{"id":3149,"date":"2019-08-20T21:53:38","date_gmt":"2019-08-20T21:53:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/blog\/chair-workout-with-home-furniture\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T18:11:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T18:11:16","slug":"chair-workout-with-home-furniture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/blog\/chair-workout-with-home-furniture\/","title":{"rendered":"Full Body Chair Workout for Every Fitness Level"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Looking for another creative way to work out at home? All you need is a chair and 25-minutes to work your entire body. Gold\u2019s Gym fitness expert Erin Gregory designed this at-home chair workout to be approachable and scalable for every fitness level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All that is required is a chair at normal height (measured by ensuring your thighs are parallel to the floor when sitting) and a non-slip surface (a yoga mat or rug under your chair works well).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chair workout circuit #1: Warmup<\/strong>
\nThis warmup<\/a> is designed to wake up your entire body. Erin specifically targets muscle groups that will be worked later and incorporates mountain climber moves to increase your heart rate before you reach the strength section of the chair workout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Repeat this circuit two times:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Woman
\n\u2022 Squat Good Morning<\/strong>
\nStand in front of the chair with your arms in front of you. Keep your back erect and look forward. Squat down until your bottom just touches the chair, and then slowly stand straight.
\nThe goal: Perform five reps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Woman
\n\u2022 IYT<\/strong>
\nSit on the edge of the chair with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Lean forward at a 45-degree angle, keeping your head and neck in a straight line with your back. Slowly lift your arms simultaneously until they are in a straight line with your back.
\nThe goal: Perform five reps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Woman
\n\u2022 Lunge With Chair Balance<\/strong>
\nWith your right hand on the back of the chair, position your right foot a small step in front of you and your left foot a small step behind you. With your left hand on your hip, drop your pelvis while keeping your back erect until your left knee slightly touches the ground.
\nThe goal: Perform five reps on the left and then five on the right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Woman
\n\u2022 Mountain Climbers<\/strong>
\nGrip the sides of the chair toward the front on each side, positioning your body at an angle to the chair. Slowly lift your left knee toward your chest and back, and then do the same thing with your right knee. Left and right together count as one rep.
\nThe goal: Perform 10 reps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chair workout circuit #2: Strength<\/strong>
\n\u201cI started with the split squat because it\u2019s the most challenging,\u201d Erin says. \u201cAnd as you get fatigued, you don\u2019t want to sacrifice form. Putting the most challenging move at the beginning of the circuit gives you the most time for recovery, but you can always do the squat with your back foot on the floor for decreased intensity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This portion of the chair workout alternates between your upper and lower body, including a chair dip exercise, to allow for regional recovery in your body<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Repeat this circuit 3 times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Woman
\n\u2022 Bulgarian Split Squat<\/strong>
\nWith your hands on your hips, stand a short step in front of the chair. Place your left foot behind you on the chair. Keeping your back erect, dip down by dropping your pelvis until your right knee is near a 90-degree angle. Slowly lift your pelvis up.
\nThe goal: Perform 12 reps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Woman
\n\u2022 Push-up<\/strong>
\nGripping the sides of the chair toward the front, position your body at an angle to the chair. Tuck your elbows back. Keeping your body in a straight line, drop your chest toward the chair and then slowly lift back up.
\nThe goal: Perform 8-12 reps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Woman
\n\u2022 Squat Heel Lift<\/strong>
\nPosition yourself behind the back of the chair. Position your feet in a wide stance with your toes pointed slightly outward. Holding on to the back of the chair, drop your pelvis and squat toward the ground and then slowly lift back up.
\nThe goal: Perform 8-12 reps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Woman
\n\u2022 Chair Dip<\/strong>
\nIn front of the chair, face forward but place your weight on your hands behind you by positioning them in the seat of the chair. With your feet in front and your legs straight, slowly dip your body down until your elbows are close to a 90-degree angle. Slowly return, lifting your body back up.
\nThe goal: Perform 8-12 reps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Woman
\n\u2022 Leg Drops<\/strong>
\nLay on your back in front of the chair with your head between the chair legs. Gripping the legs on either side of you, engage your core muscles and keep your feet slightly off the ground. Then, slowly lift your feet up while keeping your legs straight until your feet are above your pelvis and your back starts to come off the ground. Slowly return your feet to just above the ground.
