Exercises to Get Up From a Chair

The deeper the chair, the more you need strong muscles to stand up gracefully. A sedentary lifestyle -- days spent sitting at a desk, commuter hours sitting in traffic, evenings parked in front of the TV -- or the simple fact of growing older, can make getting up from a chair a challenge. Leg strength is critical for poise and balance in rising, and core muscles can help you to stand up without leveraging your weight on the arms of the chair or leaning forward awkwardly.

  1. Invisible Chair

    • You lift body weight when you rise from a chair, so practice that move for a dynamic exercise to work the same muscles. But get a little support from a stable source as you shape up. Stand with your back against a wall and, keeping your shoulders and hips in contact with the wall, slowly bend your knees to 90 degrees. Hold the pose for a count of 15 and then slowly push back up without losing contact with the wall. Do five to 10 repetitions and, as you get stronger, lengthen the time you hold steady in the bent-knee position.

    Sit, Stand, Repeat

    • Sit down and stand up to strengthen hips and thigh muscles. Stand with your back to a hard chair, feet hip-width apart and back straight but relaxed. Hinge at your hips and sit on the edge of the chair -- your feet remain slightly in front of your knees. Without using your hands or arms -- or moving your feet -- stand up. Repeat the exercise eight times, barely touching the chair as you sit and immediately rise again. Don't bounce; make it a controlled move.

    Yoga Workouts

    • Squats and lunges work powerful leg muscles responsible for propelling you out of a seated position -- and so, do many yoga poses. Sun Salutations are a full-body workout that taxes all muscles, stretches hamstrings and opens tight hip flexors. Warrior pose I, II, and III require strong lunges and balance. The Warrior poses strengthen ankles, calves, hamstrings, quads, hips and spine. Extended Triangle pose strengthens and stretches spine, thighs, knees and ankles, and stretches calves, hamstrings and hips. Yoga poses have been used in research to test improvements in strength and balance in elderly and disabled populations, with positive results, according to "Yoga Journal."

    Chair Pose

    • If you want to get up from a chair with ease, practice Chair pose for core stability and muscle strength. The pose works on your thighs, abs and balance, improving posture and stabilizing your knees and ankles. Begin by standing in Mountain pose with your feet together and spine erect. Open your shoulders and extend both arms upward, palms facing each other, as you bend your knees. Avoid sticking your butt out and descend as far as you can without wobbling. Attempt to mimic the position of sitting in a chair -- without the chair, of course. Press strongly through your heels, breathe several times, and push down into the ground as you rise up with control. It's a lot harder to do than it looks, and it will eventually make getting up from an actual chair much easier.