Top 5 Seated Exercises to Effectively Strengthen Arm Muscles Beyond Age 60

For those frequently hitting the gym, weight machines are often a staple in their workout regimen. Although these machines are excellent for muscle building and toning, they may fall short in engaging your arms as effectively as free weights do. To address this, we’ve consulted with fitness experts to bring you a selection of five seated exercises that can enhance arm muscle development more effectively than standard gym machines, particularly for those over 60.

“Machines essentially do a lot of the ‘thinking’ for you,” says Jill Brown, a seasoned personal trainer at Jill Brown Fitness & Coaching. “When using free weights, you are responsible for creating the movement path and stabilizing your body. In contrast, machines have a fixed path you follow. Interestingly, performing arm exercises while seated—or even kneeling—can feel more challenging than doing them while standing.”

Keeping your upper body muscles strong is crucial for maintaining good posture. As people age, the natural decline in muscle mass can lead to a deterioration in posture.

“Machines do so much of the ‘thinking’ for you,” explains Jill Brown, personal trainer with Jill Brown Fitness & Coaching. “When using free weights, you need to create the path of motion, and stabilize the body, whereas on a machine, the path is preset.  And, counterintuitively, if you’re doing arm exercises seated (or kneeling on the floor), the work actually feels heavier than when performed standing.”

The muscles in your upper body help preserve solid posture. As you age and naturally lose lean muscle, posture typically declines.

“Keeping the core muscles strong is a big factor, but so is keeping the upper back, chest, and shoulder muscles,” Brown explains.

According to Adam Ayash, a Functional Movement Specialist at The Trillium, a luxury retirement community in Tysons, Virginia, most individuals work their legs—or are on their feet—all day long, which causes the upper-body muscles to decline at a quicker rate.

“Females, especially, tend to lose upper-body muscle mass more quickly,” Ayash adds.

Below, experts break down the best seated exercises to build arm muscle.

Shoulder Press (Scaption Position)

1. Begin sitting tall on a sturdy chair with your feet flat on the floor and your core engaged.
2. Hold a pair of lightweight dumbbells at 45-degree angles from your body, not all the way out to the side.
3. Start with your elbows lower than chest height.
4. Press the weights straight overhead without locking out your elbows.
5. Gradually lower the weights back to the start position.
6. Complete 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.

Tricep Overhead Extension

1. Begin seated, holding a dumbbell in each hand straight overhead, palms facing inward.
2. Keep your elbows close to your ears as you slowly lower the dumbbells toward the back of your head, feeling the stretch in your triceps.
3. Use control to press the weight back overhead.
4. Perform 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.

Bicep Curls

1. Begin seated on a sturdy chair, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides with a supinated grip.
2. Keep your elbows pinned to your hips as you curl the weights up toward your shoulders.
3. Squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement.
4. Use control to lower the weights back to the start position.
5. Perform 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

Overhead Reaches With Band

“For older populations, overhead mobility is one of the first areas to decline and is one of the most important to maintain,” Ayash explains.

1. Begin sitting on a resistance band, looping each end around the palms of your hand.
2. Extend your arms straight out ahead of you.
3. Then, lift your arms overhead, keeping your hands over your shoulders and your shoulders down from your ears.
4. Lengthen through the spine as you hold this position.
5. Use control as you lower the band back to chest level.
6. Perform 3 sets of 8 to 12 controlled reps.

Seated Front Raise

1. Begin seated, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your sides.
2. Keeping your arms straight, slowly lift the dumbbells until they’re shoulder level.
3. Hold for a moment before slowly lowering the weights to the start position.
4. Perform 3 sets of 8 to 12 controlled reps.