Chair Workouts You Can Do At Home

Written by Josh Horsman

You don’t have to leave your home to get an energetic, fitness-boosting workout. In fact, you don’t even need to leave your chair!
These exercises, combined, form a comprehensive workout that will target all of your major muscle groups for maximum benefits:

1. Chair Plank
Kneel in front of the chair and place your forearms on it, with your hands touching each other. Now stretch out your legs, lifting yourself up so that just your toes are touching the floor and your legs are together. Tense your core, your body should be in a straight line from your head to your toes. Now hold the position for 45 seconds or as long as you can. You should avoid lifting or dropping your hips.

2. Leg Lifts
Sit upright in your chair with your feet flat on the floor and your legs at a 90-degree angle. Now lift your legs up towards your chest, keeping your knees bent. Lower your legs back to the starting position. Repeat for 20 to 30 repetitions.

3. Triceps Dip
Place your hands flat on the front of the chair with your fingers slightly over the edge and your hands shoulder-width apart. Now slide your butt forward off the chair, holding yourself up with your arms straight. Now slowly bend your arms at the elbow and lower your butt down, keeping your back close to the chair. Go as low as you can and then push yourself back up until your arms are straight again. Repeat this 15 to 20 times.

4. Side Bends
Sit straight up in your chair with your feet flat on the floor. Let your arms drop down by your sides. Now gently lean down to your right, bending at the waist, leaning down until your extended arm is almost touching the floor, or is as close to it as is comfortable. Now contract your waist to bring yourself back up to the starting position and repeat the same thing on your left side. Continue the movement, alternating right then left for one minute.

5. Arm Circles
Sit upright in your chat and raise your arms out to your sides at full stretch. Now press your shoulder-blades together and begin to rotate your arms, making forward circles with your thumbs facing forwards. Repeat for 20 circles, then flip your hands so your palms face up and your thumbs face away from you. Now do 20 circles in the opposite direction. Repeat the whole thing for two or three times.

6. Crunches
This is a basic but powerful exercise to strengthen those all important core muscles: First lie on the floor on your back, with your legs together, facing your chair. Next, place your feet up onto it so that your knees form a right angle to the floor. Place your arms behind your head, then tense your core and bring your head up towards your knees. Then, gently lower yourself back to the starting position. Repeat 20 to 25 times, or as many as you feel comfortable with.

7. Chest Squeezes
Sit up straight upright in your chair. Stretch your arms out at your sides but with your elbows bent so that your forearms are pointed up at a 90 degree angle. Your upper arms should be parallel to the floor and your upper arms perpendicular to it. Now squeeze your chest and bring your forearms together in front of your face. Now return your arms to the starting point and repeat 20 times for three sets.
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8. Calf Raises
Stand behind your chair, with your legs together, holding onto the back of it with your hands. Now slowly raise yourself up onto your toes, using the chair to help you balance if you need to. Now lower yourself back down so that your feet are flat on the floor again. Perform 20 repetitions.

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