14 Best Chair Exercises

Chair Exercises

Introduction

Strength, flexibility, and balance may all be enhanced while sitting down with chair exercises! Chair exercises provide a mild yet efficient workout that can be performed practically anywhere, making it perfect for elderly, those with restricted mobility, or those recuperating from an accident.

These exercises focus on various muscle groups and can help improve circulation, joint mobility, and overall fitness. With options for both beginners and more advanced participants, chair exercises are adaptable to different fitness levels and are a great way to stay healthy and active without needing to stand.

But there are other things you can do besides working your legs. Along with the essential core muscles that help with stabilization, you can also work your arms, shoulders, and chest. A chair is also the perfect companion for seated stretches and Pilates chair exercises. Therefore, whether you are sitting on a chair or are simply using one for support, you may find that these exercises are beneficial.

Everyone can benefit from a chair, but people who need assistance or have trouble getting up and down from the floor are typically the greatest candidates. Using a chair or other safety net can help us build the confidence we need to trust our bodies, which is a necessary skill for staying active.

This is especially true for students who may desire that safety net while they develop movement-based self-confidence. Chair exercises also let you focus on the movements themselves instead of your balance. This can help both new and seasoned exercisers who are attempting to learn progressions.

Numerous chair workouts are available to you; some are unique to the chair, while others are simply variations of well-known exercises that you have most likely performed previously.

Here are some of our favorites. Let’s first discuss the fundamentals of chair workouts, their effectiveness, and the reasons why using a chair is beneficial for practically everyone in need of a satisfying, full-body workout before moving on to our best picks.

What is the effectiveness of Chair Exercises?

When done properly, chair exercises can be quite beneficial for training all of your body’s muscles. The key to an effective chair workout is basic math: Incorporate exercises that target as many muscle groups as you can while still being able to sit (if required) can utilize a chair as part of your exercise routine or for balance.

One of the reasons they are so effective is because they all work similarly to methods you are already familiar with. For example, perform a plank or push-up with your hands on the seat. You’re still carrying out the same fundamental function even if the chair tilts your body to lessen the weight.

Although using a chair changes the angle and method of performing the exercise, it does not change the objective of the activity. This implies that while a plank from a chair will still train your complete core, a push-up from a chair will still engage your shoulders, triceps, and chest muscles. Therefore, chair workouts can help you get the core strength training you want.

Are chair exercises limited to beginners only?

Not at all. Because chair workouts can be tailored to accommodate different fitness levels, they are fantastic. Because they allow you to advance and regress motions, chairs are a great way to improve your level of fitness.

Using a chair can make simple activities like squats easier. Additionally, it can encourage a more rigid form and provide you with a clue (the seat!) about how low to drop your body. Summers claims that when you practice the ideal squat technique, a chair offers a tactile indicator that allows you to lower yourself without feeling as though you’re falling. However, she makes it clear that there is a big difference between simply throwing yourself onto the chair and sitting with control.

Chairs are also great tools for incorporating harder exercises. Let’s use push-ups as an example once more. A challenging exercise, the classic push-up requires you to perform the movement from the floor. But if you raise your hands, it might be simpler. Keeping your hands up, you can begin by pushing yourself up on the seat of a chair.

Instead of doing them straight from the floor, you may be able to practice on a surface that is closer to the ground, like a step or box, until you’ve mastered it. Then, by placing your hands on the floor and your feet on the chair’s seat, you may do a decline push-up, which feels much harder than a regular one, to further increase the exercise.

This is also true for a pistol squat, where you extend one leg in front of you and drop yourself. This is a really smart move. Try performing a single-leg squat to the chair (see below) to help you become used to that movement pattern and build the single-leg strength needed to execute it. To perform this exercise, raise one leg off the floor in front of you, then squat down until your butt touches the chair’s seat with the planted foot.

Examples of Chair Exercises

Seated Oblique Crunch

Sit on the edge of the chair.

Move your weight to your left leg and raise your right knee to your right elbow to perform a right crunch.

Return to the beginning position by lowering your right leg.

Place your left leg at your left elbow after turning around. That’s one rep.

Incline Mountain Climbers

How to put in:

With your hands shoulder-width apart, your head in position, your lower body flat, and your abs locked in, adopt the plank position. The seat of the chair should be where your palms rest.

