Forget the excuse of lack of equipment preventing you from exercising. You don’t have weights, dumbbells, or elastic bands? It doesn’t matter because a chair is enough to work your muscles in a way previously unsuspected!
Using a chair to burn maximum calories
When you say sport, it means, above all, burning calories! To do this, take a chair, face it and put one foot on it. Quickly change your foot, by jumping, then alternate this movement from one leg to the other.
The goal is to be quick in order to increase your heart rate, to warm up before the next exercises and burn a maximum of calories. This kind of exercise can also be done on stairs.
To Strengthen Your Triceps and Biceps
For arm workouts, you will need a chair that’s light enough, preferably weighing around 1 kg. Take hold of it by the backrest, your palms facing the ceiling, then tip it towards you so it’s at a 90-degree angle to your body.
In this revisited flexing motion, it’s not the weight of the chair that will build your muscles, but rather its repetition. So start with 3 sets of 30 movements, or even 50 movements for the bravest!
So, yes, you may not look very smart with your chair, but this method is more effective than it appears. And if that doesn’t convince you, simply replace your chair with an iron bar or dumbbells!
To work your abs
Still using your chair, place yourself with your back to it this time. Place your hands flat on the ground and then get into a plank position, with your feet on the chair.
Once in this “plank” position, your shoulders aligned with your hands, your abs tight and your back flat, bring one knee towards your navel. Put your foot back on the chair and do the same movement with the other leg.
In addition to working your abs, this exercise allows you to strengthen your arms and shoulders. Perform 3 sets of 20 movements to start.
In the same position, one can also imagine a sequence of push-ups with elevated feet, which will allow you to also work your pectorals.
Another way to strengthen your abs with a chair is to sit down and raise your straightened legs to form a 90-degree angle with your back. Do a series of 20 movements then hold, legs still, for 15 seconds, before placing your feet back on the ground.
To Strengthen Your Glutes
Don’t forget to work your glutes, which are so pleasing to the ladies! To do this, lie on your back on the floor and place your heels on the edge of the chair. Raise your buttocks until they form a perfectly straight plank, then lower your body to the ground. Perform this movement 20 times, for 3 sets.
To make the exercise more challenging, you can even try, at the end of each set, to remain motionless in this position for about ten seconds.
This is just a glimpse of the possibilities offered by a simple chair for your home workout. But many other exercises can enable you to build muscle with a chair. And to think that some people thought that this object was just for sitting on to enjoy a good meal!