Using something as simple as a sturdy chair in your workouts can offer a plethora of benefits. Staying seated during certain exercises can help prevent falls and protect your joints. Exercises like sit-to-stands and seated marches help strengthen the muscles you need for everyday actions like carrying groceries, rising from a seated position, and climbing stairs.

So, if you’re over 55, it’s time to make a commitment to chair exercises. We have five of them that can help strengthen your glutes better than squats.

“Chair-based exercises provide stability for the participants while they develop their

confidence to grow in the movement patterns required for each one. They allow

someone to strengthen the hips and legs without requiring the standard balance,

mobility, or depth that a traditional squat may demand, as well as set the tone for

each exercise to progress in the future,” explains D. Elijah Salters, M.S., Memorial Hermann Rockets Sports Medicine Institute.

Sit-to-Stands

“This exercise trains the glutes in a functional movement pattern used in everyday

activities such as getting out of a chair or car,” Salters tells us.

1. Begin seated at the front of a sturdy chair with your feet planted firmly on the ground.
2. Lean forward slightly.
3. Try to stand up without using your knees, hands, or additional support. (If you need assistance, place your hands on the chair or your thighs.)
4. Use control to slowly sit back down.

RELATED: If You Can Do These 4 Squat Variations, Your Lower Body Is Bulletproof

Chair-Supported Hip Hinges

“Holding the chair for balance allows someone to practice loading the hips and glutes while maintaining control, feeling supported while the movement,” Salters notes.

1. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Place your hands on the back of a sturdy chair for support.
3. Press your hips back while maintaining a tall chest.
4. As you hinge forward, feel a solid stretch in your hamstrings.
5. Activate your hamstrings and glutes to drive your hips forward.

RELATED: 5 Standing Exercises That Trim Inner Thighs Better Than Gym Machines After 50

Seated Resistance Band Hip Abductions

“This move strengthens the gluteus medius and other hip stabilizers, which are important for balance, walking, and controlling the knees,” Salters points out.

1. Begin sitting tall in a sturdy chair with your feet flat on the ground, hip-distance apart.
2. Place a resistance band around your thighs, just above your knees.
3. Activate your core.
4. Slowly press your knees out against the resistance.
5. Hold for a moment before returning to the start position with control.

RELATED: 5 Bed Exercises That Restore Thigh Strength Faster Than Gym Machines After 60

Chair-Supported Hip Extensions

“Standing behind a chair and extending one leg backward targets the glutes while providing stability and allowing the exercise to be progressed gradually,” Salters explains.

1. Begin standing behind a sturdy chair, placing your hands on the back for support.
2. Stand tall with your feet hip-distance apart and your core engaged.
3. Shift your body weight onto your left leg.
4. Keeping a soft bend in your right leg, extend it back from the hip.
5. Squeeze your right glute as you lift your leg, making sure to not arch your lower back.
6. Slowly return to the start position.
7. Repeat on the other side.

RELATED: 4 Chair Exercises That Strengthen Legs Faster Than Squats After 55

Single-Leg Sit-to-Stands

“This exercise is a more advanced progression that challenges unilateral glute strength, balance, and functional lower-body control,” Salters tells us.

1. Begin seated at the edge of a sturdy chair.
2. Place one foot flat on the ground in the center, and extend the other leg.
3. Reach your arms ahead of you or cross them in front of your chest for balance. Alternatively, hold onto the chair back for balance.
4. Press through the heel of your planted foot to stand up.
5. Use control to lower.

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