A 20-Minute Seated Core Workout for Older Adults

As you age, training your core is crucial for building your strength, preserving your balance, and helping to prevent falls. But if you experience mobility limitations or balance issues, or if you’re recovering from injury or surgery, performing core exercises while standing might be a challenge

That’s where these seated core-strengthening exercises come in. You can do this 20-minute workout while sitting in a chair to improve your core strength and stabilization. Check out some tips for getting started, then practice these five sitting core exercises several times each week.

Getting Started With Seated Core Exercises

“Our core is what stabilizes our entire body and connects our upper and lower limbs. Even seated core strength exercises are beneficial,” says Tina Tang, CPT, a personal trainer based in Jersey City, New Jersey, who specializes in healthy aging.

Seated core exercises are an excellent alternative for older adults, people with mobility or balance difficulties, or individuals recovering from injury or surgery. For example, if you’re recovering from a hip replacement surgery, you may not feel comfortable standing for long periods of time just yet.

“While recovering from hip replacement surgery, staying seated during a core workout allows someone to move without putting too much strain on their hip joints,” Tang says. Seated exercises can help strengthen your core muscles and support recovery.

• Choose a stable chair or bench without wheels or arm rests. (You could also use an exercise box, sometimes called a plyometrics box, if you have one available.)
• Make sure the chair is at a height that allows you to sit with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
• Wear loose, comfortable clothing that lets you move freely.
• Keep a bottle of water nearby so you can stay hydrated while you exercise.
• Build up your activity level slowly over time, and take breaks as needed.

Once you’re ready to work out, you can do three sets of 10 repetitions for each of the moves in this sitting core workout. It’s ideal to do this seated core routine at least twice per week, with the overall goal of training your core three times per week, Tang says.

1. Seated March

1. Sit up straight, with your shoulders back. Stack your ribs over your hips and place your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Keep your arms by your sides.
2. Engage your core by inhaling, filling your rib cage with air.
3. As you exhale, use your core to bring your right knee up toward your chest, forming as close to a 90-degree angle with your leg as possible.
4. Slowly lower your right leg down to the ground. That is one rep. Repeat with your left leg.
5. In total, do 10 reps on each side, alternating legs.

2. Seated Chop

1. Sit up straight, with your shoulders back. Stack your ribs over your hips and place your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Extend your arms to touch just above your knees.
2. Keeping your hips square, twist your torso to the right. Keep your arms low and extended, and let them follow the movement of your body toward the right.
3. Bring your hands up and across your body so that your arms travel in a diagonal line past your left shoulder.
4. Then, reverse the motion to bring your hands back down across your body to the right. That is one rep.
5. Do 10 reps in total, then twist to the left and do 10 reps on the opposite side.

If you’d like to ramp up this move with some weight, you can hold a light medicine ball or dumbbell between your hands. Just be sure to keep proper form, and if the weight gets too heavy, set it down.

3. Seated Side Bend

1. Sit up straight, with your shoulders back. Stack your ribs over your hips and place your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Keep your arms at your sides.
2. Keeping your torso straight, bend to your right side, moving from your waist and engaging your core. Lower your body as far as you can comfortably go.
3. Return to the center. That is one rep.
4. Next, bend sideways to the left, then return to the starting position.
5. Do 10 reps on each side in total, continuing to alternate sides.

4. Seated Bicycle

1. Sit up straight, with your shoulders back. Stack your ribs over your hips and place your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Place your hands behind your head.
2. Inhale deeply and engage your core. On an exhale, keeping your knee bent, lift your right foot up and off the ground as high as you can comfortably go. Twist your torso to touch your right knee to your left elbow.
3. Reverse the motion and return your right foot to the ground. That is one rep.
4. On your next exhale, lift your left foot up and off the ground and twist your torso to draw your left knee up to your right elbow.
5. Do 10 reps on each side in total, continuing to alternate sides.

Make sure to keep your back as straight as possible during this move. The goal is to use your core muscles to bring your knee to your elbow, not drop your elbow down to your knee.

5. Seated Russian Twist

1. Sit up straight, with your shoulders back. Stack your ribs over your hips and place your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Extend your arms to touch just above your knees.
2. Lean back slightly until you feel your abs engaged. Your torso should form a 45-degree angle with the chair.
3. On an exhale, twist your torso to the right. Keep your arms low and extended, and let them follow the movement of your body toward the right.
4. Keeping your core engaged, return to the center. That is one rep.
5. Repeat on the other side, and do 10 reps on each side in total.

If you would like to progress this move with some weight, hold a light medicine ball or dumbbell between your hands. If you don’t have that type of workout equipment, you can always use a full water bottle or hefty bag of rice instead.

The Takeaway

• A strong core is important for living independently as an older adult. It can help you perform daily tasks more easily and maintain your posture and balance.
• If you live with mobility or balance challenges, or if you’re recovering from injury or surgery, you can try seated core strengthening exercises instead of traditional standing moves.
• You can perform these five seated core exercises several times per week to strengthen and stabilize your core — just be sure to follow the safe-exercise tips shared earlier to help you work out without injury.