There are a lot of reasons to exercise, but weight loss is the most popular. Exercise is a great way to improve your overall health, and it can also help you drop pounds.
If you’re trying to lose weight, there are a few different ways that exercise can help. You’ll burn more calories when you move around, and that means you’ll lose weight faster than if you didn’t move at all. Exercise also helps reduce stress and improve sleep quality, which can make it easier for you to shed pounds.
When it comes to losing weight through exercise alone, though, it’s important not to get discouraged. Losing weight through exercise alone takes time—it’s one of those things where slow and steady wins the race. You should keep doing what works for YOU (and ditch what doesn’t) until you get your desired results!
Right here on Buy and Slay, you are privy to a litany of relevant information on chair workouts for beginners, chair workouts for obese, chair workouts at home, and so much more. Take out time to visit our catalog for more information on similar topics.
Chair Exercise For Weight Loss
For a cardio session, all you need is a chair. The latest fad is chair cardio exercises. One can burn calories by performing these chair cardio exercises at home.
We all think of cardio workouts when it comes to losing weight. But do you know that while sitting on a chair you can perform a great calorie burning cardio workout? Yes, for a cardio session all you need is a chair. The latest fad is chair cardio exercises. One can burn calories by performing these chair cardio exercises at home. Here we have listed a few chair cardio exercises which you can perform easily at home.
This exercise helps to tone your inner thighs, abs and quadriceps.
How to practise:
Step 1: Sit on the edge of the chair.
Step 2: Extend your right leg straight. Remember to keep your foot grounded throughout.
Step 3: Cross your arms over your chest and keep your abs tight.
Step 4: As you lift your right leg to the left knee rotate your torso to the right.
Step 5: Squeeze your knees together.
Step 6: Return to the starting position.
Step 7: Switch sides and repeat.
Step 8: Practise around 15 to 25 reps.
Hinge and cross
This exercise strengthens your abs and back muscles, also work out your lower body.
How to practise:
Step 1: Sit straight with your knees together.
Step 2: Keep your toes pointed and lift your hands and bring them behind your head.
Step 3: Bracing your abs hinge back a bit so that your shoulder blades barely touch the chair’s back.
Step 4: Cross your right elbow and your left knee.
Step 5: Begin returning to the starting position.
Step 6: Switch sides and repeat.
Step 7: Perform 20 alternating reps.
Chair running
This exercise helps to reduce fat from your arms, abs and legs.
How to practise:
Step 1: Sit straight and extend your legs.
Step 2: Keep your toes pointed and your arms bent at the sides.
Step 3: Keep your abs tight and let your shoulder blades touch the back of the chair lightly.
Step 4: Start bending your right knee into your chest and turn your left shoulder towards your knee.
Step 5: Pull your right elbow back.
Step 6: Switch the sides immediately.
Step 7: Practise on the alternate side and repeat 25 to 30 times.
Seated jack
This exercise helps you to burn a good amount of calories without getting drenched in sweat.
How to practise:
Step 1: Sit straight with your knees together.
Step 2: Join your knees and keep your toes pointed.
Step 3: Your arms should be open to the sides and elbows bent.
Step 4: Your palms should face forward.
Step 5: Take both legs out to the sides and flex your feet.
Step 6: Just like a normal jumping jack, let your legs land on the heel and bring your arms together above your head.
Step 7: Return to the starting position.
Step 8: Perform 25-30 reps in a row.
Chair Workouts For Beginners
Looking for a simple and convenient way to fit in a quick workout? Grab a seat: Chair exercises allow you to target pretty much your entire body—without having to invest in any additional equipment.
Chair exercises allow you to target your lower body while seated or supported, making them an excellent choice for anyone with balance or mobility issues or those who are recovering from an injury. They’re also great for pregnant people needing a little extra support as their belly grows. But it’s not just about your legs: You can also work upper-body muscles like your arms, shoulders, and chest while recruiting the critical core muscles to help with stabilization. Plus, a chair makes a perfect companion for doing seated stretches or Pilates chair exercises. So whether you’re sitting on a chair or simply holding onto one for support, you can definitely get a lot out of these exercises.
