Low Impact Chair Workout
Grab a chair and a couple of tin of beans (or any small tin you have in the cupboard) and complete 3 circuits of this low impact chair workout.
But before you start, make sure you warm up with James. Join in with the warm up video below!
Exercise 1: Seated Stars
- Start with knees bent and arms resting at your sides.
- Extend your legs, straight and wide, with heels on the floor, and raise your arms in a V.
- Then bring your limbs back to the centre and repeat.
Repeat 15 times.
Exercise 2: Pec Fly
- Form a goalpost with your arms: Keep your upper arms (shoulders to elbows) parallel to the floor and your lower arms (elbows to hands) perpendicular to it.
- Bring your forearms together in front of your face.
- Return your arms to the starting point, squeezing your shoulder blades together and repeat.
Repeat 15 times.
Exercise 3: Leg Extensions
- Sit at the edge of the chair, feet on the floor, hands on each side of the chair seat.
- Keep your upper body still while you extend and straighten your right leg, hold for a second before returning to the start position.
- Alternate between each leg.
Repeat 15 times.
Exercise 4: Side Raises
- Sit at the edge of the chair with a weight in each hand, arms at your sides, elbows slightly bent.
- Keeping your shoulders stacked over your hips, avoid leaning forward or backwards.
- Raise your arms outwards and upwards to shoulder height.
- At the top of the range of motion, wrists and elbows should be in line with your shoulders.
- Avoid allowing the wrists to bend up or down. Reverse the movement and repeat.
Repeat 15 times.
Exercise 5: Bent Over Rows
- Move to the front of the chair and grip two tins of beans in each hand.
- With feet flat on the floor, hinge forward at the hips, keeping your upper back flat and dropping your arms to the outside of your legs.
- Keeping your neck in neutral and eyes focused ahead of your feet and brace your abdominal. This is your start position.
- Pull the dumbbells upward, allowing your elbows to rise and point rearwards, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Pause for a second, and then return to the start position.
Repeat 15 times.
Exercise 6: Torso Twists
- Sit with good posture holding a weight in front of torso, elbows slightly bent.
- Keeping the abs contracted, rotate the weight to the right while keeping the hips and legs facing forward.
- Contract abs to bring the weight back to centre and then repeat to the left.
- Go slowly and concentrate on rotating only at the torso.
Repeat 15 times.
Exercise 7: Seated Calf Raises
- Sitting at the edge of the chair with feet flat on the floor and hands resting on the thighs.
- Slowly lift your heels off the floor, contracting your calf muscles. Pause before lowering your heels back to the floor and repeat.
Repeat 15 times.
Exercise 8: Seated Bicycle
- Sit tall (chest high and shoulders down) on the front half of your chair.
- Grasp the sides lightly with your hands and lean back slightly as you tighten your abs and bring your right knee up to chest height.
- Lower it as you raise your left knee(in a cycling motion) on the next rep.
Repeat 15 times.
Don't forget, perform 3 circuits of the upper body programme.
Then it's time to cool down! Join in our short cool down video with James once you have finished your workout.
