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.
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.
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
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.
How:
- 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
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.
How:
- 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
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.
How:
- 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.
4. Chair push-ups
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.
How:
- 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.
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
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.
How:
- 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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More from Tom's Guide
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