And perhaps the best part may be how convenient they make working out. Chair exercises are all doable at home, the gym, and some even while sitting in a Zoom meeting (trust us, we’ve done it!).
“Anyone can benefit from using a chair, but many times a chair is good for people who have a hard time getting up and down from the floor or just need support,” NSCA-certified personal trainer, Morit Summers, CPT, and founder of Morit Summers Personal Training, tells SELF. “In fitness, we need to learn to trust our bodies, and having a safety net like a chair can really help build that confidence.”
This is especially true for a beginner who may need that safety net while creating trust in their body with movement. Plus, chair exercises help you focus on the movements themselves without worrying about balance, Summers explains. This can be helpful for both beginners and for more advanced exercisers looking to master progressions.
There are tons of exercises you can do with a chair—some are variations of tried-and-true moves you’ve likely done before, while others are more chair-specific—but we’ve rounded up nine of our favorites below. Before we get into our favorite picks, though, we’ll cover the ins and outs of chair exercises, including their effectiveness and why using a chair is beneficial for just about anyone who needs a solid, total-body routine.
How effective are chair exercises?
When done correctly, Summers says chair exercises can be incredibly effective, allowing you to work all the muscles in your body. The key to an effective chair workout is simple: Incorporate exercises that recruit as many muscle groups as possible while still allowing you to remain seated (if needed) or using the chair for balance or as part of the exercise.
One reason they’re so effective is because many of them work the same way as moves you’re already familiar with. Take a plank or push-up, for instance, where your hands are elevated on the seat. While the chair puts your body at an incline—which helps take some of the weight away—you’re still performing the same basic exercise, says Summers.
“Just because you’re using a chair, it does not change the purpose or movement; it changes the angle at which the exercise is performed and the way you’ll get it done,” she says. That means a push-up from a chair will still effectively work your chest muscles, shoulders, and triceps, while a plank from a chair will still fire up your entire core. So if you’re looking for a strengthen the core workout, chair exercises can help deliver.
Are chair exercises just for beginners?
Nope. The beauty of chair exercises is that they are scalable to different fitness levels. A chair allows you to both progress and regress moves, making them great for building on your fitness level.
A chair can take a basic move like a squat and make it easier to perform—while also requiring stricter form and giving you a cue (the seat!) as to how far to lower your body. Summers says when learning proper squat technique, a chair gives you a physical cue that allows you to go lower without feeling like you’re falling. It’s also there to sit on if needed. That said, she makes it clear that there is a huge difference between plopping down on the chair versus sitting with control (FYI: You’ll want to sit with control).
Chairs are also great tools for introducing more challenging exercises into the mix. Let’s go back to push-ups, for example. A traditional push-up, where you complete the move from the floor, is a difficult move. But elevating your hands can help make it more doable. So your first step might be performing a push-up with your hands elevated on the seat of a chair. Then once you’ve mastered that you may be able to take the surface closer to the ground—like on a box or step—before performing them right from the floor. Then, to kick it up even further, you can put your feet on the seat of the chair and your hands on the ground, for a decline push-up that feels way harder than a traditional version.
Same applies to a pistol squat, where you squat all the way down with one leg out in front of you. This is a really advanced move. But a chair exercise like a staggered squat (where you raise one leg off the ground in front of you and squat down with the planted foot until your butt touches the chair’s seat) can help you get used to that movement pattern and build the single-leg strength you’d need to complete it.
What exercises can I do while sitting in a chair?
You can do tons of variations of familiar strength-training moves, as well as some chair-specific exercises! If standing exercises are not possible, or you’re just looking to mix things up, performing modified moves with a chair can pretty much work every muscle in some way.
Chair exercises can also include cardio moves that boost your heart rate, like seated marching or jacks. Finally, seated stretches, chair exercises for abs, and chair yoga exercises are just a few additional categories to consider when designing a routine.
Plus, it’s not only about what exercises you can do when seated in a chair: If weight-bearing is possible, you can also try standing exercises that use a chair as a prop. Pilates chair exercises—think Pilates barre—are a great example of incorporating a chair into a routine. Instead of a ballet bar, simply grab the back of a chair for support. Just make sure it is sturdy, secure, and tall enough to support your weight. For example, you can try some Pilates chair exercises like leg raises or circles, ballerina squats, plié pulses, and different foot positions (first, second, and third).
