While injury or illness might limit your ability to perform weightbearing exercises, seated workouts with elastic resistance bands help you maintain a basic level of leg strength. Even if you do not have an illness or injury, the bands are usable in an office setting wherein time constraints interfere with your ability to get to the gym.
Calf Exercise
Ankle plantar-flexion, which engages your calf muscles, involves pointing your toes toward the floor. To work your plantar flexors, sit upright at the edge of a chair with your legs extended. Wrap the band around the sole of your foot and hold the ends with each hand. Point your toes toward the floor, against the band's resistance. Perform 20 repetitions. Add challenge by using a heavier band or shortening the band by pulling each end closer to your body.
Shin Exercise
Ankle dorsi-flexion targets the tibialis, which supports your shins. Strong tibialis muscles prevent shin splints during high-impact activities. Dorsi-flexion involves curling your toes toward your shins. Sit upright at the edge of a chair and wrap the elastic resistance band around one forefoot. Secure the opposite end to a stable object. Curl your toes toward your shin against the resistance of the band. Perform 20 repetitions, then switch sides. Move the chair farther away from the attachment point to add challenge.
Abductor Band Press
Your outer thigh muscles, called the abductors, move your leg away from the center of your body. The abductor band press targets your outer thighs, along with your external hip rotators, located at the top part of your outer thigh. Place a circular band around your outer thighs, just above your knees. Sit upright on the chair with your knees and feet together. Keep your feet together as you slowly press against the band to open both legs. In the finishing position, the soles of your feet will be together, and each knee will point out to the side.
Leg Extension
The leg extension exercise works your quadriceps or the frontal portion of your thighs. Use an elastic resistance tube for this exercise. Thread one of the tube handles through the other to make a loop and place your right ankle through the loop. Step on the rest of the tubing with your left foot and hold the left handle with your left hand. Begin with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Slowly straighten your right leg against the resistance. Bend your knee to return to the starting position. Perform 15 repetitions on each side.
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