Forget sit-ups! These 3 seated core exercises challenge your abs and are perfect for seniors and beginners

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Seated core exercises are fantastic for people who struggle to get down on the floor, making traditional exercises like sit-ups and crunches difficult. By using a chair, you’re removing a lot of the forward flexion and strain on the neck that can occur during sit-ups, making seated exercises kinder on your body, especially if you’re a complete beginner, senior, or recovering from an injury.

If you’re looking for a good place to start, the workout below is simple but effective. You’ll work your core in just three different exercises. All you’ll need is a chair, and if you have one, a dumbbell (check out the best adjustable dumbbells for working out at home here). If you don’t have a dumbbell, you could use a water bottle or a heavy book.

While this workout is suitable for most people, if you’re pregnant or postpartum, or you’re recovering from a specific injury, it’s a good idea to seek advice from a qualified professional.

What is the workout?

The workout is developed by personal trainer Justin Agustin, who focuses on developing workouts for beginners. These exercises are suitable for beginners and seniors. You’ll work on your balance and core stability throughout. As always, move with good form, and focus on engaging your abdominal muscles, thinking about sucking your belly button into your spine.

You can watch Agustin demonstrate all three exercises here, but here are the moves and the reps you’ll follow:

Hold and tap: 20 counts
Wood chop: 10-15 reps per side
Sit-stand stability: 10 reps per side

Complete 2-3 rounds of the circuit

3 Amazing Chair Core Exercises for Beginners - YouTube

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What are the benefits?

This workout targets all of the muscles in your midsection, including your deep core muscles, which work to stabilize your torso and protect your lower back from injury. Far from being an easy alternative, the chair forces your core to work even harder than you would do lying on an exercise mat, as you’re working against gravity to stay upright as you move through these exercises.

The exercises above are also a fantastic way to build functional fitness — by this, we mean the fitness you need to perform everyday activities. The wood chop mimics reaching something heavy down from a shelf, whereas the sit-stand exercise is one you’ll do several times a day when rising from a chair. By practicing these exercises, you’re strengthening muscles and minimizing your risk of injury.

Finally, these dynamic exercises have a cardiovascular benefit too, as they’ll raise your heart rate and improve your blood flow and circulation. Plus, your upper and lower body will get a gentle workout too, as you work on your core strength and stability.

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Jane McGuire is Tom's Guide's Fitness editor, which means she looks after everything fitness related - from running gear to yoga mats. An avid runner, Jane has tested and reviewed fitness products for the past five years, so knows what to look for when finding a good running watch or a pair of shorts with pockets big enough for your smartphone. When she's not pounding the pavements, you'll find Jane striding round the Surrey Hills, taking far too many photos of her puppy.

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