How can I work out my legs seated or with a chair?
When working your legs with a chair, it’s important to really hone in on your mind-muscle connection. Make sure to fire your leg, hip, or glute muscles while you’re working them.
For example, when doing a box squat, really focus on feeling your quads and glutes as you lower your body toward the chair and keep the muscles engaged as you push through your heels to stand up. Or, when doing the glute kick back, remember to really squeeze your glutes as you extend your leg. Also, try to avoid leaning too much on the chair when performing these moves. As you become more familiar with these exercises, you’ll be able to determine how much you need to rely on the chair for balance and stability.
You can also work your legs when seated by doing stretches, like a seated hamstring stretch, or by performing rehab-type exercises like the foot alphabet. And if you’re doing exercises while actually sitting on the chair, make sure you keep your core engaged and posture upright.
What do you need to know before you start chair exercise?
Make sure the chair you choose is sturdy and able to hold your body weight. That means you may need a different chair for these exercises from your regular work chair—many of the best ergonomic chairs are wheeled, which are no-gos for working out. And be sure to check the floor for slippage; you don’t want the chair to move around while working out. If there’s any movement, slide a yoga mat under the chair.
Also, if you’re looking to add chair exercises due to an injury (whether it’s back discomfort, pain in the neck, or pain in your hips, knees, or ankles), mobility or balance issues, it’s a good idea to get any new exercise program cleared by a doctor or physical therapist first.
Chair Exercises
- Mountain Climber
- Triceps Dip
- Elevated Push-Up
- Box Squat
- Lateral Leg Circles
- Seated Jack
- Bulgarian Split Squat
- Glute Kick Back
- Alternating Cross Crunch
Demoing the moves below is Alex Orr, a non-diet NASM-certified personal trainer and CNC, and host of The Birdie and the Bees podcast.
1 Mountain Climber
- Stand facing a sturdy chair with your feet hip-width apart and arms at your sides.
- Lower your upper body toward the chair and place your palms flat on the edge of the seat directly below your shoulders.
- Extend your legs straight out behind you with your toes planted and heels elevated off the floor.
- Brace your core muscles and keep your back flat and straight. Keep your eyes looking down at the seat. Your body will be at a slight angle.
- Bring your right knee toward your right arm. Then, as the right leg returns to the starting position, bring your knee toward your left arm. That’s 1 rep.
- Continue alternating. Keep the pace moderate and modify if needed. To make it easier, perform this movement at a walking speed. Quicken the pace to make it more advanced.
2 Triceps Dip
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and back facing a sturdy chair. Sit down on the edge of the seat.
- Place the palms of your hands on the edge of the seat, shoulder-width apart. Your fingers will wrap around the edge of the seat.
- Slide your butt off the seat and extend your legs in front of you with your heels on the floor and toes pointing up.
- Slowly bend your elbows and lower down as low as you can go. If you feel discomfort in your shoulder or wrists, decrease the distance you lower your body.
- Pause at the bottom and contract your triceps (muscles in the back of your upper arm) to push yourself back up to starting position. This is 1 rep.
3 Elevated Push-Up
- Stand facing a sturdy chair with your feet hip-width apart and arms at your sides.
- Lower your upper body toward the chair and place your palms flat on the seat. They should be directly below your shoulders.
- Extend your legs straight out behind you with your toes planted and heels elevated off the floor.
- Brace your core muscles and keep your back flat and straight. Keep your eyes looking down at the seat. Your body will be at a slight angle.
- Bend your elbows to slowly lower your chest to the seat until the elbows are at a 90-degree angle.
- Push your body away from the chair until your elbows are extended. This is 1 rep.
4 Squat
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and back facing a sturdy chair. Clasp your hands together to make a fist and hold in front of your chest. Your heels should be close to the chair legs.
- Brace your core, shift your weight into your heels, push your hips back, and bend your knees to lower into a squat. Lower your butt to the chair without sitting on it.
- Pause at the bottom of the squat, and drive through your heels to stand, squeezing your glutes at the top. This is 1 rep.
