5 exercises you can do from your chair
It’s time to forget the myth that you can’t exercise without spending a lot of time on your feet. Seated from a sturdy chair, you can still build strength and improve flexibility. Seated workouts can be a simple, safe, and effective option when you’re not comfortable exercising from a standing position or getting up and down from the floor. In this guide, we’ll walk you through some easy, effective chair strength exercises you can do anywhere. If you’re interested in more movements, be sure to check out Bold’s chair workouts.
5 chair exercises to try
Start from your Bold base
We recommend getting into your starting position, known as a Bold base, before you begin any of these exercises. Move your head side to side, roll your shoulders back, and get settled in your exercising chair. It’s important to find that Bold base and a comfortable position to begin your routine from. Remember that you can always return to your Bold base at any point while exercising.
1. Strengthen your shoulders with shoulder presses
Sit on your chair with your feet hip width distance apart, bend your elbows and place your hands facing up on your shoulders. Press your arms up to the sky and bring them back to your shoulders.
You can add light weights here for an additional challenge, but only if you’re comfortable. Focus on pressing your arms up to the sky, directly above your shoulders. This is a popular move you’ll see in Bold’s chair workouts for arms, helping you build functional strength.
2. Stretch your hips with a seated figure four
Sit tall in your chair with both feet flat on the floor and knees hip-width apart. Lift your right ankle and place it on your left thigh, just above the knee, forming a “4” shape with your legs. Keep your back straight and hinge slightly forward from your hips until you feel a gentle stretch in your right hip and glute. Hold, then switch to the other side. Focus on relaxing your shoulders and keeping your spine long as you stretch. The seated figure four stretch helps release tension in your hips and glutes, which can get tight from sitting.
3. Activate your feet with toe curls
When we’re wearing tight shoes or socks all day, sometimes it can be helpful to stretch your toes and move them around.
Place a small towel under one of your feet. Plant your feet on the floor on top of the towel. Sit back and upright on your chair. Like the other exercises, keep your knees hip width distance apart.
Curl your toes as you try to scrunch the towel under your foot. Imagine pulling it towards you, curling your toes in as close as you can. After each curl, splay your toes, as if trying to spread them as far apart as possible. Once you gather most of the towel under your first foot, switch to your other foot by placing your towel underneath it.
4. Focus on arm strength with bicep curls
Bicep curls help us build strength in our arms, so we feel more confident picking items up or bringing them towards us.
Sit in your chair with feet flat on the floor, place your arms by your side. Raise your hands up towards your shoulders, keeping your elbows tucked into your sides. Keep your wrists straight, and bring your hands back down in a controlled, steady motion, keeping your elbows by your side. If this feels too easy, add hand weights to increase resistance in this movement. If you don’t have hand weights, use something as light and accessible like a water bottle or canned goods as an alternative.
5. Build flexibility through calf stretches
Stretching your calves can help lengthen and strengthen your muscles. If you’re sitting a lot, strengthening your calves can help you feel better in other parts of your body.
Lean forward to rest your hands or forearms on your thighs. Raise your heels up while keeping your toes on the floor. Hold this position, and slowly lower your heels back down to that starting position. You can increase the challenge here by placing a book or bag on your lap to increase the resistance for your calves.
Benefits of chair workouts
Remember, chair-based exercises aren’t just for people who aren’t able to stand. They're an excellent option to work on muscle recruitment, mobility, and even endurance in a seated environment. Here are some of the benefits:
Accessible: Can be a good choice for people with mobility challenges or various ability levels.
Full-body: From your core during chair sit ups to your arms in bicep curls, you can still activate muscles in your whole body.
Varied intensity: You can add resistance bands or weights for more challenge.
Low impact: Gentle on the joints while still providing an effective workout.
Ready to try a full-length, guided chair workout? Sign up for Bold and get moving today.