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Over 60? Forget running and swimming — these 5 bodyweight exercises help strengthen your entire body, using just a chair
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(Image credit: Getty Images)
Functional strength refers to the ability to perform daily activities and tasks with ease, which can decline with age depending on how active you are and the types of activities you engage in.
Think about carrying your kids, climbing stairs, or getting up out of a chair without help; these are all functional activities, so you’ll need to train the muscle groups responsible for helping you perform them in a similar way to how you’d perform these movements.
Chair exercises get looked down on because people think they’re basic, or for the elderly — but they’re not; seated exercises are incredibly effective at strengthening your body from head to toe while working your core muscles.
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Over 60? Forget running and swimming — these 5 bodyweight exercises help strengthen your entire body, using just a chair
Over 60? Add these 5 anti-aging exercises to your routine to build muscle mass and increase bone density
Fitness trainer: Do these 5 compound exercises in your 30s, 40s and 50s to slow the impact of aging on muscles and joints
Standing from a seated position, pushing, pulling, or reaching overhead can become more difficult depending on your experience with exercise as you get older. But it’s never too late to get started. You can build or rebuild functional strength and mobility using these five chair exercises that translate to your daily life and beyond.
Here they are.
What are the 5 chair exercises?
Even if you walk often or love running, you need to maintain strength in your arms, legs and core to develop (or retain) functional strength. And I’m not talking about building abs either, I mean strengthening the deeper stabilizing muscles that support your pelvis and spine every day.
Sarcopenia (muscle atrophy) can kick in around 40, so it’s crucial to maintain or build strength to combat the natural changes that occur with age and keep normal activities pain-free.
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These are the movements I would recommend trying first. As you get stronger, you can adapt exercises to challenge you more.
1. Sit to stand
(Image credit: Shutterstock images)
Sit to stand targets your quads, glutes, hips and core using just your bodyweight to stand from a seated position, just like getting off the couch or raising from your restaurant seat.
Sit in a chair with both feet flat, hip-width apart
Place your hands on your lap, hips, or shoulders
Engage your core muscles, then lean slightly forward
Drive through your heels to stand without using your hands for support
Slowly sit down on to the chair with control
Repeat for 8-10 reps and 3-4 sets.
To practice as a beginner, you can use a higher chair or place your hands down for extra support. Try to avoid using any type of momentum and use your core and legs to drive the movement.
2. Single-arm or dual seated banded row
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Pulling power is essential to train the posterior muscles of the body that also support proper posture. Weak traps, rhomboids and rotator cuff muscles (a group of muscles that support the rear deltoids) help prevent slouching and allow you to perform pull-based movements.
Secure a resistance band in front of you using an anchor point at stomach height
Grip the end of the band in one or both hands using any grip you like (overhand, underhand, or neutral) with your arms(s) extended
Row your elbow(s) toward your hip(s), keeping close to the body and squeezing your shoulder blades together
Slowly extend your arm(s) again
Aim for 8-12 reps of 3-4 sets per side.
The thicker the band, the harder this exercise becomes. You could also move further away from the anchor point. The goal is to feel your back muscles squeezing as you row, so try not to compromise on your range of motion just to use a thicker band.
Keep your back tall and shoulders away from your ears. You could progress this exercise by sitting on the ground with your legs extended, challenging your core more and testing hamstring flexibility.
3. Seated overhead press
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
The overhead press strengthens your upper pecs, shoulders and triceps while increasing upper-body power and strength. Think about the muscles you need to place something on a shelf overhead or throw something into the air.
Sit on a chair and wrap one end of a resistance band beneath your feet, placing your feet hip-width apart
Use an underhand grip to hold the other end of the band, shoulder-width apart
Engage your core muscles and keep your back straight against the chair
Press the band overhead, fully extending both arms
Lower with control to shoulder height
Aim for 8-10 reps and 3-4 sets.
For beginners, use a thinner band that will allow you to press more easily, or you could replace the band with a set of dumbbells. Over time, see if you can shift forward on your chair so that your back is unsupported. Avoid arching your lower back or hunching.
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
4. Chair push-ups
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
You can make your push-ups harder or easier using just a chair. Push-ups also increase pushing power and target the same muscle groups as the overhead press but with much more emphasis on the pectoral muscles, rather than the shoulders.
Ensure your chair is secure and can’t move
Place your hands on the edge of the chair and step back into a high plank position, feet hip-width apart
Keep your elbows tracking back toward you and engage your core
Lower your chest toward the floor, bending your elbows
Press the chair away to extend both elbows with power
Aim for 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps.
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
To make this exercise more challenging, ensure you can perform 10 push-ups on the floor first, with and without your knees, then try decline push-ups by placing your feet on the chair, toes tucked under, and your hands on the floor.
5. Seated banded leg marches
Seated Knee Raises – YouTube
Leg marches are great at targeting the quads and hip flexors, also mimicking the action of climbing while remaining low-impact. Place a loop band just above your knees before you start, choosing a band that doesn’t inhibit your range of motion.
The quadriceps support your knee joints and help you climb, step, walk and run, and strong hip flexors help you move properly without injury while supporting your pelvis.
Sit with your back against the chair with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. You can also sit on a bench (as above) for less support
Lift your right knee into the air and drive against the band, as if marching on the spot
Lower your right leg back down, then repeat on the left side
Continue marching for 8-12 reps per leg and 3-4 sets. Remove the band if it’s too much.
Chair exercises can be used to be as supportive or unsupportive as you need, and it doesn’t necessarily make an exercise easier. Of the best functional exercises you can do, pushing up to stand and pushing or pulling your own weight are the first place I would always start.
These moves are direct; they hit the exact muscles and movement patterns we intend them to and translate very well to other types of activities. You’ll also quickly learn where you’re at in terms of basic strength and balance.
Remember to move slowly and with control, using as much range of motion as you can. Your core will be working throughout to stabilize you, and you can progress exercises by adding load or working one side at a time.
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Fitness Editor and Coach
Sam Hopes is a level 3 qualified trainer, a level 2 Reiki practitioner and fitness editor at Tom’s Guide. She is also currently undertaking her Yoga For Athletes training course.
Sam has written for various fitness brands and websites over the years and has experience across brands at Future, such as Live Science, Fit&Well, Coach, and T3.
Having coached at fitness studios like F45 and Virgin Active and personal trained, Sam now primarily teaches outdoor bootcamps, bodyweight, calisthenics and kettlebells.
She also coaches mobility and flexibility classes several times a week and believes that true strength comes from a holistic approach to training your body.
Sam has completed two mixed doubles Hyrox competitions in London and the Netherlands and finished her first doubles attempt in 1:11.
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Over 60? Forget running and swimming — these 5 bodyweight exercises help strengthen your entire body, using just a chair
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