If you have limited mobility, that does not mean that you cannot exercise and experience the health benefits that come with working out. Regular exercise, no matter how little you do, will help relieve your anxiety and stress, boost your mood, keep your blood flowing, and energise you for the rest of the day. Limited mobility can mean different things, whether you have a disability, are recovering from an injury, or are currently overweight. However, in all cases, you can still get in a good seated workout. Of all the workouts that you can do, a core workout is very important for building strength in your core and improving stability and posture. Here are five seated core workouts that are perfect for people with limited mobility:
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The Twist
This exercise is a great move for building strength in your core and back, particularly your obliques. This move is simple to perform and is accessible for anyone, regardless of their fitness level.
- Sitting in a chair, make sure that you keep your back straight and shoulders relaxed. Keeping your elbows at your sides hold your arms in front of you.
- Engage your core and slowly turn your body to the right, keeping your arms steady, as far as you can without hurting yourself. Maintain this position for several seconds before slowly moving back to the starting position.
- Repeat on the left side, remembering to keep your core muscles engaged as much as possible for an intense ab workout! Repeat 10 reps on each side.
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Oblique Floor Touches
This workout is an easy way to target those oblique muscles (the muscles that run up the sides of your waist) that can be hard to get to.
- Seated in your chair, place both arms to your sides. Engage your abs and lean your body to the right, reaching your fingers towards the floor (reach as far as you can without forcing or hurting yourself). Make sure that when you lean, you are using your abdominals and not straining your back.
- Gradually return to an upright position before repeating on the left side. Perform 10 reps on each side.
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Chair Sit Ups
Even in a chair, you can get some crunches in!
- Slide yourself slightly forward in your chair so that there is a small gap between your back and the back of the chair while sitting up straight. Place your hands behind your head, elbows out to the sides, and (while engaging your core) carefully lean back until you touch the back of the chair.
- Then engage your core and crunch your body up to a straight back position. Repeat this move to work your upper abs.
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Arm Flows
This exercise is a dynamic movement that will help to engage the entire core and strengthen the back.
- Move yourself towards the edge of your chair and rest your arms at your side, keeping your shoulders relaxed. Engage your core and arm muscles.
- Stretch your arms slightly behind you and slightly arch your back down into your chair. Then, using your core muscles straighten your back and stretch your arms forward and up above your head. Repeat the full circuit again.
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Crunch Twists
This move is an intense way to target your abdominal muscles while seated.
- Sit slightly forward in your chair so that there is a small space between the back of your chair and your back. Cross your hands across your chest and engage your abs. Twist your torso to the right and, with control, lean back towards the back of your chair and then (keeping your body twisted) crunch up to the starting position.
- Repeat 10 times on each side.
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy
Adapting exercises for people with special needs is something that a personal trainer is great at doing. If this sounds like something that you’d be interested in, then you need to become a personal trainer yourself. Read more about our Personal Training Diploma here.
