Ten exercises you can do at your desk.
These ten bodyweight exercises will have your blood pumping and your heart racing, and the best part is, all you need is yourself, an office desk, and a chair. Let’s dive right in.
Exercising has various benefits. It helps with blood circulation, reduces stress, improves your mental health and general mood. But, while exercising can be great for sedentary office workers, incorporating exercise into your daily life can be challenging.
Not to worry; these energy-boosting exercises are here to save you from your afternoon slumps, and you can do them right at your desk.
Chair dips
Chair dips or tricep dips are upper-body exercises that target the tricep muscles. You can do the tricep dips with the aid of a chair, bench, or floor. It can also be varied by either bending your knees or extending your legs.
Arm circles
Arm circles are also called arm rolls. It is a bodyweight exercise that targets the upper-body muscles, especially the shoulders, triceps, and biceps. The great part of this exercise is — it can be done anywhere, right on your chair or while standing at your desk. Your arms should be extended sideways parallel to the floor and rolled in small circular motions.
Shoulder raise the roof.
It involves extending both arms to the side and bending from the elbow to form a 90-degree angle parallel to the floor. It is similar to a shoulder press, but this bodyweight exercise does not require any equipment. The slower the motion is, the more the burn you should feel.
Desk planks
This standing desk exercise targets the abs and core muscles. It can be done from an inclined position with your office desk or a wall. Try to hold that position for 30 secs to one minute and repeat it as you like. Your muscles will feel the burn.
Desk/ Wall pushups
The Wall pushup is an easier variation of the pushup exercises, perfect for beginners and office workers. You can either use a wall or your desk for this exercise. These pushups target your upper body and core muscles. You can do a minimum of 15 reps for each set.
Oblique twists
These are bodyweight exercises that target the shoulder and core muscles, particularly the obliques. The oblique twists can be done seated on your office chair, and you can get an extra burn if you decide to hold on to a make-shift weight, i.e., a book.
Seated/ standing marching
You can either march while seated or when standing. It is a great exercise that targets the lower body and the abdominals. If you decide to go for a slow seated march, slowly raise your legs as high as you can and sustain each leg in the air for some time before alternating it.
On the other hand, you can increase the pace of your marching while seated for more of a cardio workout and back it up with some upper body exercises like (Arm circles, shoulder raise the roof or punches). An example of some fast-paced marching while seated.
Leg extensions
These target muscle groups in the lower body, especially the quads.
As with strengthening exercises, the slower the motion, the more burn you will feel. You can decide to take it up and notch by adding a weighted object on your feet but be careful not to overload and cause injuries. You can extend each leg at a time or raise both legs simultaneously.
Flutter Kicks
You have probably come across the futter kicks if you are familiar with swimming. The flutter kicks are similar to the leg extension but involve quicker movements of the extended legs, and both feet are lifted off the ground at all times during motion.
Neck rolls
Neck rolls or shoulder rolls are stretching exercises that can help with pain and stiffness of the neck after being in prolonged uncomfortable positions. You can do this while seated at your desk or standing.