Sit Down Exercises That Work

There are times when the common exercise routines aren’t an option. Some people deal with balance problems while others may not have the ability to stand in order to do the popular exercise routines that most people adopt for their healthy programs. Others are just too overweight to stand and participate for long periods of time.

That still doesn’t mean they can’t benefit from exercise. There are many sit down exercises that help people who aren’t able to stand up and move. Here are some sit down exercises that work:

Leg extensions - Keep your feet flat on the floor. Raise one leg up until you get it as straight as you can and hold it there for a few seconds. If you can, flex your foot up while you raise the leg. These are good for your thigh and calf muscles. Repeat with the other leg. Do this exercise in a slow and controlled motion. Don’t rush it.

Inner thigh adduction exercise - Place a small object like a drinking water bottle between your inner thighs. Bring your inner thighs in to gently squeeze the bottle. These are good for your inner and outer thigh muscles.

Hip flexion - Sit in a chair with your feet planted firmly on the floor (or on the foot rests of a wheelchair, if you’re wheelchair-bound). Raise one leg up - keeping your knee bent and foot down. Raise the leg up a couple of inches and hold it there for a few seconds. This is good for your hip muscles.

Front raise for arms - Sit as straight as you can in a chair. Hold a drinking water bottle in one hand for a little extra added weight if you choose. With that arm straight out in front of you, raise it up shoulder level. Hold it there a little bit and release. If you choose, you can raise the arm higher as if you were raising your hand in the classroom. Repeat with the other arm.

Bicep curls - You can use the same drinking water bottle and raise your arm out to your side so that it’s shoulder level. Slowly bend your elbow in, bringing the water bottle towards you as if you were doing bicep curls in a gym. Do a few repetitions with that arm and then switch to the other arm.

Ab exercise - Sit on the edge of your chair as straight as you can with your feet firmly planted on the floor. Raise your arms out straight in front of you and slowly lean back toward the back of the chair. When you get as far back as you can, slowly raise yourself back to a normal sitting position. Keep your abdominal muscles pulled in while you do these exercises.

These are just some of the many sit down exercises out there available for you to try. Not everyone will be able to do all of these exercises, so know what your limits are and talk to your physician first to make sure they will be okay for you to do. Just remember that just because you have some limitations placed on you, it doesn’t mean that an exercise program can’t be developed for you.


Warren Tattersall has been a full time nutritional consultant for over a decade and works with people all over the world to help them improve their health, increase their personal energy levels and to use supplements to assist with diet related health issues.

To have a free personal consultation with him to learn how incorporating nutritional supplements may improve your health concerns just visit “The Health Success Site” and download the free health report available there, or Contact Us to request a personal one-on-one consultation by email or phone.