A chair may not be your first choice in exercise equipment, but if it's all you have access to, there are ways of making it work. While an elastic resistance band or flexible tubing is useful for making the most of your chair workout, particularly when working your back, you can also do leg exercises without any extra equipment at all.
Squats
This exercise works your entire lower body, except your calves. While the chair isn't absolutely vital for doing squats, it's a useful aid for maintaining good form.
To do squats, sit forward on the edge of the chair. Walk your feet out until they're positioned directly beneath your knees, shoulder-width apart, then use your hands to help you stand up from the chair without shifting your feet. Squat down, thrusting your hips back at the chair as if you were going to sit down again. Stop when your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle, then thrust your hips forward to stand up straight. Repeat.
Chair Lunges
There are two ways of using a chair for lunges. The first is to do traditional lunges beside the chair, using the chair as a balance support when necessary. Your second option is to prop your back foot on the chair while doing lunges, upping your exercise intensity as you work your quads, hamstrings and glutes.
To do chair lunges, also known as single-leg split squats or bench lunges, take a large step forward away from the chair. Place the top of your left foot on the forward edge of the chair's seat. Drop your hips straight down between your feet, left knee pointing down, until both knees are bent at a 90 degree angle. Straighten back up, then repeat, completing a full set with your left foot on the chair before switching to your right.
Rows
The row is a compound movement that primarily works the latissimus dorsi and trapezius muscles in your back, along with your posterior deltoid, biceps and brachialis.
To do a row from a chair, you'll need elastic tubing or resistance bands. Fix the tubing to an anchor at or slightly above your seated belly-button height, or tie the middle of the band in a knot and shut it in a door. Hold one end of the band in each hand and sit in the chair, feet planted on the floor. Extend both arms toward the anchor and adjust your grip until you feel tension on the band. Pull both ends of the band back at belly-button level, keeping your elbows close to your side. Stop when your hands are even with your body, or sooner if you experience shoulder discomfort, then slowly return to the starting position.
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