Seated upper-body twist
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.
Turn your upper body to look over each shoulder. It keeps your upper back moving, which you use to check behind you.
- Main focus
- Mobility
- Level
- Starting
- Equipment
- Bodyweight, A sturdy chair
- Load
- Your body weight
- Stability
- Supported by a seat, bench or wall
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
A stable chair without wheels.
How to do it
- Sit tall with your feet flat. Cross your arms and rest your hands on your shoulders.
- Keeping your hips still, turn your upper body to the left, as far as is comfortable.
- Hold, then come back to the middle.
- Turn to the right in the same way.
How much
To start: Hold 3 seconds. 3 turns each side.
As it gets easier: Hold 5 seconds. 5 turns each side.
How it should feel: A mild stretch through your upper back and sides.
Make it easier
- Turn only a little way.
Make it harder
- Hold a few seconds longer.
Safety
- Turn from your upper body. Do not twist your hips or knees.
- Keep your feet flat and the chair steady.
- Move slowly.
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 pain in your back or hip.
- You feel dizzy when you turn.
Other ways to do this movement
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Where this comes from
NHS "Upper-body twist": sit upright, feet flat, cross arms to the shoulders, turn the upper body without moving the hips as far as comfortable, hold 5 seconds, 5 times each side. Steps, counts and support advice follow the NHS page; wording and extra safety notes are Fitafter50's own.
- Sitting exercises, NHS (England) (Last reviewed 18 Jan 2024).
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.