Chair Exercise—Side Abs
The Chair Exercise—Side Abs trains the sides of your stomach. Keep your shoulders down and your chest out. The first movement you make is to flex the right side of your stomach closest to your right armrest. Do not lean more than a couple inches, and think of it as tilting your body sideways from your waist instead of bending forward. If you perform it correctly, your office mates shouldn’t notice you’re doing this exercise.
Keep your neck relaxed and breathe normally or exhale on each rep if you prefer. At first, alternate sides with each rep. To make the exercise more challenging, perform all of your reps on one side and then do all of your reps on the other side.
- Place your right forearm on the armrest and flex the right side of your stomach. Hold for three seconds.
- Switch sides and repeat.
Chair Exercise—Side Abs 2
The Chair Exercise—Side Abs 2 exercise tones the sides of your waist from a different angle. Keep your back straight and your neck relaxed. Your head should be aligned with your shoulders. Don’t twist too far. Although you may use this move as a stretching exercise, flex your abs to make it a toning workout. At first, alternate sides rather than performing multiple repetitions on the same side. To increase the intensity of this exercise, perform multiple repetitions consecutively on the same side. Be sure to exhale on each repetition. To add a further challenge, let go of the armrest when you feel a maximal contraction of your abs and pause for one second.
- Grab the left armrest with your right hand. Twist to your left and flex the left side of your stomach for three seconds.
- Grab the right armrest with your left hand. Twist to your right and flex the side of your stomach for three seconds.
Do this simple office workout every day and you will be amazed at how quickly this routine gets your abs in shape. For more office workouts, be sure to check out our quick guide Office Workouts: How to Get Toned Buns and Thighs at Your Desk. Have a great workout!
From The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Quick Total Body Workouts by Tom Seabourne, Ph.D.
