20 Free Chair Exercises to Stay Strong At Any Age

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Yoga therapist & instructor Elaine Oyang shares simple seated exercises that work your whole body without standing

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IN THIS ARTICLE

1 Head Turn

2 Shoulder Rolls

3 Wrist Circles

4 Arm Circles

5 Hip Circles

6 Toe Raises

7 Heel Raises

8 Cat-Cow Chest Opener

9 Spinal Twist

10 Forward Fold

11 Side Stretch

12 Oblique Crunches

13 Knee Lifts

14 Knee Extensions

15 Straight Leg Raises

16 Leg Crunches

17 Overhead to Cactus Arms

18 Shoulder Presses

19 Bicep Curls

20 Lateral Raises

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Co-authored by Elaine Oyang and Samantha Fulton, BA

Last Updated: July 11, 2026 Fact Checked

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If you’re looking for simple but effective exercises you can do from the comfort of your chair, you’re in the right place. We’ve partnered with fitness experts to put together this list of chair exercises to help you improve your strength and mobility. These exercises target different areas of the body and are all beginner-friendly. Keep reading to learn the benefits of each exercise and how to do them—then grab a strong, not-too-soft chair, and get started!

Recommended Chair Exercises For Seniors

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Yoga therapist and instructor Elaine Oyang recommends doing the cat-cow chest opener, spinal twist, forward fold, and side stretch if you need seated exercises. Here are more easy chair exercises and their benefits to get you started:

• Head turns loosen your neck muscles.
• Shoulder rolls relax chest, neck, and shoulder tension.
• Wrist circles improve your joint mobility.
• Arm circles strengthen your shoulders and upper arms.
• Hip circles improve core strength and hip mobility.

Steps

1

Head Turn

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1. 
   This helps loosen up your neck muscles. Sit up straight with your feet hip width apart and your head facing forward. Then, slowly turn your head to one side to look over your shoulder. Return your head to the center and repeat on the other side. Do this 10-15 times.

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Elaine Oyang is a yoga therapist and instructor, wellness advocate, and founder of Elaine Oyang Yoga in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has over 9 years of experience.

   Vanessa Kelly is the Founder and CEO of Function Pilates, based in Arizona. She has over 15 years of experience in Pilates instruction and specializes in postural alignment and movement science.

   Nevrize Aydogan is a professional personal trainer at Seattle Personal Fitness. She has over 15 years of personal training experience and specializes in custom fitness plans and increasing stamina and muscle tone.
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2

Shoulder Rolls

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1. 
   Shoulder rolls relax tension in your chest, neck, and shoulders. Sit up straight with your feet hip width apart and your head facing forward. Lift your shoulders up to your ears and roll them backward and down in one fluid motion. Then repeat in the other direction. Do this 10-15 times.

3

Wrist Circles

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1. 
   Do wrist circles to improve your joint mobility. Sit up straight with your feet hip width apart and your head facing forward. Hold your hands out in front of you in loose fists. Rotate your wrists in one direction 10-15 times. Then, change directions.

   • Variation: Clasp your hands together while rotating your wrists.
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4

Arm Circles

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1. 
   Arm circles can help strengthen your shoulders and upper arms. Sit up straight with your feet hip width apart and your head facing forward. Hold your arms straight out in a T position. Make 10 small, forward circles with your arms. Then, make 10 small, backward circles.

   • Variation: Do larger circles for extra chest and shoulder opening.

5

Hip Circles

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1. 
   This improves core strength and hip mobility. Sit upright at the edge of your seat with your feet planted on the ground. Lift one foot off the ground and move your knee in a smooth circle (forward, out to the side, back, and around). Do 5 in one direction and then 5 the other way. Then, switch legs and do it on the other side.
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6

Toe Raises

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1. 
   Do toe raises to improve your ankle mobility and balance. Sit up straight with your feet hip width apart and your knees at a 90-degree angle. In a slow and controlled motion, lift your toes as far off the ground as you can. Hold for a few seconds and slowly release. Repeat this 10-15 times.

   • If you need extra support, loosely hold on to the edges of your seat.

7

Heel Raises

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1. 
   Heel raises strengthen your calves. Sit at the edge of your seat with your feet hip width apart and your knees at a 90-degree angle. Maintain good posture. In a slow and controlled motion, lift your heels off the ground and hold for a few seconds. Then, slowly lower your heels back down. Repeat this motion 10-15 times.
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8

Cat-Cow Chest Opener

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1. 
   Cat-cow can help with back pain. Come to the front of your seat with your feet planted firmly on the ground. “As you inhale, arch your back a little bit so that you're lifting your ribcage and your chest,” instructs Oyang. “Then, when you exhale, collapse downward and stretch your hands toward your knees with your chin tucked toward your chest.” Repeat this about 10 times.

