In 2020, Aarthi Ravindran, then 23, was using a leg-press machine at her gym when she suddenly felt an intense pain in her right knee. She was new to strength training and had tried to lift too much weight.
A doctor quickly found that Ravindran had torn a flap of cartilage from her knee, and said she should recover with a brace and physical therapy. But two years later, she still couldn’t climb stairs without pain and felt hopeless about being able to move as she had before.
“It was devastating,” Ravindran says. “I thought I’d never be able to go back to the gym or do things I love,” such as going for long walks.
Then, last autumn, a trainer introduced her to low-impact, seated exercises. By progressively adding weights to these chair workouts, she has been able to strengthen the muscles around her knees. Now, she can ride a bike and climb stairs without pain.
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A chair exercise is exactly what it sounds like: movements performed seated or standing that use a chair for support. There are chair workouts that target all major muscles groups and even some to get your heart rate up, says Heather Ducharme, a physical therapist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Chair workouts can be helpful for older adults, people with cognitive impairments, new exercisers who feel wobbly on their feet and people recovering from an injury.
The workout
This beginner-friendly workout includes a mix of seated and standing chair exercises developed by Donovan Green, founder of an online fitness platform called Chair Fit Camp, based in Covington, Georgia. Complete the first half in a chair, and use the chair as an aid for the second.
How you sit is key. You want to be on the edge of the chair with good posture and your feet flat on the ground. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor and your knees should be directly above your ankles, Green says. Roll your shoulders down and think about drawing your belly button to your spine.
Time: 15+ minutes
Intensity: Low
Start by doing the full workout, performing each exercise for 30 to 60 seconds, without rest. Work up to three rounds, with 60 seconds of rest between each set.
What you’ll need
A sturdy chair without wheels, ideally with a standard back, about 18-20 inches tall. Although armrests can offer some support, they can also limit movement and preclude some exercises.
How often
Perform twice a week to start, with the eventual goal of four days per week.
Adjust for you
Beginner: If balance is challenging for you, stick to the five seated exercises. If you suffer from back pain, you can put a pillow at your lower back for support.
Advanced: Increase the intensity, either with weights or faster reps.
Seated exercises
- Single-leg raise march
- Targets: Abdominals, hip flexors, lower back
- Time: 30 to 60 seconds
Bring your fingertips to touch, palms facing down, in front of your chest. Maintain a tall spine as you try to lift your right knee in a marching motion. Slowly increase the speed of the march.
– Double leg raise
- Targets: Abdominals, hip flexors, lower back
- Time: 30 to 60 seconds.
Reach behind you to grip the back of your chair. Or for a greater challenge, start in the same position as the single-leg raise march, with fingertips touching. Engage your core as you raise both knees toward your hands and then return your feet to the floor. Slowly increase speed.
– Chair jacks with calf raise
- Targets: Inner and outer thighs, calf muscles, cardio
- Time: 30 to 60 seconds
Think of this as a seated jumping jack. Jump your feet out, wider than your hips. At the same time, reach your hands between your legs and try to touch the floor. As you bring your torso back upright, jump your feet together and perform a calf raise. Repeat.
– Shoulder mobility drill
- Targets: Shoulders
- Time: 30 to 60 seconds
Sit tall, with your arms alongside your body, palms facing inward. Raise your arms up to form a T shape. Pause and bring your arms straight in front of your body, so your wrists are in line with your shoulders. Pause. Raise your arms alongside your ears, palms facing forward. Do not let your shoulders creep up. Pause and reverse the movements.
– Thumbs-up chest fly
- Targets: Shoulders and midback
- Time: 30 to 60 seconds
Lean forward so your back is at a 45-degree angle, your chest is over your thighs, and your arms are by your side. Open your arms and point your thumbs behind you until you feel your shoulder blades squeeze together. Pause and return the arms by your sides and repeat.
Standing exercises
- Plank toe taps
- Targets: Core and co-ordination
- Time: 30 to 60 seconds
Stand facing the chair. Grip the sides so your hands are beneath your shoulders and your chest is above the seat. Walk your feet back into a plank position. To make the exercise more challenging, walk your feet farther back. Step your right foot forward and tap in front of the right leg of the chair, then step your left foot forward. Keep your core engaged and do not let your hips sag.
– Balance touch-downs
- Targets: Legs and balance
- Time: 30 to 60 seconds
Stand 2-3 feet behind the chair. Balance on your right foot as you hinge at the hips and lower your hands to lightly touch the top of the chair back. Return to standing. Switch legs. When this feels easy, flip the chair around and perform the same movement, but try to touch the seat of the chair.
– Chair kickbacks
- Targets: Glutes
- Time: 30 to 60 seconds
Stand facing the back of a chair. Rest your hands on the top of the chair back. Kick your left leg straight behind you and squeeze your left glute at the top of the movement. Repeat and switch sides.
– Box squats
- Targets: Hamstrings, quads, glutes and core
- Time: 30 to 60 seconds
Start seated or standing with your feet just wider than your hips. Stand up, squeeze your glutes at the top, then slowly lower down to your seat. As this gets easier, you can tap the edge of the seat instead of sitting down or hover above the seat until you feel comfortable doing squats without an assist.
Where to go from here
Once you feel comfortable exercising in a chair, you can adapt almost any workout to it, even cardio. Low-impact variations of jumping jacks and high-knee marches, if performed quickly, will get the heart rate up.
Sitting in a chair can be a great way to test out exercises such as biceps curls or wood chops to master proper technique, Ducharme says. With any exercise, once you can perform it with good form, add weight, try more repetitions or increase your speed.
You can also try standing and doing triceps dips, push-ups or mountain climbers with your hands on the seat of the chair.
Ultimately, the goal is to perform these exercises from a standing position, Ducharme says. The chair is just a stepping stone. –This article originally appeared in The New York Times.