5 at-home intense chair exercises(HEALTH +)

No need to spend tons of money on fancy gym memberships or fitness equipment only to realize you don't have enough space at home.


Use simple, at-home equipment such as the humble chair in order to intensify your workout. The underlying basis of any strength training exercise is to create muscle tension and well, to be honest, your body doesn't know the difference if you are lifting one pound of wood or a dumbbell. Here are 5 simple at-home intense chair exercises to add variety to your home workouts.


Seated dumbbell curls: Sit on a bench with the torso upright, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with the arms hanging down by the sides and the palms facing inside. Curl one arm, bending at the elbow and rotate the palm while curling upwards so that it faces the shoulder. Contract the biceps fully and then uncurl and extend the arm back to the starting position. Repeat on the other arm. Variation: This exercise can also be done in a standing position, single arm at a time or both arms together.


Hammer curl. This exercise works the forearms also along with the biceps. Stand or sit holding a dumbbell in each hand with the palms facing inside. Curl the dumbbells up until the thumbs are close to the shoulders on both sides. Pause for a second and slowly return to the starting position.


Single-arm overhead extensions: Sit or stand holding a dumbbell in one hand with the elbow bent behind the head and the lower end of the dumbbell slightly touching the neck. Extend the arm up towards the ceiling till it becomes vertical & lower down to the starting position.


Note: Do not lock out the elbow joint with a jerk as you extend your arm upwards.


Wrist curls: Sit on the knees on a chair with the forearms resting on a bench. Grasp a barbell with an underhand grip and keeping the forearms fixed on the bench, curl the wrist upwards and then slowly uncurl.


Seated knee lifts with chair: Sit on the corner edge of the chair. Make sure your knees are bent and feet lie flat. Hold the corner side of the chair and lean in a backward position slightly. Now slowly make an effort to pull knees towards your chest as you crunch your upper body in an upward direction. The movements of the exercise should be slow and controlled.


Modified pushups: Stand next to a chair or a swiss ball while your palms should be flat on the floor. Now slowly, one at a time put your knees on the top of the chair or swiss ball by making sure that your arms are in a straight direction and your shoulders are towards the floor. Depending upon your strength, without straining yourself, lower your arms as much as you can. Repeat this exercise up to 20 reps.