Pull your left knee in and bring the other one up to switch legs. That is one rep.

Run your knees in and out as fast and as far as you can while keeping your hips down.

Seated Lean Backs

How to:

Position both hands on your shoulders and lift your arms beyond your chest.

Make sure your spine remains in the same posture while you recline in the chair.

Once your upper back makes contact with the rest, you can go back to the starting position. That’s one rep.

Pro tip: Take your time doing this so you can feel your core muscles fighting gravity.

Seated Alternating Toe Touches

How to:

With your feet flat on the floor and a little wider than shoulder-width apart, take a tall, straight-backed stance. Point your fingers upward while raising both arms above your head. Place the other hand on top of your other foot after raising it.

Tap the inside of your right foot.

Continue the motion with your left foot and right hand to go back to the position where you started. That’s one rep.

Seated Cross-Body Punches

How to:

Take a seat on the chair’s edge, with your feet level with the floor and slightly wider than your shoulders.

Make fists with both arms extended toward your face.

Turn to the right, holding your left arm out in front of you.

Reposition your left elbow to its starting position.

Repeat the action with the right arm. That’s one rep.

Chair squats

Set up to give your lower body an important lift with chair squats. This workout strengthens your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes while also enhancing your stability and balance.

Steps:

Sitting on the edge of a chair will ensure that it is stable and unmoving.

Step with your feet hip-width apart.

Get to your feet while pushing through your heels, then return to your seat with composure.

Seated march

This simple yet effective workout increases your heart rate while strengthening your legs and core.

Actions:

You can make sure your feet are flat on the floor by raising yourself into the chair.

Bring one leg up to your chest and then lower it again. Repeat with the opposite leg.

Continue switching legs for a set period, say one or two minutes.

Sit-to-stands

Are you ready to enhance your sitting experience and make better use of your legs? Then it’s time to use sit-to-stands to escape the limitations of your chair. Toning that ass and using your leg muscles can improve your mood and your buns!

Actions:

Rest on the chair’s top with your toes hip-width away. Tighten your glutes as you get up, and then slowly lower yourself back to a seated posture.

Try for three repetitions of ten to twelve sit-to-stands, remembering to maintain proper form!

Heel slides

You may reach new levels of lower-body elegance with heel slides. Bring out your inner dancer and demonstrate some moves that Usher would be pleased with. These slides aren’t only for dance floors; they may help you gain more flexibility and well-defined legs while you’re comfortably seated.

Steps:

Imagine yourself moving around the floor with grace while you sit up high on your chair.

Step one heel forward and then back while keeping your toes planted on the floor.

Show off your graceful walking style by continuing with the other heel.

The objective should be three sets of ten to twelve heel slides on each leg.

Seated calf raises

Sitting up upright on a chair for seated calf raises will have your lower legs begging for mercy as you battle gravity.

Actions:

Sit proudly in your chair and embrace your inner ballerina.

To show off your calf muscles, raise your heels off the floor.

Keep track of your movements, but don’t let their incredible strength get lost.

The objective should be three sets of 10–12 sitting calf raises.

Modified planks

Who says you have to be on the ground to use your core? Get ready to break the laws of physics with specially designed boards! You can improve your core strength, stability, and balance while sitting with this chair-friendly take on the classic plank.

Step:

Take a seat on a stable chair’s edge.

To engage your core muscles, pull your belly button toward your spine while maintaining good posture.

Avoid excessive arching or drooping of the lower back and try to keep your posture straight from head to heels.

Hold this position for a set time, say 30 seconds while maintaining proper form and using your core throughout.

Increase the duration of each three-sitting modified plank session gradually as your core strength improves.

Seated shoulder press

You can test the limits of your shoulder strength with seated shoulder presses. This workout will help you build strong, sculpted shoulders by activating your deltoid muscles.

Actions:

Maintain a straight back, sit tall, and place your feet flat on the ground.

Hold a pair of low-weight dumbbells or other suitable weights at shoulder height with your hands facing front.

Press the weights squarely overhead while fully extending your arms without locking your elbows.

Return the weights to shoulder height gradually.

Try to complete three sets of 10–12 seated shoulder presses; as your strength increases, progressively increase the weight.

Seated front shoulder raises

Seated front shoulder raises help you build a perfectly shaped torso, strengthen your upper body, and target the front of your shoulders. You’ll finally have the self-assurance to don those sleeveless tops!

