Chair Exercises to Restore Arm Strength After 55 

Strong arms are crucial for performing everyday tasks and hobbies with ease.

If you’re looking to build strong, sculpted arms, you’ll be pleased to know you can accomplish that goal right at home. All you really need is a sturdy chair and a few essential resistance tools in order to get started. After all, as you age, building and maintaining arm strength is crucial for performing everyday tasks and hobbies with ease, from gardening to carrying grocery bags to getting up off the ground. We have you covered with five simple chair exercises that can restore arm strength quicker than traditional weight training after 55.

Whether lifting weights isn’t your thing or you’re unable to do it safely, chair yoga serves as a stellar alternative.

“I’ve got plenty of clients who enjoy chair yoga and chair strengthening because they train based on how things really are rather than what they think they are supposed to be like. This distinction becomes extremely important after age 55,” explains Barbara Smith, RDN, Nutritional Consultant & Certified Fitness Coach at Lasta, who combined her experience in nutrition and physical training to provide a holistic approach to health and wellness. “Sometimes, controlled movements while seated yield more muscular responses than standing exercises with balance compensation taking place behind the scenes and people are often pleasantly surprised by this realization.”

Below, Smith shares five productive chair exercises to add to your arm day routine.

Seated Overhead Press

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 shoulder level, palms facing forward.
3. Press the weights straight overhead without locking out your elbows.
4. Gradually lower the weights back to the start position.

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Chair Pushups

1. Find a stable chair and place your hands on it, shoulder-width apart.
2. Begin by walking your legs back so you’re at a straight incline from your head to your heels.
3. Keep your legs together and rise onto the balls of your feet. Engage your core and keep your gaze forward.
4. Bend your elbows to lower your body until your chest lines up with your elbows.
5. Return back to straight arms.

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Seated Resistance Band Row

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1. Begin seated on the bed with your legs extended.
2. Loop the resistance band around both feet, holding one end in each hand.
3. Sit tall and pull both hands toward your hips, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
4. Slowly return.

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Seated Tricep Dips

1. Begin sitting at the edge of a sturdy chair.
2. Place your hands on the edge of the seat and lift your tailbone off the chair.
3. Walk your feet away until your knees, hips, and torso form 90-degree angles.
4. Activate your core and keep your shoulders relaxed as you bend your elbows and lower your body just below the seat.
5. Press back up until your arms are straight, engaging your triceps as you do so.

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Seated Lateral Raise

1. Begin seated with your feet flat on the floor and a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in.
2. Slowly lift your arms out to the side until they reach shoulder height.
3. Use control to lower.

Alexa Mellardo

Alexa is a freelance writer, editor, and content strategist based in Greenwich, CT. She has 11+ years of experience covering wellness, fitness, food, travel, lifestyle, and home. Read more about Alexa