Getting back into exercise after 50 can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re dealing with old injuries, joint pain, or simply haven’t worked out in years. High-intensity programs like CrossFit might promise results, but they’re often too demanding and risky for bodies that need a gentler approach. The good news? There’s a simpler, safer way to build strength and mobility without leaving your living room—and all you need is a chair. Read on to discover five powerful chair exercises that deliver real results for regular people over 50.
Why Most Exercise Programs Don’t Work for You
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People over 50 can be reluctant to exercise because of prior injuries, surgeries, and arthritis, because these conditions are more likely to present themselves as we age. Further, if one hasn’t exercised in a while, it can feel even more daunting to begin an exercise program.
Some group exercise classes and methodologies are more high-impact than others. High-impact activities can cause an increase in joint pain either as a direct result of completing a movement or developing compensatory patterns that result in future injuries or movement dysfunction.
Why Chair Exercises Are Perfect for You
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Chair exercises can be great for people who suffer from pain in the feet, ankles, and knees because they are low-impact, but they can provide full body benefits. Just make sure to check-in with your healthcare provider before beginning any new exercise routine, and carefully monitor your form so that you are recruiting the proper muscles to reduce your risk of further injury.
These chair exercises are also great because they can easily be integrated into daily routines and don’t require any equipment aside from the chair. Incorporating these exercises into movement breaks during your day will help you increase your overall activity level, in addition to experiencing the benefits provided by these targeted exercises.
Leg Extensions
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Why it works: This exercise activates the quads and the outside of the leg. It also engages the hip flexors and abdominals.
How to do it:
- Sit up straight in the chair and engage the abdominal muscles
- Lift the leg straight out in front of you to 90 degrees with a flexed foot
- Return to your starting position and repeat with the other leg
Common mistake to avoid: Be sure to sit up straight so that you can actively recruit your upper and lower abdominal muscles.
Marches with Oblique Twist
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Why it works: Marches engage your lower abdominal muscles and your postural muscles. Because we are adding trunk rotation, this exercise will also work your obliques.
How to do it:
- Sit in the chair with a straight back
- Lift your right knee towards your chest
- With the hands touching in front of the heart and elbows raised, rotate your torso to the right
- Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side
Common mistakes to avoid: Be careful to maintain a flat back throughout the exercise. Also avoid gripping in the hip flexors as you lift the leg, trying to use the hamstrings to lift the leg instead, to avoid creating more tightness in the hip flexors.
Side-to-Side Legs
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Why it works: This exercise benefits the upper and lower abdominal muscles, in addition to the obliques. It also works the quads and triceps.
How to do it:
- Scoot yourself to the front of the chair in a seated position
- Place one hand on either side of the seat of the chair, with the fingers pointing toward the front of the chair
- Bend the elbows slightly to engage your triceps
- Pull your knees in towards your chest, then flex your feet, and lower your heels towards the ground to left side of your torso
- Lift both knees back towards your chest and midline, then repeat on the right side
Common mistakes to avoid: Be careful to complete the exercise slowly and with control, focusing on the targeted muscle groups. Also, take care to ensure that your glutes maintain contact with the chair, that you can move the legs from side to side safely in your space, and that you have a solid grip on the chair to reduce the risk of the chair slipping out from underneath you.
Tricep Dips
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Why it works: This exercise strengthens the triceps and upper body.
How to do it:
- From a seated position, walk the feet away from your body into a tabletop position
- Point your fingers forward, gripping the front of the seat of the chair
- Bend the elbows to engage the triceps
- Straighten the arms to return to a tabletop position
Common mistake to avoid: Be careful not to collapse into the shoulders as you lower down, as this could cause pain or injury.
Lat Pull-Downs
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Why it works: This works the abdominal muscles by keeping them engaged, in addition to the lats. It’s also a good exercise to get the spine moving.
How to do it:
- Begin by sitting tall with the feet flat on the floor
- Engage the abdominal muscles and eliminate any curve in the spine
- Raise the arms overhead
- Keeping both shoulders and hands facing forward, side bend the torso to the right as you slide your right hand down towards your hip slowly, engaging the lats
Common mistake to avoid: Be mindful of maintaining the flat back position to ensure that you are not crunching into the spine, as that could cause pain. If your shoulder range of motion does not allow you to raise your arms all the way overhead, you could simply squeeze your shoulder blades together while maintaining a straight back posture as a safer alternative.
How Often Should You Do These Exercises?
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Start with two sets of 10 repetitions of each exercise. Then, progress to three sets of 10. When you feel ready, you could challenge yourself even more by completing two sets of 15 repetitions.
Aim to make the exercises a part of your routine two to three times per week to feel the best results.
What Results Can You Expect?
Expect increased mobility, stamina, and coordination after four weeks. After three months, expect an increase in muscle tone and flexibility as well.
Annie Landry, M.A., NASM-CPT, CES, CNC, BCS, VCS, AFAA-CGFI
Founder, Create Movement Collective Read more about Annie
