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9 Chair Exercises Everyone Should Try To Strengthen and Stretch
Plus, how athletes of all abilities can benefit from seated workouts.
By Sarah Klein•
What Are Chair Exercises?
Who Are Chair Exercises For?
The Benefits of Doing Chair Exercises
Our 9 Favorite Chair Exercises
When and How To Include Chair Exercises In Your Fitness Routine
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There are about as many reasons to do a seated workout as there are chair exercises to try: Maybe you’re a little unsteady on your feet, or you use a wheelchair, or you’re pregnant, or you’ve just had one of those days that sapped you of every ounce of energy you had left.
In fact, chair exercises are some of the most accessible and versatile movements out there. “It's a great change in stimulus—the effect the workout has on our organs and tissue, how it feels, or the ‘intensity’—for any athlete, regardless of experience and ability,” says Peloton Instructor Logan Aldridge.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about the benefits of seated workouts, who they’re best for, and some of Logan’s favorite chair exercises to try.
What Are Chair Exercises?
Chair exercises are pretty much exactly what they sound like: any type of physical activity that gets your heart pumping and strengthens your muscles while you’re sitting in a chair, according to the American Council on Exercise.
Seated workouts are often touted as a great option for older adults who may be concerned about balance, but all sorts of people can benefit from exercising sitting down, including pregnant people, people recovering from injuries, and those with disabilities.
“Chair exercises allow seated athletes (individuals that utilize a wheelchair for mobility and everyday life) access to a fitness experience that is inclusive, accessible, entertaining, educational and effective,” says Logan.
“Additionally, they can serve as a great way to keep someone with a temporary lower extremity injury moving and involved in their fitness routine without affecting the recovery of the injury.”
Logan, Peloton’s first adaptive instructor, offers uniquely programmed options for athletes of varying physical abilities in Peloton’s adaptive strength classes, which include standing and seated routines.
“If we want to create an inclusive platform that recognizes access to fitness is not a privilege but an innate human right, it is critical that we offer fitness classes that meet every body where they are,” says Logan.
Who Are Chair Exercises For?
“Seated workouts are focused on creating access for those that do not have a choice to select ‘seated vs standing’ options, but they are created with universal access and design in mind. Meaning, everyone is welcome to participate, experience and benefit from this type of workout,” he says. “Ultimately, everyone can benefit.”
Here are some of the folks who can benefit from seated workouts:
People with disabilities: Seated workouts are a great option for “any individual who lives life utilizing a wheelchair,” says Logan, to build muscle, improve mobility, and maintain day-to-day functioning.
Pregnant people: While you may be able to maintain your usual exercise routine while pregnant, if you have any challenges with balance and stability, or if your doctor has advised modifications to your routine, chair exercises can be a great way to work out safely while pregnant.
People with limited mobility: Maybe you don’t identify as having a disability, but something like a history of arthritis or stroke makes you move a little differently than you used to. Chair exercises are great option to help you stay active while seated.
Desk workers: If you’re just about chained to your desk during your workday, you can try a few seated exercises between meetings to break up all that sedentary time. This can also help you combat stiff muscles and improve circulation, even when you don’t have time to get up and go for a quick walk.
People recovering from injuries: If you’ve taken time off from exercise for an injury, illness, or surgery, you’ll need to ease back into working out intentionally. Chair exercises can be part of your plan to build back your strength and range of motion. When you’re seated for these workouts, you’re in a safe environment where you can avoid putting stress on certain areas.
Older adults: As we age, our mobility and balance may decline. Chair exercises can help older adults maintain muscle strength, flexibility, cardiovascular health, and posture, in an environment with a lower risk of falls, Logan says.
Advanced athletes: Yep, even big-time fitness fans can get a good workout with chair exercises. “I used to put elite CrossFit Games athlete's through seated workouts and they would experience a different level of fatigue and strain on their upper body they had never had before,” says Logan. Plus, you can always make them harder by adding weights or resistance bands.
The Benefits of Doing Chair Exercises
No matter who you are, chair exercises can really work for you. Keep these key benefits of seated workouts in mind.
You’ll feel empowered: Seated workouts are meant to empower the individual, says Logan. “Whether they have been a wheelchair user for decades or are simply new to fitness and don't know where to start, adaptive training principles and modification can be applied to all fitness levels, classes and modalities.”
You’ll get stronger: You can target all your major muscle groups from a chair, using your own body weight or added resistance. “Constant variation is the key to continued progress and improvement throughout our lifelong journey of fitness and health,” explains Logan.
Your posture and balance will improve: Chair exercises are a great way to work your core, which means better posture and a lower risk of falling.
Your mobility and flexibility will improve: The chair provides support to gradually increase your range of motion without putting too much strain on your joints.
Our 9 Favorite Chair Exercises
While the single best chair exercise will vary depending on your fitness goals and abilities, these are a few of Logan’s favorites for seated workouts. Modify these movements as needed depending on your abilities and preferences.
1. Seated Jack
Sit up tall in your chair at the front edge of the seat. If accessible, knees can be bent to 90 degrees and your feet can be planted on the floor.
Extend your arms out to the sides and then up over your head in jumping jack position.
