Gyms wouldn't sell many memberships if they portrayed people doing weight training while seated in conventional chairs, but the truth is there's no reason you can't do exactly that. While you should still warm your muscles up with 5 to 10 minutes of continuous, rhythmic motion before lifting, you can do a number of dumbbell arm exercises right in a chair instead of on a weight bench or gym floor.
Overhead Triceps Extension
The overhead triceps extension works your triceps, the pushing muscles in the back of your upper arms. Doing this exercise from a chair gives you excellent tactile feedback; if you feel your lower back pull away from the chair back, you need to squeeze your abs tighter to keep your back from arching.
To do an overhead triceps extension from your chair, hold one dumbbell in both hands, straight over your head, elbows close together and pointing forward. Keep your elbows stationary, on either side of your head, still pointing forward, as you lower the dumbbell behind your head. Stop when you can no longer keep your elbows still, then return to the starting position.
Hammer Curls
Hammer curls work your biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis, the three major pulling muscles in your arms. A chair without arms is ideal for this exercise, but if you scoot forward far enough you can do it in a chair with arms, too.
Scoot forward to the edge of the seat, holding a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in. Lower the weights, extending your arms until they're straight but not locked. Bend your arms at the elbow, keeping your elbows tucked close against your sides as you curl the weights up toward your shoulders. Stop when you can no longer keep your elbows still, then lower the weights back to the starting position.
Wrist Curls and Extensions
Wrist curls and extensions work your wrist flexors and extensors. Flex your wrists a few times and you'll notice that the muscles moving them are actually located in your forearms.
To do wrist curls and extensions in your chair, hold a small dumbbell in each hand. Lean forward from the hips, supporting your torso with your elbows on your thighs. Your hands should stick out just in front of your knees.
Turn both hands palms up and flex your wrists, curling them up toward you without lifting your forearms off your knees. Complete a full set of wrist curls before turning your hands palm down. Extend your wrists, lifting the backs of your hands up toward your body without lifting your forearms off your knees.
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