Exercise While Sitting for Your Home Cardio Workout

Benefits of Chair Exercises

Chair cardio is a perfect exercise regimen for seniors. You can do it anywhere, it burns calories, and it’s great for heart health. Plus, because chair cardio is low impact, it is easier on your joints than many other high-intensity workouts.

Chair cardio is exactly what it sounds like: an exercise routine done while seated in a chair. Cardio is a critical part of a regular physical activity routine for people of all ages. It becomes extra important as you age, because your risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions increases as you get older. A chair workout gets your large muscle groups moving, which promotes heart health and fat loss. It can also help you maintain muscle and bone strength, preventing falls and fractures.

The best part about a chair cardio routine is that it doesn’t require any special equipment. If you have dumbbells, you can use them. If not, grab a couple of soup cans or water bottles to add a bit of weight. This chair workout combines the high intensity interval training (HIIT) with low impact moves to create the perfect at home workout!

High Intensity Interval Training Chair Cardio Workout for Fat Loss

If you’ve never tried a high intensity interval training (HIIT) workout, you’ve been missing out. A HIIT workout is designed to boost your heart rate for short intervals of time, followed by a brief rest period. HIIT workouts have been shown to burn calories and stimulate fat loss at a higher rate than regular cardio. 

Don’t be scared off by “high intensity.” This chair cardio routine pairs low impact chair exercises into an accessible, yet challenging HIIT workout. It’s designed as a pyramid style workout. That means that the intensity gradually increases to a high point (the peak of the pyramid) before gradually decreasing again. Don’t worry – we’ve designed this chair cardio workout to be accessible to all age and ability levels. Let’s get started.

Low Impact, HIIT Chair Cardio Workout

Warm Up

When starting with a chair workout, check in with your form. Keep your feet planted on the ground and your glutes pressed firmly into the seat. Sit up tall, engaging your abs.

March

Start by marching in place, pumping your arms back and forth. 

Hib Abduction

After 30 seconds, do some hip abduction. From a neutral seated posture, lift both legs and move them outward to adopt a wide stance with feet wider than your hips. Then move them back into place, going back and forth for 30 seconds. 

Arm Circles

Next, do some arm circles. Stretch your arms out to the side, and start making circles in the air with your hands. Go one way, then the other.

Side Reaches

Finally, it’s time for side reaches. Begin by leaning to your left side, stretching your right arm over your head as you move your right leg out to your right side. You should feel a stretch through your lateral (side) abdominal muscles. Then, switch sides and repeat for 30 seconds.

Chair Cardio Exercises

Windmill Toe Tap

The first exercise in this HIIT chair cardio routine is the windmill toe tap. Keep your feet on the ground, planted slightly wider than your shoulders. Reach your arms out to your side. Then, reach your left hand down to tap your right toe. Return to an upright position with arms outstretched, and repeat on the other side. Continue alternating from left to right, tapping your toes. If this is too intense for you, you can begin by tapping your knees or shins instead. The important thing is to get your heart pumping faster, as this will help you burn calories.

Half Jacks

The half jack is a chair workout version of the jumping jack. While staying seated in your chair, make a jumping jack motion with your arms overhead as you stretch your right leg out to your side. Then, switch legs, doing the jumping jack with your left leg outstretched. Repeat the half jack movement as quickly as is comfortable for you. Focus on keeping your core engaged as you move your arms and legs.

Seated Row

The seated row is a chair exercise that works your upper body and core. Pretend you are rowing a boat, leaning forward to extend both hands in front of you. Then “row” backward, pulling pretend oars through the water as you return to a neutral seated position. Be careful not to hunch your back or rely too heavily on your back muscles as you row. Instead, the motion should come from your abs and core muscles. Start slowly to get the hang of your form before increasing in intensity.

Pyramid Stacking

Now you know all three exercises that will form the pyramid portion of this chair cardio workout. Follow the following sequence of intervals to get the full fat loss benefits of this workout:

Set One

Windmill toe tap – 30 seconds

Half jacks – 30 seconds

Seated row – 30 seconds

Rest or march in place – 30 seconds

Set Two

Windmill toe tap – 45 seconds

Half jacks – 45 seconds

Seated row – 45 seconds

Rest or march in place – 30 seconds

Set Three

Windmill toe tap – 1 minute

Half jacks – 1 minute

Seated row – 1 minute

Rest or march in place – 30 seconds

Set Four

Windmill toe tap – 45 seconds

Half jacks – 45 seconds

Seated row – 45 seconds

Rest or march in place – 30 seconds

Set Five

Windmill toe tap – 30 seconds

Half jacks – 30 seconds

Seated row – 30 seconds

Rest or march in place – 30 seconds

Cool Down

As you let your heart rate decrease, it’s time to stretch your muscles during the cool down period.

Shoulder Stretch

Begin by stretching your arms, crossing your left arm across your right shoulder. Hold with your right hand for 15 seconds, then switch sides.

Side Twist

Next, do a side twist chair stretch. While seated tall, pull both hands to the left side of your body, twisting your torso to stretch. Hold for 15 seconds and switch sides.

Figure Four Stretch

Finally, let’s end this chair cardio workout with a figure four stretch. Lift your right foot and cross it onto your left knee. Lean your torso forward until you feel a stretch through your right thigh. Hold for 15 seconds before switching sides.

Get the Mighty Health App for More Great Chair Cardio Workouts

Mighty Health is the best source for fitness, diet, and wellness content made especially for older adults. When you sign up for Mighty Health, you get paired with a personal wellness coach who can tailor an exercise plan to your needs. That means more low impact chair cardio workouts like this one, plus more content to help you burn calories and improve your heart health. Download the app today to get started!

Aurora Harklute

Aurora Harklute has more than 10 years of experience writing health and science content for online publishers. She has a bachelor's degree in human physiology and a master's degree in cognitive psychology. She specializes in writing high-quality content about neuroscience, brain aging, and healthy living.

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Aerobic Exercises for Building Balance and Mobility At Home

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Standing Ab Toning Circuit Workout for Weight Loss