5 Exercises You Can Do at Your Desk

Sitting at a desk for hours on end can take its toll on your body, leading to fatigue and stiffness. There are exercises you can do at your desk to stay active and energized. From simple stretches to core exercises, these desk-friendly workouts can help you stay healthy and productive without having to leave your workstation.

Bodyweight Exercises

Squats, leg lifts, desk push-ups, and desk dips are all great ways to engage your muscles without leaving your seat. To do a squat, start by standing with feet hip-width apart. Then bend your knees and lower your hips as if you were sitting down in a chair. Push down through your heels and stand back up. Leg lifts are great for targeting the core and inner thighs. Sit up straight in your chair and place both hands on the seat of the chair to support yourself. Lift one of your legs towards the ceiling, keeping it slightly bent and squeezing your abdominal muscles as you do so. Make sure to switch sides after a few repetitions.

Desk push-ups develop upper body strength, while desk dips target the tricep muscles. To do a desk push-up, stand facing your desk with feet hip-width apart and place your hands on the edge of the desk. Bend your elbows as you lean into it. Push back until your arms are fully extended before returning to the starting position. To do desk dips, place both hands on the edge of your desk with legs straight out in front of you. Lower down toward the floor until your shoulders reach just above the level of the desk before pressing up to starting position.

Isometric Exercises

Abdominal squeezes, chair yoga poses, and wrist and forearm stretches are all simple isometric exercises that can be done from your seat. To do an abdominal squeeze, sit upright in your chair and suck in your stomach towards your spine. Remember to keep breathing while you do this exercise.

Stretches

Chair yoga poses such as Half Chair Pose or Seated Tree Pose can activate different muscle groups and are easy to learn. To stretch out your wrists and forearms, clench your fists with palms facing each other, then rotate them inward until your thumbs face outward before reversing the rotations.

Desk-friendly Cardio

Doing cardio at your desk may sound impossible, but it’s quite easy. Jogging in place is an effective way to get your blood pumping without straying too far from your workspace.

Heel raises also increase your heart rate while strengthening your calves. Stand next to your chair and lift onto your toes as far as comfortable before slowly lowering your heels down to starting position. Ankle circles are for stretching out your ankles after being seated all day. Sit up tall in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Slowly rotate your ankle one way and then the other.

Equipment-assisted Exercises

If you’re looking for something more challenging, there are some options for incorporating equipment into exercises at the desk as well.

Related: Cubii Under-Desk Elliptical

Getting an under-desk bike for pedaling is great for lower-body strength training. Resistance bands are also handy pieces of equipment that can be used while seated or standing to target different muscle groups. Experiment with various band sizes according to desired resistance level to increase the intensity when doing arm curls or glute bridges right at your desk.