Captains Chair Knee Raise

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Captains Chair Knee Raise Abs Exercise Demonstration

Captains Chair Knee Raise (also known as Vetical Knee Raise On Dip Station) are one of the best abs exercises. This exercise is proven to be 212% more effective than a regular crunches.

Main Target: lower abs
Equipment needed: captains cair / dip station

How To Do Captains Chair Knee Raise Properly:

Captains Chair Knee Raise is a great abdominal exercise to put your lower abs to work. As long as you perform it efficiently with a proper form.

Captains Chair Knee Raise Step 1

Stand on the captains chair. Grip hand holds and press your back against the back pad to stabilize your upper body. Now take off your feet of the support steps so you are left with no foundation underfoot. Your legs should dangle freely below with your feet close. Keep your upper back and shoulders strong so you don’t sag.

Captains Chair Knee Raise Step 2

To start this exercise, engage the abs as you bring your knees up towards your chest. To really work your lower abs, lift your knees past the level of your hips. Take them as cloce to your chest as you can. It will require you to tilt your lower back off of the pad.

Then slowly in a controlled motion lower your legs back down to the starting position. That’s one rep.

No momentum should be coming through this motion. Don’t swing your legs up or down.

Breath Correctly

Exhale as you raise your knees up. Inhale as you lower your knees down.

Tips

  • If you don’t have access to a captains chair rack, try holding onto a pull up bar, paralell bars or use ab straps.
  • If you find this exercise too difficult for you, try more easier version where you bring your knees up only to the level of your hips. Or bring up one knee at the time.
  • To make this exercise a level harder try to raise straight legs up or add some resistance like ankle weights or a dumbbell between your feet.
  • When lowering legs back down, stop them little bit before parallel level to maintain a constant tension in your abs and avoid creating the momentum.

Common mistakes:

  • Knees lifted only to the level of the hips thereof working mostly hip flexors
  • Knees are swinged up and down which means poor actual engagement of abs
  • Relaxed upper back and shoulders causing sagging into shoulders
  • Inhaling on raising knees up but exhaling on lowering knees back down

Captains Chair Knee Raise Video Demonstration:

About Matiss Bartulis

Sweets and pizza addict. Online and real-life fitness coach. Author of the "From Fat To Six Pack" E-mail training course. You can find him on Google+ and Facebook.