If accessible, simultaneously extend your legs out to the sides in jumping jack position.
Bring your arms and legs back to center and repeat for your desired reps.
Tip: Not quite ready to put this all together? Try moving just your arms or just your legs instead.
2. Seated Overhead Press
Sit up tall in your chair. If accessible, knees can be bent to 90 degrees and your feet can be planted on the floor. If you’re ready for a challenge, hold a dumbbell in each hand. You can also do this exercise without weight.
Engage your core and lift your hands to shoulder-height with your elbows bent and your palms facing forward.
On an exhale, press your arms overhead until your elbows are fully extended. Make sure not to arch your lower back.
On an inhale, slowly bend your elbows to lower your hands back to shoulder-height.
Repeat for your desired reps.
“This mimics the fundamental principles and themes of an able-bodied burpee and is incredibly functional for seated athletes,” explains Logan.
3. Seated Ground To Overhead
Sit up tall at the front edge of your chair. If accessible, your feet should be planted on the floor wider than hip-width apart with toes pointed outward slightly.
Hold a weight with both hands between your legs. (You can also do this exercise without equipment.)
Hinge at your hips to tap your weight on the floor in front of you.
On an exhale, press the weight straight up over your head until your elbows are fully extended.
Slowly bend your elbows to lower the weight and tap it on the floor again.
Repeat for your desired reps.
4. Seated Side Bend Deadlift
Sit up tall in your chair. If accessible, knees can be bent to 90 degrees and your feet can be planted on the floor.
Extend your arms overhead with your biceps by your ears, your fingertips pointing toward the ceiling, and your palms facing in.
Engage your core and slowly bend your torso to the left. You should feel a stretch through the right side of your torso.
Keeping your arms extended, pull yourself back up to the starting position.
Repeat on the other side.
Continue alternating sides for your desired reps.
5. Seated Torso Twist
Sit up tall in your chair. If accessible, knees can be bent to 90 degrees and your feet can be planted on the floor.
Holding a yoga strap, towel, or belt in both hands, extend your arms straight out in front of you at shoulder height. You can also place your hands on opposite shoulders, crossing your arms in front of you at shoulder height.
Engage your core and twist your entire upper body to the right to feel a stretch through your mid-back. Hold here for a few seconds.
Return to center, then twist to the left and hold.
Continue alternating sides for your desired reps.
6. Seated Triceps Dip
Sit up tall in your chair. If accessible, knees can be bent to 90 degrees and your feet can be planted on the floor. Grip the front edge of the chair.
Straighten your arms to lift your butt off the chair and shift forward.
Engage your core and slowly bend your elbows behind you to lower your body in front of the chair. Keep your lower back as close to the front edge of the chair as possible.
Lower until your elbows are bent to 90 degrees, then press back up to the starting position, keeping your butt off of the chair the entire time.
Repeat for your desired reps.
“Dips offer strength development in the extension of the arm and supporting bodyweight,” explains Logan. Plus, this exercise “directly impacts the strength needed to transfer in and out of the chair.”
7. Seated Biceps Curl
Sit up tall in your chair. If accessible, knees can be bent to 90 degrees and your feet can be planted on the floor.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand (household items like canned foods or water bottles work too, or you can skip the weight entirely!) and let your arms hang by your sides, palms facing forward.
On an exhale, slowly bend your elbows to bring your hands toward your shoulders.
On an inhale, slowly lower your hands back down by your sides.
Repeat for your desired reps.
8. Seated Neck Stretch
Sit up tall in your chair. If accessible, knees can be bent to 90 degrees and your feet can be planted on the floor.
Place your right hand on top of your head and gently press your head toward your right shoulder. You should feel a stretch in the left side of your neck.
To deepen the stretch, extend your left arm by your side as if you’re reaching for the floor or sit on your left hand with your palm on the seat of your chair.
Hold for 15 to 45 seconds, then return to center.
Repeat on the other side.
9. Seated Bent-Over Row
Sit up tall in your chair. If accessible, knees can be bent to 90 degrees and your feet can be planted on the floor.
Hinge at your hips so your upper body is at a 45-degree angle.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand by your shins, palms facing each other. (You can also use household items like water bottles or canned foods, or you can do this exercise without weights.)
Think about squeezing your shoulder blades together as you pull the weights up toward your shoulders. Keep your elbows close to your sides the entire time.
Slowly and with control, lower the weights back down toward your shins.
Repeat for your desired reps.
“Pulling movement is most beneficial for a seated athlete as they push all the time,” says Logan.
When and How To Include Chair Exercises In Your Fitness Routine
You can do chair exercises in an entirely seated workout or sprinkle them into a routine that involves standing exercises, too, depending on your personal preferences and needs.
As long as you’re working different body parts, you could include some chair exercises daily, or use them as part of a warmup or cooldown, Logan says. They also make for a convenient “movement snack” if you need a little break during your day.
Ultimately, it’s all about knowing your unique capabilities and listening to your body. There’s truly a chair exercise for everyone, as long as you’re willing to go through a bit of trial and error to find the moves that work best for you. You can find more seated and accessible workouts by exploring the adaptive classes on the Peloton App.
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