12 Must-Do Chair Exercises for Seniors at Home

TL;DR

Physical therapists Bob and Brad walk seniors through 12 seated exercises that build strength, mobility, and balance without standing up.

Key Points

• 1.Neck & upper body (exercises 1–6): Chin tucks, neck rotations, arm circles, overhead stretch, rowing motion, and a side-to-side "rainbow" trunk stretch — do 5–10 reps each, moving gently and breathing throughout.
• 2.Hands & wrists (exercises 7–8): Wrist flexion/extension and finger open-and-close squeezes to maintain hand function; fingers can be open or closed depending on comfort.
• 3.Hips & legs (exercises 9–11): Seated marching, clamshell hip rotations, and straight-leg kicks (long arc quads) — kicks also dynamically stretch the hamstrings while strengthening the quads.
• 4.Ankles (exercise 11b): Ankle pumps pulling toes up as far as possible; critical for preventing toe-drag falls and reducing ankle swelling — do 10–15 reps every 1–2 hours throughout the day.
• 5.Core & functional strength (exercises 11–12): Double knee tucks (hold 2–3 seconds, grip armrests) target the core; sit-to-stands build functional leg strength — aim for 5–10 reps, 2–3 days per week to start, then daily.