11 Chair Exercises for Seniors

Ankle and Wrist Rolls

Many senior citizens struggle with poor circulation through the extremities, which can contribute to challenges with balance and mobility. KJ Landis, a personal trainer, and wellness workshop facilitator suggests "waking up" the hands and feet through a series of lower-intensity moves before diving into more rigorous exercises. 

1. Sit tall on a sturdy chair, so your back is straight and is not leaning against the chair back. 
2. Flex your fingers, opening and closing your fists several times before making fists and rolling your wrists 10 times in each direction.
3. Perform the same exercises with your feet. First, flex and point each foot independently as you simultaneously curl and straighten your toes.
4. One at a time, roll each ankle to the outside 10 times, then one at a time, roll each ankle to the inside 10 times.

Single-Leg Calf Raises

Calf raises can increase strength and mobility through the lower leg, and can be done sitting down.

1. Sitting tall in a chair with feet planted flat on the floor about hip-distance apart, engage your core and look straight ahead. 
2. Start with the right foot and lift your heel from the ground as high as you can, trying to raise up as high as you can on your toes, engaging the calf as you perform the exercise. Lower the heel back to the floor and repeat to complete a set of 10 repetitions.
3. Repeat the movement with the left leg. 
4. Perform three sets of 10 reps per leg. 

After performing the initial sets, add two more sets of 10 repetitions, this time lifting both heels simultaneously. At the end of the last set, hold the heels lifted from the floor for 20 seconds.

Sit-and-Stands

For older adults who may struggle to stand up from low chairs or from soft couches. Sit-and-stands—a precursor to squats—can help seniors gain or maintain the ability to get in and out of chairs independently, improving leg strength, functional balance, and control, according to Jill McKay, the founder of Narrow Road Fitness.

1. Start seated in a sturdy chair, feet planted on the floor about hip-distance apart.
2. Using as little assistance from hands or arms as possible, engage your core, and tip forward from the hips. 
3. Press your weight through all four corners of your feet and push yourself to stand, extending your knees and hips fully. 
4. Reverse the movement, pressing your hips back and bending your knees to carefully lower yourself to the seated position. 

Seated Hip Marches

For those who need to improve flexibility and mobility through the hips, or who need a modified option for performing cardiovascular exercise, seated hip marches are a good choice. Monica Lam-Feist, an ACE-certified personal trainer and the fitness lead at AlgaeCal, offers the following tips for performing the exercise.

1. Sit tall on a sturdy chair, your feet flat on the floor, hip-distance apart. 
2. Grasp the edges or armrests of the chair with both hands and engage your abdominal muscles to help keep your torso tall. 
3. Lift your right leg with your knee bent as high as you comfortably can, as though doing a high-knee march. 
4. Lower your right foot to the floor with control.
5. Repeat to the opposite side.

Perform at least 20 alternating marches in succession. Take a break, then repeat two to three more times. This exercise can be continued for a more cardiovascular effect, or it can be incorporated into a warm-up to help raise the heart rate and get the blood flowing before performing more strength-focused movements.

Heel Slides

Heel slides are a type of modified hamstring curl designed to help strengthen the large muscles spanning the back of the thigh between the glutes and the knees. Because core engagement is required, the exercise can also develop abdominal strength.

1. Sit tall in a sturdy chair, with knees bent and feet flat on the floor about hip-distance apart. 
2. Extend the right leg and flex the right foot, so the heel remains in contact with the ground, but the toes are pointing up toward the ceiling. 
3. Engage your glutes and hamstrings, using these muscle groups to drag your right heel back toward the chair while it remains in contact with the floor. 
4. Reverse the movement and slide your heel away from you, extending your right knee. Perform 10 to 12 repetitions on one side before switching legs. 
5. Complete two to three sets per leg. 

While this exercise can be done without any special equipment, you may want to use a paper plate or a small towel to make it easier for the heel to slide across the floor.

Seated Shoulder Press

McKay points out that it's important to incorporate strength-training exercises that easily translate to functional daily activities.

In addition to developing strength, this type of overhead lifting movement takes the shoulders through a full range of motion which is helpful for maintaining flexibility through the shoulders. 