9

Spinal Twist

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1. 
   Doing a spinal twist relieves bodily tension. Come to the front of your seat with your feet planted firmly on the ground. Keep a straight spine. Inhale and lengthen your spine. “When you exhale, turn to one side and hold onto your table, your desk or the side of your chair to gently twist to one side,” explains Oyang. “Rotate your head to gaze back for about five breaths and then come back to the middle and do the same for the other side.”
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10

Forward Fold

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1. 
   A forward fold stretches your back and hips. Come to the edge of your seat with a straight spine and plant your feet firmly on the ground with your knees slightly separated. Lean forward and place your elbows on your knees. Oyang instructs to progress by “leaning down over your legs and reaching your hands down to touch the floor or have your hands resting on your ankles.”

11

Side Stretch

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1. 
   This opens up the sides of the body. Come to the edge of your seat with a straight spine and plant your feet firmly on the ground. Lean onto your chair with one hand. “With the top arm, stretch over so that you feel the side of your body stretch out,” says Oyang. “Hold for four to five breaths and then switch over to the other side.”

   • If you have armrests on your chair, Oyang suggests holding onto one of them for support.
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12

Oblique Crunches

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1. 
   This exercise is great for working your abs. Sit at the edge of your seat with a straight spine and your feet planted on the ground. Kelly says to have your hands behind your head or out in a T position. “Think of your sit bones being anchored into your chair and dip over like a teapot to one side, keeping your weight in that opposite hip,” master Pilates educator Vanessa Kelly advises. Then, return upright in a slow and controlled motion. Alternate sides 10-15 times.

13

Knee Lifts

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1. 
   This exercise tones your legs. Come to the edge of your seat with straight posture and your feet planted firmly against the ground. Keep your knees at a 90-degree angle. Then, Kelly says to flex your foot and lift your leg (keeping the 90-degree position). Slowly lower your leg back down, maintaining control of your movement. Alternate legs 10-15 times.

   • Variation: Rather than touching your foot back to the ground, hover it when you lower it and then lift it again (like a crunch). If you take this approach, do one leg at a time.
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14

Knee Extensions

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1. 
   This strengthens your quads and improves mobility. Sit at the edge of your seat with a straight spine and your knees at 90-degree angles. Keep one foot planted on the ground as you slowly extend your other knee as far as you can. Hold this position for 5-7 seconds before gently bending and lowering your knee. Repeat 10-15 times per leg.

   • Variation: If you want extra resistance, attach a resistance band to the back leg of your chair and loop it around your ankle when you do your extensions.

15

Straight Leg Raises

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1. 
   Do straight leg raises to strengthen your quads. Come to the edge of your seat with a straight spine and your knees at 90-degree angles. Then, extend one leg straight out. “Pull your toes toward you,” instructs Kelly. “Slowly use your quadriceps and lift your toes up toward the ceiling.” Keep your sit bones planted in your chair and only lift as high as you can without losing your balance. Repeat this 8-10 times per side.
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16

Leg Crunches

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1. 
   Leg crunches can strengthen your core. Sit at the back of your chair with straight posture and your legs out with your heels on the ground. Hold onto the outer edges of your seat for support and balance, leaning back slightly. Then, professional personal trainer Nevrize Aydogan says to lift your knees toward your chest and lower them back down. Repeat this 5-10 times.

17

Overhead to Cactus Arms

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1. 
   This helps shoulder mobility and upper body strength. Sit up straight at the front of your seat with your feet planted firmly on the ground. Lift your arms straight above your head with your shoulders relaxed and your palms open and facing forward. Then, in a slow and controlled motion, lower your arms out to the side at 90-degree angles. Make sure to keep your shoulders back and relaxed while you do this. Visualize your shoulder blades pinching together as you repeat the motion 10-15 times.
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18

Shoulder Presses

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1. 
   This exercise is recommended for arm strength. Come to the edge of your seat with a straight back and your feet planted firmly on the ground. The motion for this exercise is the same as overhead to cactus arms, but you’ll add some weight resistance. You can use small weights, or Aydogan says you can use water bottles. Lift your weights straight over your head with relaxed shoulders, then lower your arms down to 90-degree angles. The weights should be next to your ears. Repeat 5-10 times.

19

Bicep Curls

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1. 
   This is another great seated arm strength exercise. Come to the edge of your seat with a straight back and your feet planted firmly on the ground. Hold your arms straight down by your sides with palms facing forward. Then, with or without weights, lift your forearm up toward your bicep in a slow and controlled motion and lower back down. You can do these one side at a time or on both sides. Repeat 5-10 times.
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20

Lateral Raises

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1. 
   Do lateral raises to strengthen your shoulders. Come to the edge of your seat with a straight back and your feet planted firmly on the ground. Hold your arms straight down by your sides with your palms facing inward toward each other. Then, with or without weights, raise your arms up and out until you reach a T position. Slowly lower your arms back down. Repeat 5-10 times.

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Tips

• Before starting your exercises, it’s best to sit on a strong chair without too much cushion. Sit with your feet on the ground, and your thighs parallel to the floor.
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• As your body gets used to these exercises, you may feel comfortable doing more repetitions or increasing your range of movement. That’s fine, but don’t do too much too quickly, or you may risk injury.
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Warnings

• If you feel unwell or experience shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, or heart palpitations while exercising, stop immediately and contact a medical care professional.
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• If you have a heart condition, a circulatory condition, or another condition that may worsen due to these exercises, speak with your doctor first.
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