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Exercise library / Chair Pose

Chair Pose

Suggestions, not prescriptions. Exercises here pass automated checks. They have not been clinically reviewed, and no exercise is right for everyone. Adjust to your comfort and ability.

A standing hold with the hips sunk back and the arms overhead, so the quadriceps and the upper back work isometrically against bodyweight.

Main focus
Strength
Level
Starting
Equipment
Bodyweight, A sturdy chair
Load
Your body weight
Stability
Free: you control the whole movement
Before you start
  • Warm up first with a minute or two of easy walking or marching in place, and cool down the same way after.
  • Wear flat, closed shoes with a good grip, or go barefoot on a non-slip floor if that feels steady to you.
  • Clear the floor around you. Keep a sturdy chair, counter or wall within reach for any move you do standing.
  • Build up slowly. Add repetitions or minutes over weeks, not days. If you take a break, work back up gradually.

Talk with a doctor or physical therapist before you start if you have not been active for some time, if you have a health condition or a worry about exercise, if you have fallen or fear falling, or if a clinician has told you to limit activity. This library is general information, not medical advice.

What you need

No special equipment. A clear space and shoes or bare feet with a good grip.

How to do it

  1. Stand with the feet together or hip-width apart and the weight in the heels.
  2. Bend the knees and send the hips back as if sitting down onto a chair.
  3. Raise the arms overhead beside the ears, keeping the ribs from flaring.
  4. Hold the position for the prescribed time with the chest lifted and the knees tracking over the toes.
  5. Press through the heels to stand back up.

How much

To start: 1 to 2 sets of 8 to 12 slow repetitions, resting 1 to 2 minutes between sets.

As it gets easier: 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 12 repetitions with good form, resting 1 to 3 minutes. Add load or repetitions gradually, no more than about once a week.

How it should feel: The muscles you are working should feel the effort. The last repetitions should be hard but controlled, never shaky or painful.

Make it easier

Use the other ways to do this movement below.

Make it harder

Use the other ways to do this movement below.

Tips

  • Keep enough weight in the heels that you could lift the toes.
  • Take the arms slightly forward if raising them fully makes the lower back arch.
  • Sink lower for more quadriceps work, but only while the heels stay down.

Safety

  • Warm up first, and keep your breathing steady. Breathe out on the effort and in as you ease off. Do not hold your breath.
  • Move with control. Do not lock your joints straight at the end of a movement.
  • Choose a version, load and number of repetitions you can finish with good form. The last few should feel hard but not shaky.
  • Move into any overhead position only as far as your shoulders move comfortably without arching your lower back.
More safety notes
  • Keep your ribs down and your core braced.
  • If you cannot raise your arms overhead without pain, use a lower version.

When to stop

  • Stop and rest if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, sick to your stomach, or unusually short of breath.
  • Stop if you feel sharp, sudden or joint pain. Muscles working hard is expected. Pain is a signal to stop.
  • Stop and sit down if you feel unsteady and cannot settle yourself right away.
  • Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure, fainting, or sudden weakness, numbness or trouble speaking.
  • After any of these, do not repeat the exercise until you have talked with a doctor or physical therapist.
  • You feel pinching or sharp pain at the top of the shoulder.
  • Your arms tingle or go numb.

Other ways to do this movement

Sign in and we will show other ways to do this, with other equipment or at a different level, chosen from your own answers. Sign in

Where this comes from

Steps and tips are from an open exercise dataset named below. Starting amounts, equipment and safety notes are Fitafter50's general guidance. Nothing here is clinically reviewed.

Steps and tips: Exercise data by RepDB (repdb.co). License: RepDB Free Tier License v1.0: personal or commercial use inside applications, visible attribution, no redistribution as a dataset or API. All credits.

    This is general information, not medical advice. It does not diagnose anything or tell you whether an exercise is right for you. Adjust to your comfort and ability.