Shedding that persistent belly fat after the age of 50 can feel like an uphill battle, especially when traditional ab workouts require getting down on the floor. For many, this isn’t just a challenge—it may be unrealistic due to joint discomfort, past surgeries, or a lifestyle that’s become more sedentary over time. Fortunately, you don’t have to resort to floor exercises to achieve a tighter midsection. A simple chair can be your best ally in this endeavor. At Pierce Family Wellness, where I serve as a wellness coach, I’ve guided numerous clients over 50 to reach their fitness aspirations through straightforward chair-based exercises that truly make a difference. Read on to learn about four effective chair exercises that will engage your core without the need to hit the floor.

As we age, particularly after 50, losing belly fat becomes more complex. This is largely due to a natural decline in metabolism and hormonal shifts that make it tougher to build muscle and burn fat. These changes often lead to what many call a “pooch.” While floor workouts can effectively tone abdominal muscles, they aren’t always practical for those over 50, whether due to a sedentary routine, past surgeries, or joint wear and tear. If you find yourself in this category, there’s no need to fret.

Why Your Belly Fat Is Harder to Lose Now

Losing belly fat after 50 becomes increasingly challenging due to a general slowing of our metabolism. We also have a decrease in many of our hormones, making it harder to add muscle and burn fat. This combination often ends up giving us a dreaded pooch. While floor exercises can be a great way to strengthen and tone the abdominals, getting up and down off the floor is not always convenient or doable for 50-year-olds. This can be due to a sedentary lifestyle, previous surgeries, or a general wearing down of the joints. If this sounds like you, no need to worry.

Why Chair Exercises Work for You

Chair exercises are a good choice for people over 50 who want to reduce their stomach pooch for the following reasons:

• First and foremost, chairs are easily accessible, and almost everyone has a chair
• Chairs can provide stability for numerous exercises without having to purchase any equipment
• Chairs can be a functional piece of exercise equipment due to the fact that most of us get up and down out of the chair many times each day
• There are a lot of exercises that can be done with a chair; your imagination is the only limitation.

Chair Toe Taps

Chair toe taps work because they help us elevate our heart rate and burn calories. This exercise also mimics the movement of human gait, meaning it can help you walk smoothly and more efficiently. Lastly, because you have to lift your leg up high enough to touch the chair, this becomes a great balance and rhythmic activity.

How to do it:

• Stand in front of your chair
• Lift one leg up and tap it on the seat of the chair
• Set that leg down and repeat the motion with the opposite leg
• Once you’re comfortable with that repeating motion, start to swing your arms in rhythm with the legs
• If you find that you can’t lift your leg high enough to touch the top of the chair, no worries, just reach up as high as you can, and touch the front of the chair with your foot

Avoid these mistakes:

• Don’t use an unstable chair
• Don’t try to move too quickly
• Don’t stop before you elevate your heart rate

Generally, we would like to go anywhere between one and five minutes of constant movement.

Single Leg Chair Squats

 

The single-leg chair squat is a great way to build strength and muscle mass unilaterally. With many exercises, both legs are working at the same time, and your stronger leg can compensate for the weaker side. With the chair squat, each leg is required to do its own work. This exercise is also great for balance.

How to do it:

• Sit on the edge of your chair with both feet flat on the floor
• Lift one leg off the ground and allow it to hover
• Gently shift your weight forward and stand up
• Try to repeat on the same leg for 10 to 12 repetitions before switching sides
• If this is too challenging, feel free to put your hands on a table to help lift yourself and stabilize yourself while you build strength

Avoid these mistakes:

• Don’t skip balance assistance if you need it
• Don’t use a chair that’s too low
• Don’t work through hip pain—if it’s painful in the joints, you should not perform the exercise as it’s prescribed

Chair Side Plank

 

The chair side plank is a great way to build strength in the oblique muscles. As we build more strength and tone in these muscles, it can help reduce the appearance of the pooch. This exercise also teaches us to keep our pelvis tucked, which can reduce the visual appearance of the pooch. The side plank also builds a fair amount of strength in the shoulder and arm muscle muscles in general.

How to do it:

• Start by putting your forearm on the seat of the chair
• Begin the progression of straightening the legs
• Level 1: Keep your front leg bent to make sure that you have enough strength in your arm and your obliques
• Level 2: If that’s easy for you then completely straighten both legs, but keep them wide apart
• Level 3: If that’s easy, you’ll stack the legs on top of each other
• Level 4: If you can do that, you’ll lift your top arm toward the ceiling
• Level 5: If all of that is easy for you, you can also lift the top leg off the bottom leg so that you’re supporting yourself only on the bottom leg and the forearm that’s on the chair

Generally, we’d like to be able to hold each side for 60 seconds doing up to three sets per side.

Avoid these mistakes:

• Don’t try to advance the exercise too quickly
• Don’t allow your hips to sag to the floor—they should be pushing up towards the ceiling
• Don’t allow your pelvis to rotate—the pelvis should face straight ahead
• If this exercise irritates your shoulder you can try it with a straight arm. That would mean, putting your hand on the seat of the chair as opposed to your forearm

Chair Burpee

 

The chair Burpee is another great way to get the heart rate up and burn calories. It builds upper and lower body strength as well as cardiovascular endurance. Using a chair makes it accessible to everyone.

How to do it:

• Start with both of your hands on the seat of the chair and your legs directly underneath you—your body should almost be in an L position
• Jump your legs back and apart slightly wider than hip width
• Jump your legs back underneath you
• Stand up and reach your arms to the ceiling
• Drop your arms back on the chair and repeat the cycle

We’re looking to go anywhere from one to four minutes of continuous chair Burpee’s.

Avoid these mistakes:

• Don’t jump your legs back far enough or wide enough
• Don’t let your pelvis and belly sag towards the floor
• Don’t forget to stand up straight and tall

What Results You Can Expect

These exercises can be done as a daily routine. You can pick one exercise and do multiple sets or you could do them as a circuit. You can make the sessions last anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes. Of course, 30 minutes daily, will get you your best results.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

In the first one to four weeks, you can expect neurological changes and cardiovascular improvements. This means the exercises should get easier. The next 4 to 8 weeks you can expect to have built some muscle and a dramatic improvement and strength. Weeks nine through 12 should ensure a strengthening of the tendons and ligaments.