\nThe goal: Perform 8-12 reps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: Stairs are a good alternative for some exercises \u2014 such as push-ups, mountain climbers and some squats \u2014 because they provide more stability to support your body weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chair workout circuit #3: Interval<\/strong>
\nFor this phase, the chair workout moves from integration to isolation. Seated on the chair, you will work the stabilizer muscles and use a Tabata-style approach to increase cardio intensity<\/a>. \u201cPeople really like to feel the burn at the end of the workout and end on a high note,\u201d Erin says. \u201cWith these isolated movements, your muscles are sure to fatigue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Repeat this circuit two times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Woman
\n\u2022 Adductor\/Abductor<\/strong>
\nSitting in the chair, lift your feet until your legs are straight, engaging your legs and core muscles. Keep your back straight. Slowly spread your legs out and then slowly close them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal: Engage muscles for 20 seconds, and then disengage for 10 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Woman
\n\u2022 Leg Circles<\/strong>
\nSitting in the chair, keep your back erect and hold on to the side of the chair. With your right knee at a 90-degree angle, lift your left leg until it is straight. Draw small circles with your foot. First do your left side and then your right.
\nThe goal: Engage muscles for 20 seconds, and then disengage for 10 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Woman
\n\u2022 Lateral Bend<\/strong>
\nSitting in the chair, keep your arms and hands straight at a slight angle from your body. Slowly engage your core muscles and lean to the right. Return to the straight position and then lean to the left.
\nThe goal: Engage muscles for 20 seconds, and then disengage for 10 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Circuit #4: Stretch<\/strong>
\nStretches are arguably the most overlooked part of a workout. Erin created this stretch sequence to release tension in the targeted muscles. \u201cThese stretches are helpful to combat the sedentary lifestyle that most Americans are experiencing,\u201d Erin says. You\u2019ll release your hips, chest and thorax, loosening up your body and enabling recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can repeat this circuit as many times as your schedule allows during the chair workout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Woman
\n\u2022 Chest Stretch<\/strong>
\nWhile seated, hold the sides of the chair and curl your shoulders<\/a> back, looking slightly up.
\nThe goal: Hold the stretch for 15-20 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Woman
\n\u2022 Seated Twist, Left Then Right<\/strong>
\nIn a seated position, put your knees together. Put your right hand on the outside of your left knee and twist your torso to the left, and then turn your head. Hold for a moment and then go to the other side while switching hands and the direction of your head.
\nThe goal: Hold the stretch for 15-20 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Woman<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Seated Hip\/Glute Stretch, Left Then Right<\/strong>
\nIn a seated position, place your left foot on your right knee. With your hands on your crossed leg, slowly lean forward until you feel your muscles stretch. Then switch leg positions.
\nThe goal: Hold the stretch for 15-20 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Woman<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Quad\/Hip Flexor, Left Then Right<\/strong>
\nSit on the edge of the chair with your right foot forward. Place your left foot behind you and hold it with your left hand. Use your right hand for balance and stability. Then switch positions.
\nThe goal: Hold the stretch for 15-20 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Woman
\n\u2022 Neck Stretch, Left Then Right<\/strong>
\nFrom a seated position with your back straight, lean your head toward the right. Use your right hand to slowly stretch your neck to the right while holding your left arm at an angle from your body. Then switch positions.
\nThe goal: Hold stretch for 15-20 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want more Gold\u2019s Gym workouts? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improve Your Range of Motion With These 4 Mobility Movements<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting Cardio? Try This Treadmill Workout for Beginners<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summer Sizzle: Try This Resistance Band Workout<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<p>Looking for another creative way to work out at home? All you need is a chair and 25-minutes to work your entire body. Gold\u2019s Gym fitness expert Erin Gregory designed this at-home chair workout to be approachable and scalable for every fitness level. All that is required is a chair at normal height (measured by […]<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":6251,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_post_subtitle":"All you need is a chair and 25 minutes.","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[129,120,79,85,86,87],"class_list":["post-3149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-workouts","tag-bodyweight","tag-build-muscle","tag-exercise","tag-strength","tag-tips-and-tricks","tag-workout"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3149"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10093,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3149\/revisions\/10093"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}