Tone and define your arms with exercises using just a sturdy chair and a few simple tools.
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Struggling with unwanted arm sag and aiming to firm up those triceps? You’re not alone, and we’re here to guide you. As we age, often beginning as early as our 30s, we naturally experience a decline in muscle mass and collagen. Fortunately, you can counter these effects with targeted changes in your diet, exercise routine, and everyday habits, allowing you to redefine and tone your arms effectively.
We had the opportunity to speak with Josh York, the Founder and CEO of GYMGUYZ—the largest in-home and on-site personal training company in the world. He shared with us four chair exercises designed to strengthen your arm muscles more efficiently than traditional gym machines, especially for those over 65.
So, why should you consider integrating chair workouts into your arm-strengthening routine?
York explains, “A chair challenges your body because it requires you to stabilize yourself, unlike machines that guide your movement through a fixed path. As a result, chair exercises place a greater emphasis on support and movement control. The beauty of chair workouts lies in their simplicity and accessibility, allowing them to be performed in the comfort of your home. When workouts are easy to access, maintaining consistent practice becomes achievable, which is ultimately what transforms your results—not the equipment you use.”
Lateral Raises
“Lifting your arms out to the side directly engages the deltoid, the muscle that plays a significant role in shoulder strength. Doing this as a seated chair exercise lets you ground your feet into the floor and sit tall against the chair, giving you a stable base so all the work stays isolated in the shoulder instead of leaking into the rest of your body,” York tells us.
- Begin seated with your feet flat on the floor and a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in.
- Slowly lift your arms out to the side until they reach shoulder height.
- Hold for a few seconds at the top before lowering.
Seated Bicep Curls
“The bicep is the muscle most people picture when they think ‘toned arms.’ Doing this seated with a dumbbell or band means your core and shoulders have to stay stable while your bicep does the work,” York explains.
- Begin seated on a sturdy chair, holding a dumbbell or water bottle in each hand at your sides with a supinated grip.
- Bend your elbows to curl the weights up toward your shoulders.
- Squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement.
- Use control to lower the weights back to the start position.
Chair Dips
“The back of the arm is one of the most common areas people want to firm up, and this move isolates it directly. Chair dips replace a tricep machine or cable pushdown by using only your own bodyweight for resistance,” York explains.
- Begin sitting at the edge of a sturdy chair.
- Place your hands on the edge of the seat and lift your tailbone off the chair.
- Walk your feet away until your knees, hips, and torso form 90-degree angles.
- Activate your core and keep your shoulders relaxed as you bend your elbows and lower your body just below the seat.
- Press back up until your arms are straight, engaging your triceps as you do so.
Lateral Palm Rotation
“This is a great example of a movement no machine in the gym really replicates. The continuous rotation works the smaller stabilizing muscles around the forearm and elbow, areas that often get overlooked but contribute to an overall toned, defined look through the entire arm,” York notes.
- Begin sitting tall in a sturdy chair with your feet flat on the ground.
- Bend both elbows to roughly 90 degrees, keeping them close to the sides of your body.
- Hold your forearms out in front of you, palms facing up.
- Gradually rotate both forearms so your palms turn down.
- Reverse the motion.
- Continue to alternate.