5 Lateral Leg Circles
- Stand behind a sturdy chair with your left leg closest to the back of the chair. You should be about a foot away from the chair.
- Rest your left hand on the top of the chair and keep your right hand on your waist.
- Raise your right leg out to the side as high as possible and hold. You should feel the hip muscles contracting.
- Begin circling your leg clockwise, moving from the hip.
- For an added challenge, you can then repeat the circles in a counter-clockwise motion.
- When you’re finished, switch sides and repeat.
6 Seated Jack
- Sit on the seat of a sturdy chair with your torso upright, away from the back of the chair.
- Place your feet together and raise your arms up to make a goalpost. Your upper arms will be parallel to the floor and lower arms perpendicular to the floor. Start with your arms in the closed position with your elbows close together.
- Step your feet out to the sides in a jumping jack motion while opening your arms to the sides. You will now be in the goalpost position.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together while also squeezing your glute muscles to return to starting position. This is 1 rep. The quicker you perform this move, the greater the cardiovascular challenge will be.
7 Bulgarian Split Squat
- Stand with your back toward a sturdy chair. With your right foot on the floor a few feet in front of the chair, place the top of your left foot on the seat of the chair, toes down.
- Clasp your hands together to make a fist and hold in front of your chest. (If you’re more comfortable, you can place your hands behind your head instead.) Keep your chest up and look straight ahead.
- Engage your core as you bend your knees to lower down into a split squat. Your right knee should ideally form a 90-degree angle so that your thigh is parallel to the ground, and your left knee is hovering above the floor. (Quick position check: Your right foot should be stepped out far enough that you can do this without letting your right knee go past your right toes.)
- Driving through your left heel, stand back up to starting position. This is 1 rep. Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.
8 Glute Kick Back
- Stand facing the back of a sturdy chair with feet about 8 to 12 inches away from it.
- Place your hands on the top of the back of the chair.
- Brace your core, engage the glute muscles, and extend your right leg behind you. Your toes will point down and heels toward the ceiling.
- Pause for a moment with your leg extended behind you. You should feel the contraction in your right glute.
- Lower your right leg to the starting position. Make sure to keep the movement slow and controlled. This is 1 rep.
- Complete all your reps on on side, then switch sides. To make this harder, you can wrap a mini-band above your knees or ankles.
9 Alternating Cross Crunch
- Sit on the seat of a sturdy chair with your torso upright away from the back of it.
- Place your feet about hip-width apart flat on the floor and your fingertips behind your head, elbows pointing out to the sides.
- Raise your left foot off the floor and bring your right elbow toward your left knee by twisting your torso. Touch your right elbow to the left knee if you can and squeeze your obliques while you are rotating and crunching.
- Repeat the same motion with the left elbow and right knee. This is 1 rep.
- Continue alternating.
Chair Workouts For Obese
Chair exercises for obese beginners can be a great way to get started getting fit and losing weight so you can achieve a better future. You have to start somewhere and if walking is too hard on your joints, chair exercises are a great place to start. They can help build strength and increase your metabolism as well. There are many workouts for obese beginners that you can use.
These could include bodyweight exercises as well as gym workouts, treadmill workouts, and more as you build strength and endurance on your fitness journey.
CHAIR EXERCISES FOR WEIGHT LOSS
Chair exercises are great for anybody, but can be especially helpful if you have balance issues or joint pain. Chair exercises are a great way to get started with free weights and build up to being able to use machines. You can also work up to more complicated exercises as you build strength and balance. And even chair yoga!
Remember, before starting ANY kind of exercise, consult with your doctor to make sure they recommend it.
CHAIR STRETCHES
Each stretch should be held for about 10 seconds and done smoothly and gently for optimum results. Do the stretches, then the ab, leg and arm exercises. Then repeat the stretches again.
We can start with the hamstring stretch. Begin by sitting on the edge of the chair and stretching your right leg out in front of you. With your heel on the floor and your toes pointing back towards you. If you are comfortable here you can stay here or if you’d like to take it a little bit deeper begin to fold yourself forward over your right leg keeping your spine long. Inhale and come out of it, and start on the other leg.