Use lightweight dumbbells, water bottles, canned goods, or resistance bands to perform this exercise. If you're using a resistance band, select a long, flat band and secure it in place by sitting on top of the center of the band before grasping each end to perform the exercise. 

1. Sit tall in a sturdy chair, your feet flat on the ground about shoulder-distance apart. 
2. Hold a light dumbbell or the end of a resistance band in each hand at your shoulders, your elbows bent and your palms facing away from you. 
3. Press your arms straight up overhead, extending your elbows. 
4. Carefully lower your hands back to the starting position. 
5. Complete two to three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions.

Seated Torso Twists

According to Caleb Backe, a certified personal trainer at Maple Holistics, the seated torso twist engages the core, particularly the obliques, while also encouraging spinal mobility. 

1. Sit tall, your feet flat on the ground about hip-distance apart. Make sure you don't lean back in the chair.  
2. Place your hands lightly behind your head, your elbows bent and pointing out toward the sides of the room.
3. Keeping your pelvis steady, exhale and twist your torso to the right as far as you comfortably can. 
4. Inhale and return to the center, keeping your hips stable. 
5. Exhale and twist your torso to the left as far as you comfortably can. 
6. Inhale and return to the center. 
7. Continue until you've twisted to each side between six and eight times. Rest, then perform a second set.

Modified Leg Lifts

A chair-based modified leg lift can help you improve core strength. While it's best to use a sturdy chair with armrests for this move, you can also perform the exercise while gripping the edges of the chair beside your hips. 

1. Sit tall in a chair, your core engaged, your feet together and flat on the floor. Roll your shoulders back to maintain perfect posture.
2. Hold the chair's armrests or grip the chair's seat. Keeping your feet and knees together, lift both legs as high as you can (with knees bent) as you exhale. 
3. Hold for 5 seconds, then lower your feet back to the floor. 
4. Perform 10 to 12 repetitions and complete a total of three to five sets.

Modified Planks

Planks develop core stability and strength through the entire front half of the body. However, effectively supporting your full body weight can be too challenging. Fortunately, a simple chair modification can make the move accessible. 

Position the chair in front of a wall so it is stable and won't move as you're performing the plank. You can position the chair so the seat is facing the wall, providing you with access to the back of the chair for support, or you can position the chair so the back is facing the wall, providing you with access to the seat of the chair for support.

Once the chair is secure against the wall, place your hands on the back of the chair (or on the seat, depending on the chair's position) so your hands are shoulder-distance apart. 

1. Engage your core and step your feet backward until your body forms a straight diagonal line from your heels to your head. Your arms should be perfectly straight, your hips should be perfectly aligned between your knees and your shoulders, and you should feel your abdominals working to keep your body steady. 
2. Hold the position for 10 to 60 seconds before returning to standing. 
3. Complete three sets, holding each plank for as long as you can while maintaining good form.

Modified Burpees

"Yes, I have 70-year olds doing burpees!" says McKay, who firmly believes in keeping her clients of all ages challenged. The trick, of course, is making ability-appropriate modifications. Strict burpees may not be accessible to most older adults, but depending on strength and mobility, they may be perfectly safe with modifications. For instance, consider working through a burpee as follows: 

1. Push a sturdy chair against a wall so the back is to the wall and the chair isn't at risk of sliding or moving. 
2. Stand facing the chair, feet roughly shoulder-distance apart. 
3. Press your hips back and bend your knees to enter a half-squat position. 
4. Place both hands firmly on the chair's seat, arms fully extended and palms aligned under the shoulders.
5. Step one foot, then the other, behind you, so your body forms a straight line from heels to head in a modified chair plank position. 
6. Reverse the movement and step each foot forward to their starting position. 
7. Press through your feet and extend your knees and hips as you rise to stand. As you do, lift your arms over your head, clapping your hands together. 

This counts as a single modified chair burpee. Perform as many as you can (aim for six to 10) with perfect form. Complete two to three sets. 

Band Pull-Apart

Many seniors have rounded backs, so it's important to work the posterior chain to keep chest open and back strong. The band pull-apart exercise is helpful for correcting posture.

1. Hold a mini resistance band in front of you with both of your hands
2. Draw your elbows out wide and pull the band.
3. As you pull the band, squeeze your shoulder blades together to engage your lats and rhomboids.
4. Slowly return your arms to the starting position.