Instructions for a Chair Aerobics Routine

Exercise doesn't get much more convenient than when it is performed from the comfort of your favorite chair. Even when it's not your chair, a seated aerobic workout improves your cardiovascular health, muscular strength and flexibility. These three fitness components are essential to any workout routine and can easily be added into a chair aerobics program.

  1. Crazy for Cardio

    • The cardiovascular portion of your chair workout requires the most time. If your routine is 60 minutes long, plan to spend 30 to 40 minutes performing cardiovascular exercises. For those new to chair exercise, begin with five minutes of cardio and gradually increase the duration. Chair aerobics exercises include marching, knee raises, arm circles, front kicks, heel touches, arm swings and overhead arm pushes. Use a variety of movements from sport-based activities such as swinging a baseball bat and throwing punches to daily activities such as reaching into an overhead cupboard.

    Sitting Strong

    • Your chair aerobics routine also includes a strength-building portion. With or without weights, perform strengthening movements such as arm curls, arm extensions, overhead presses, shoulder shrugs, torso rotations, leg extensions, leg curls, heel raises and toe raises. Include at least one set of eight to 12 repetitions for each exercise. Gradually increase the number of sets to two or three as your strength improves. This portion of the workout lasts between 10 and 15 minutes, depending on the strength of the participants.

    Flexible Benefits

    • After the cardiovascular and strengthening workout, chair stretches help improve range of motion, reduce stress and alleviate muscular soreness. Include stretches for the major muscle groups such as a chest opening, overhead reach for the sides, seated forward fold for the backs of the legs, sideways reach for the shoulders, ankle circles for the lower legs, leg crossovers for the hips and wrist circles for the forearms. Plan for five to 10 minutes of flexibility exercises.

    Time to Try

    • A sample of a chair aerobics routine begins with a five-minute warmup of slow, full-body movements such as marching, leg raises and arm circles. Increase the intensity of your cardiovascular exercises to elevate the heart rate. Keep the elevated pace for a minimum of five minutes and gradually increase the workout time to 30 minutes. Do a three- to five-minute cool-down of slower movements to settle the heart rate. Follow the cardio portion with the strength exercises and then stretch the body for a total-body chair workout.