Now, we’ll stretch the shoulders. Reach one arm across the body and over the opposite shoulder like you’re patting yourself on the back. Lightly press into it through your elbow with your hand. Slowly release and stretch the other side.
Extend one arm out straight in front of you, pull back on the fingers with the opposite hand gently to stretch out the lower part of the arm. Repeat on the other side.
For the glute and lower back stretch, cross your foot onto your opposite knee. Lean into that position as you feel a gentle stretch. Then change to the other side.
Now the interlocking shoulder stretch. Place both hands in front of you and interlock your fingers. Then turn your hands around keeping the fingers locked. Raise the arms up as far as you can.
AB CHAIR EXERCISES
You can get some great ab exercises in a chair. For chair crunches, sit on the front edge of your chair. Lean your upper body back onto the back of the chair and raise up. Feel it in your abs, don’t use your neck or arms to raise yourself up. Start with 20 and work your way up to 60 over time.
Sitting back in your chair, lean your upper body forward and lift your right knee to your left elbow. Slowly lower it and do the opposite side. Try to start with 20 but if you can’t do that many, do as many as you can. And work your way up to 40 over time.
CHAIR LEG LIFTS
Seated in your chair, you can do leg extensions by lifting one leg straightening your knee until your leg is straight out in front of you. Lower it down and lift the other. This exercise really strengthens the muscles that protect your knees, so it’s really great for a number of benefits and one of the best chair exercises for obese people. It helps increase your mobility as you gain muscle. Start with 12 on each side and work your way to 3 sets of 12 over time.
Calf raises start in the seated position with your feet flat on the floor. Then gently raise your heels off the floor leaving your toes in place. This builds muscles in the back of your calf. Start with a set of 12 and work up to 3 sets of 12.
You can use therabands to increase your resistance as you gain strength. Once you build endurance for leg lifts, add a theraband on your foot and hold the other end with your hands to increase resistance as you put your foot back down. For calf raises, put it around your toes and add resistance as you raise up.
Shin slides are a great exercise for increasing flexibility in your hips and building muscles in your inner thighs. Sit up in your chair and place your foot on the inside of the opposite ankle. Slowly slide your foot up your shin to the knee and slowly back down again. Try to do a set of 12 and work your way to 3 sets of 12 as well.
CHAIR ARM EXERCISE
Sit comfortably in your chair for these chair arm exercises. For a shoulder press, raise your arms over your head. You can do this without holding anything, then add some soup cans or water bottles, then work your way up to some heavier weights, even 5 or 10 pounds. Start with your hands at your shoulder, and slowly push straight up, the lower slowly down again. Start with a set of 12 and work your way up to three sets of 12.
A bicep curl can use the same weights as the shoulder press. Start with your hands beside you and slowly raise your hand, bending at the elbow until your hand reaches your shoulder. Feel the work in your bicep muscle. Don’t swing your arm, just concentrate on that muscle. Slowly slower it back to the starting position. Repeat with the other side. Start with a set of 12 and work your way up to three sets of 12.
For a tricep extension, use the same weights you were using. Raise one arm straight over your head. Slowly lower your hand behind you bending at the elbow. Use your tricep muscle or the back of your arm to lower and raise the weight. Make sure to go slowly and make the tricep do the work. Repeat on the other side. Start with 12 and work your way to 3 sets of 12.
Next, with the same weights, raise your arms straight out on each side of your body, like you are an airplane, the slowly lower them back down again. Start with 12 and work your way to 3 sets of 12. Increase the weights as you can for all of these exercises.
Keep the same weights for the butterfly exercise. Raise your arms out beside you and slowly cross your hands over in front of you like you are flapping your wings. Slowly return them to the outside. Try to do 12 of these and increase to 3 sets of 12 over time.
Working out in a chair is a great way to start working out safely and keeping your joints from taking too much impact while you increase your self care and mobility. As you lose weight, you can do these same exercises from a standing position and you’ll have muscles built up to help further your progress.
I know you can do this. And I know you are worth it. So get in there and get to it because you are going to be amazing. I can’t wait to hear all about it.
Now for a joke: Why do we tell actors to break a leg? Because every play has a cast!