Actions:

Sit up straight in your chair and use your core to maintain good posture.

Hold a pair of dumbbells or other suitable weights in your hands while keeping your arms by your sides.

Raise the dumbbells in front of you to shoulder height, maintaining your arms straight

Carefully move the weights to their prior positions.

Feel the burn of your front delts as you perform three sets of ten to twelve seated front shoulder raises.

Modified push-ups

A fantastic approach to incorporating traditional push-ups into your chair training regimen is using modified push-ups. Your chest, shoulders, and triceps will be worked out with this chair-friendly version of the well-liked bodyweight exercise.

Actions:

With your hands slightly broader than your shoulders, place them on the edge of your chair facing you.

Draw a diagonal line with your feet as you move back from your head to your heels.

While keeping your torso upright, bend your elbows and stoop your chest toward the chair.

Extend your hands out and push through your palms to return to the initial position.

Try to complete three sets of ten to twelve modified push-ups, making them harder by lowering the chair or shifting your feet further back.

Safety Considerations

Although a particular chair is not necessary for chair exercises, it should be supportive. Using a chair with wheels or rollers or one that folds up is not advised. Armless chairs are ideal for most types of exercises. If your chair is on a smooth surface, you may need to back it against a wall to keep it from slipping.

Don’t work out if you don’t feel good. See your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms while exercising: nausea, dizziness, chest pain, trouble breathing, or balance problems. If your muscles were in terrible pain when you woke up the next day, you may have overexerted yourself during your workout.

Conclusion

Who thinks a gym membership and pricey equipment are necessary for working out? Chair exercises show that you may stay active, build strength, and have fun without any additional luxury.

A new muscle area is stimulated by each exercise, giving you a sense of strength and flexibility. Shoulder presses that form your deltoids and stomach twists that ignite your core are two examples of these workouts. The best part is that anyone may take part.

With a chair by your side as a helpful exercise partner, you can increase the intensity of your activities. So grab a chair, break up the routine, and turn boring moments into highly fruitful opportunities for growth, energy, and a more contented, healthier lifestyle. Then get ready to chair-ish the chair’s advantages!

FAQs

Do chair exercises work?

Chair exercises, whether done in the classroom, at home, or in business, are a great low-impact approach to include movement into your daily routine. Most people can burn 120 to 250 calories in a 32-minute workout, which can be enhanced by using resistance bands or weights.

Which chair type is ideal for chair exercises?

Although a particular chair is not necessary for chair exercises, it should be supportive. Using a chair with wheels or rollers or one that folds up is not advised. Armless chairs are ideal for most types of exercises. If your chair is on a smooth surface, you may need to back it against a wall to keep it from slipping.

Can I lose weight with chair exercises?

If you want to maintain your health after 50, chair workouts can help you shed weight. Stronger muscles, increased mobility, and improved balance are other benefits of incorporating these low-impact exercises into your daily routine.

What kind of chair is healthiest?

The saddle stool is a great choice for a desk chair that is health-conscious. This type of chair encourages more muscular engagement because it lacks a back. The saddle arrangement maintains your spine’s natural lumbar curvature by turning your pelvis forward. The only ergonomic desk chairs designed to avoid slouching are saddle stools with wheels.

What are the benefits of chair-based exercise?

Chair-Based Exercise

Benefits of Exercise in Chairs: increased suppleness and strength.

enhanced ability to coordinate

increased blood flow.

reduced risk of falls due to chair-based exercises that improve posture and balance.

References:

Mph, Z. S. (2024b, October 11). Chair Workouts: Boost Energy, Flexibility, and Posture from Your Seat. Greatist. https://greatist.com/fitness/chair-exercises

Parmar, D. (2024, January 8). 14 Best Chair Exercises: The Ultimate Guide for Fitness. Mobile Physiotherapy Clinic. https://mobilephysiotherapyclinic.in/14-best-chair-exercises/

Nied, J., & Nasm-Cpt, T. A. (2024, June 25). 20 Best Chair Exercises For A Low-Impact, Full-Body Strength Workout. Women’s Health. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/g41252448/best-chair-exercises/

WebMD Editorial Contributor. (2023, March 23). Best Chair Exercises for Seniors. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/best-chair-exercises-for-seniors