Squats are among the most functional strength-training exercises you can do. They help you with everyday movements like getting out of bed, standing up from the sofa, climbing stairs, and lifting heavy groceries.

But that doesn’t mean they’re easy. If you have knee pain or could use some additional support for your squats, you might want to start with a chair squat, also sometimes called a sit to stand.

Here, learn more about what makes chair squats great, how to do one with proper form, and how to incorporate them into your workouts.

What are chair squats?

Chair squats are, as the name implies, squats you perform using a chair.

The chair acts as your own support system: It helps guide you into proper squat position, and it’s there for assistance.

In a chair squat, you’ll lower your body down as if you’re going to sit on a chair behind you. Then you’ll stand back up. Repeating this movement several times in a row (and then several times a week) helps strengthen the muscles in your lower body.

Benefits of chair squats

Like all types of squats, chair squats strengthen your quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Over time, this can help ease knee pain. That’s because when the muscles around a painful joint are stronger, they take some of the pressure off that joint.

Plus, when your lower-body muscles are stronger, you can handle daily activities like climbing stairs, picking something up off the floor, and getting out of the bathtub with more ease.

Chair squats are uniquely helpful in that they create a safety net: If you lose your balance or squat a little more deeply than you’re used to, you can always safely land in the chair before standing up again.

Some people also benefit from using the chair as a brief resting point, which might enable them to perform a few additional reps.

How to do squats with a chair

All you need to get started is a sturdy chair. Here’s how to do chair squats:

1. Start standing in front of a sturdy chair with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes forward, arms by your side, knees in line with your feet. 
2. Push your hips back and keep your chest up as you bend your knees to lower your body until your glutes are hovering just above the chair (optional: Sit down on the chair if you’re more comfortable). Keep your chest up and your gaze forward.
3. Press through your heels to return to standing. Squeeze your glutes and move your hips forward at the top.
4. Repeat for all your repetitions.

Proper form and technique

Performing chair squats with correct form ensures you get the most out of each repetition and helps you avoid potential injury from doing an exercise incorrectly. Here are a few pointers to keep in mind:

• Start with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes forward. If it’s more comfortable for you, you can turn your toes out very slightly — like they’re pointing toward 11 and 1 on a clock — or try a wider stance.
• Keep your knees in line with your toes. Do your best to not let them cave in toward each other.
• Keep your chest up and your gaze forward.
• If you need help with balance, place your hands on your hips or raise your arms straight out in front of your chest.
• Lower down slowly and with control. Stand back up with power.
• If you have trouble rising up from the chair, place a pillow on the seat, says Bold’s head trainer Alicia Rios.
• Use your hands for assistance by pushing off of the chair. “As you get stronger, you can use only one hand, and then no hands,” Rios says.

Common mistakes to avoid

The chair will help you avoid one common squat mistake: not going low enough. With the chair as a reference point, you’ll hit the right squat depth. “Make sure to complete the full range of motion,” Rios says. “As you stand, return to the full starting position. If you sit down on the chair, sit all the way down. If you just touch your glutes to the edge of the chair, make sure to tap the chair and immediately rise back up.”

Other mistakes to look out for include:

• Letting your knees cave in
• Leaning your chest too far forward
• Starting with your feet too close together or far apart
• “Don't let your heels touch the legs of the chair,” Rios says. “Keep your feet a few inches away from the chair legs for better stability.”

Any of these can limit your range of motion, increase your risk of injury, and get in the way of your progress.

Chair squats workout

Chair squats can fit into any number of different workout routines, such as lower-body workouts, full-body workouts, and seated workouts. In fact, you can find lots of routines to follow along with on the Bold exercise platform that include chair squats!

Sample workout routine

Here’s what a full-body chair workout might look like:

• Warm-up exercises
• Calf raises
• Leg extensions
• Chair squats
• Seated crunches
• March with seated biceps curls
• Cool-down stretches

You can find workouts like these in Bold’s online classes. Follow along two to three times a week, with at least two days in between.

Chair squat variations

With enough practice, you may notice chair squats start to feel less challenging. That’s a sign it’s time to increase intensity with this movement. Otherwise, you may not continue to make progress toward your strength and balance goals.

When you’re ready, you can try some squat variations without the chair. Here are a few to try:

• Kitchen sink squats: Instead of squatting over a chair, hold onto the edge of a sturdy piece of furniture like the kitchen sink as you push your hips back and lower down.
• Wall squats: Perform your squats with your back against a wall. Lower down until your thighs are parallel to the floor, or as low as you can comfortably go with proper form. 
• Bodyweight squats: Do your squats without any props and instead use just your bodyweight.

Single-leg chair squat

You can also keep the chair exactly where it is and make this exercise harder by keeping your weight on one leg at a time. This can help you correct any strength imbalances you have on one side of your body. It also recruits more of your core to help you stay upright and work on your balance.

Single-leg squats are challenging for most exercisers at any age. Many people use a chair while they build up the strength to one day be able to do this move without extra support.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Start standing in front of a sturdy chair with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes forward, arms by your side. Raise one foot off the ground.
2. Push your hips back and keep your chest up as you bend your standing knee to lower your body until your glutes touch the chair.
3. Press through your standing foot to return to start.
4. Repeat for all your reps, then switch sides.

Adding resistance

Another way to make chair squats workouts more challenging is to add resistance for your muscles to power through.

This will typically look like holding a weight while you squat, such as:

• Holding a dumbbell (or a household item like a water bottle or a can of food) in each hand by your sides
• Holding a dumbbell, kettlebell, or weight plate (or a household item like a jug of laundry detergent) at your chest
• Wearing a weighted vest

Start wherever you’re comfortable, and build up to adding resistance over time. Bodyweight chair squats and other seated exercises can help you build strength, improve balance, and ease pain. Follow along with a Bold exercise class today!