Whether you’ve become more sedentary from working from home, have picked up an injury, or are less active due to age, it’s still important to try and get some exercise a few times a week. But how do you fit it in when you can’t get out for a walk? Here, we offer some chair exercises that will get your body moving whatever your current situation is. Whether you do just the exercise below, or stimulate your abdominals with a muscle stimulator, exercising from your chair could help you achieve pretty impressive results.
1) ARM CIRCLES
Arm circles help to keep the upper arms toned and in shape. Better still, these simple exercises can be performed anywhere – whether on the couch or on a dining room chair!
Sit as tall as you can, making sure your back is supported. Raise both arms and point with your index figure as if you have spotted something in the distance, Now start circling your arms. This is a high-rep activity and can leave you a little out of breath, and because you are moving a little bit against gravity, it can help with building muscle too.
2) BICEP CURLS WITH A BEACH TOWEL
Use an extra-long beach towel for this. Holding it lengthways, secure one end under your foot or, even better, under the chair leg. Hold the other end with your hand with your elbow tucked into just below your rib cage. Now curl your arm upwards. If the towel is too long and you are not pulling against anything, shorten the length by tucking more towel under the chair leg.
3) OVERHEAD ARM CURLS
Using a book you’re reading (but don’t lose your page!) or a can of beans, place your hands up above your head. Your upper arms should be next to your ears. Make sure you have a firm grip on the object you are holding (and that you won’t hit the back of your head) and start to uncurl your arms with your hands towards to sky or ceiling. Drop them back down and repeat. Try not to let your arms flap outwards although if you haven’t done this exercise in a while, you might find your triceps (the muscles under your upper arm) are a little shaky and weak. Build up strength over time and don’t push it too hard or use anything heavy to begin with.
4) THROW A FEW PUNCHES
Boxercise has become popular in recent years and there’s a clear reason why – it is one of the most effective aerobic exercises. But, if you’re chair bound, throwing a few punches is also good for toning the arms.
Again, with your back straight, sit tall on a chair and throw 20 punches forward, alternating between arms. With every punch, exhale and breathe in as you pull your arm back.
5) OVERHEAD PRESS-UPS
With a trusty can of beans or two other objects that you can hold securely (one in each hand), sit tall in a chair that supports your back and now do overhead presses.
Stretch your arms up above your head and then bend them so your elbows are pointing out in front. Now do sets of 10 to 15 repetitions on each arm, straightening and bending your arm at the elbow.
Like the earlier exercises we talked about, you’ll get the most benefit from doing this regularly and by building up the number of repetitions as opposed to increasing the weight on what you are holding.
6) OVERHEAD ARM STRETCHES
This exercise is not only good for toning your arms but stretching sore muscles in the upper arms and shoulders too.
Sit tall in your chair and raise your arms above your hand, crossing them over at the hands – a bit like you are getting into position to dive into a pool. Your arms need to be fully stretched – reach for the ceiling – but don’t lock your elbows or wrists.
With your upper arms by your ears, start to bend gently either to your right or left. Don’t overstretch or extend yourself as this will affect your balance and can also pull muscles in your back or stomach.
Pull your arms back to the centre and then lean over to the other side, taking a few deep breaths when you come back to the centre.
You’ll probably find you’ll get tense doing this exercise as you attempt to hold yourself into position. Make a point of keeping your muscles relaxed so you work the right muscles groups and not give yourself a sore back.
7) GLUTEAL SQUEEZES
The gluteus maximums muscles are located in the buttocks and are considered one of the strongest muscles in the body. Strong buttock muscles help reduce lower back pain, and you can improve your strength from your chair, which is great news for back pain sufferers.
First, you need to contract the back of your thighs. Imagine lifting yourself off a chair and how the back of your legs feel halfway up.The stronger you tighten your muscles, the more they will probably ‘shake’. This is perfectly natural but make sure that you make a point of full relaxing your muscles. It shouldn’t hurt so stop if it does.
Do this for around three to four repetitions per set, increasing the number of repetitions as you get used to the exercise.
8) STRAIGHT LEG CIRCLES
Make sure your lower back is supported when doing this exercise. With your legs together, raise them in front of you so that they are straight out in front of you. Start forming little circles in the air with each leg, doing so for a set number of repetitions. People’s strength differs so you may find at first you can do five circles comfortably. Increase the repetitions over time as you get more used to the exercise.
Be warned though; of all the chair exercises, this is possibly the most difficult!
9) CALF TONING
This is one of the best chair exercises for toned limbs. Sit on the edge of your seat with your feet on the ground. Now point your feet like ballerinas do, stretching your calf muscles and holding them into position. Squeeze the calf muscle hard, holding this contraction for a few seconds.
Then relax for a few seconds, performing 10 repetitions across three sets per leg.
10) SEATED SKATER
This exercise has the movement of skating, as you would expect and is not only great for tone and strength, it can also raise your heart rate too.
Sit on the edge of your chair or sofa and kick your left leg out. At the same time, in unison, bring your right leg over to where your left leg was. Now the same but in reverse.
Keep repeating this movement for four sets of 12 repetitions per side. As you get better or stronger, you might want to consider getting outdoors for a walk to put your new muscles to the test, adding a resistance band to improve your fitness further.
Whether you’re recovering from an injury, or starting an exercise program after being sedentary for a while, these exercises could help you, allowing you to build up your fitness from the comfort of your garden chair or couch. It could even inspire you to invest in chair workout equipment to make every workout a chair based one!