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Pilates

Chair Pilates workout

Use a solid chair with a flat, firm seat and backrest and no wheels, with your feet flat and your knees at right angles. If you've had a hip replacement, use the chair your physiotherapist recommends (the NHS advises a chair with arms while you recover) and keep the hip bend below a right angle. Nothing here rounds your back forward under load, so it suits osteoporosis as written. Seated moves build some strength but don't train balance, so the last block is done standing, holding the back of the chair: add it as soon as you can.

20 minBeginner14 movesA bench or box · Something with weight · A wallAbs · Hip flexors · Neck · Back · Shoulders · Quads
Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Sit tall and breathe

  1. Lateral breathing (Pilates breathing)5 to 8 breaths
    Beginner · Abs · 3D demoSit near the front of the seat with your hands on your lower ribs, and breathe into the sides and back of your ribsHarder: Roll-up (Pilates)
  2. Seated march1 to 2 min
    Beginner · Hip flexors, Quads, Abs · 3D demoHold the sides of the seat; keep the lift low after a recent hip replacementHarder: Standing march
  3. Chin tuck5 reps, 3 s hold
    Beginner · Neck · 3D demoSeated (the demo shows it standing)Easier: Lying chin tuckHarder: Isometric neck holds (four-way)

Spine: side bend, twist, hinge and lift

  1. Seated overhead side bend2 to 3 each side, 10 to 20 s holds
    Beginner · Back, Abs · 3D demoReach one arm up and over, keeping both sitting bones on the seatHarder: Cobra pose (Bhujangasana)
  2. Thoracic rotation5 each side, 5 s holds
    Beginner · 3D demoSeated, arms crossed on your chest, hips facing forward (the demo shows it standing)Harder: Reverse lunge with rotation
  3. Table slide (seated forward reach)8 to 10 slow reps
    Beginner · Shoulders, Back · 3D demoHinge forward from your hips with a long back, hands sliding along your thighs or a table: the bone-friendly swap for rounding forwardEasier: Pendulum exercise (Codman's pendulum)Harder: Overhead lat stretch at a bench
  4. Seated upper-back lift (sit tall, shoulders back)5 holds of 3 to 5 s
    Beginner · Back, Shoulders, Neck · 3D demoSit tall, draw your shoulder blades back and lift your breastboneEasier: Elbows backHarder: Prone Y-T-W raises

Legs and arms

  1. Seated knee extension (chair)Up to 10 each leg
    Beginner · Quads · 3D demoUp for a slow count of 3, down for 5Easier: Quad set (static quads)Harder: Leg extension
  2. Chair leg extension and sweep5 each leg
    Beginner · Hamstrings, Calves, Adductors · 3D demoStraighten the leg, sweep it out to the side and back to the middle; after a hip replacement, don't cross the middleHarder: Contract-relax hamstring stretch (PNF)
  3. Breath reach5 breaths
    Beginner · 3D demoSeated: arms rise as you breathe in and lower as you breathe out (the demo shows it standing)

Stand with the chair (when you're ready)

  1. Sit to stand, pushing on the thighs5 to 8 reps
    Beginner · Quads, Glutes, Triceps · 3D demoPush on your thighs, not the chair; when it's easy, stand up without your handsHarder: Bodyweight squat
  2. Standing march1 min
    Beginner · Hip flexors, Abs, Glutes · 3D demoHold the back of the chair and lift each knee as high as is comfortableHarder: Standing band hip flexion
  3. Slow calf raise8 to 10 reps
    Beginner · Calves · 3D demoHolding the back of the chairEasier: Seated bent-knee calf raise (soleus raise)Harder: Standing dumbbell calf raise
  4. Wall side leg lift (standing side kick at the wall)8 each side
    Beginner · Hip abductors, Glutes, Abs · 3D demoHand on the back of the chair or a wall; lift the leg out to the side without leaningHarder: Lateral band walk, band at the feet

Finish

  1. Lateral breathing (Pilates breathing)5 breaths
    Beginner · Abs · 3D demoSeatedHarder: Roll-up (Pilates)

Tips

  • Do it at least twice a week: it counts toward the UK advice for over-65s to do strength, balance and flexibility activities on at least 2 days a week. Walk on other days if you can.
  • Keep breathing through every move, and don't hold your breath while you push. Stop and sit still if you feel dizzy, sick, breathless, clammy or have chest tightness or pain, and call 999 (911 in the US) if chest pain doesn't settle.
  • Seated exercise doesn't train balance. When the standing block feels easy, add the balance exercises routine on other days, and ask your GP about a falls service if you fall repeatedly.
  • If you have osteoporosis, this session already follows the UK consensus: no rounding under load, a hip hinge instead of a roll-down, and back-strengthening holds of 3 to 5 seconds. If you're frail, have had a spinal fracture or fall regularly, start with a trained professional.

The doses are suggested starting points, not a prescription. Choose a range you can control and stop for sharp or increasing pain, numbness or tingling. Get individual advice after an injury or surgery, or if you are pregnant or managing a health condition.

Guides that recommend it

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Questions people ask

How long does the chair pilates workout take?

About 20 minutes, including any warm-up and cool-down listed. Shorten it by doing fewer rounds; lengthen it by adding one.

What equipment do I need?

You need: A bench or box, Something with weight, A wall. Each move links to its guide, where you can find an alternative if you are missing something.

Is it suitable for beginners?

It is written for beginners. 5 of its 14 moves have an easier option listed beside them if you need one.

How do I make it easier or harder?

Use the easier or harder option listed under each move, change the number of rounds, or adjust the rest. Progress one change at a time.