9 Primarily Seated Lower-Back Exercises for Seniors

Mobility and flexibility change through age, and that’s completely normal. If you’re a senior, you may have witnessed severe back pain, especially in the lower part. Many reasons could lead to lower-back pain outside of aging: a sedentary lifestyle, lack of movement, or incorrect posture while sitting.

Does it mean you have to come to terms with your back pain? Definitely not. You can reduce your backache with these 9 primarily seated lower-back exercises for seniors. Doing them from home on a sturdy chair helps you slot the low-intensity moves into your daily schedule without a problem. 

Keep reading the article to find even more: exercises that older adults should avoid, common back exercise mistakes, and other ways to strengthen your lower back while seated. 

What Are Seated Lower-Back Exercises for Seniors?

If standing workouts seem too much, why not take advantage of seated lower-back exercises for seniors at home? It’s a total win, particularly for older adults. Being joint-friendly, these movements are surprisingly effective in improving posture, easing stiffness, and keeping your spine happy. 

Below are 9 top-notch exercises you can do today on your chair without any additional props: 

1. Seated shoulder rolls
2. Seated cat-cow stretch
3. Seated knee lifts
4. Seated spinal twists
5. Seated arm reach with side bend
6. Seated back extension
7. Seated pelvic tilts
8. Shoulder blade squeeze
9. Sit-and-stand

Seated Shoulder Rolls

How to perform: 

1. Sit tall in a sturdy chair with your feet flat on the floor.
2. Relax your arms at your sides.
3. Slowly lift your shoulders toward your ears.
4. Roll them back in a smooth, circular motion.
5. Repeat 10 times, then switch and roll forward.

Seated Cat-Cow Stretch

How to perform: 

1. Sit tall on your chair with your hands on your thighs. 
2. On an exhale, round your spine and tuck your chin. On an inhale, lift your chest and gently arch your back.
3. Do at least 8 smooth rounds. 

Seated Knee Lifts

How to perform: 

1. Sit with your back straight on the chair. 
2. Gently lift one knee a few inches off the floor, then lower it with control. 
3. Do the same with the other leg. 
4. Do at least 6 lifts per leg. Hold the chair if needed.

Seated Spinal Twists

How to perform: 

1. Sit upright, placing one hand on the opposite thigh. 
2. Slowly twist your torso to one side, keeping your hips facing forward. Hold for a few seconds, then change sides. 
3. Do at least 5 twists on each side. 

Seated Arm Reach with Side Bend

How to perform: 

1. Sit tall on your chair, keeping your hands relaxed at your sides. 
2. Raise one arm overhead and gently lean to the opposite side, keeping both hips grounded. 
3. Switch sides.
4. Try to hold the position for a few seconds while leaning to the opposite side. 

Seated Back Extension

How to perform: 

1. Sit tall on your chair with your hands relaxed. 
2. Breathe steadily. 
3. Place your hands on your lower back or chair, then gently lift your chest and look forward. Avoid leaning too far back.
4. Do at least 8 controlled repetitions. 

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Seated Pelvic Tilts

How to perform: 

1. Sit with your back touching the back of the chair. Place both feet on the floor with your legs about shoulder-width apart.
2. Make sure your upper body is still. 
3. Gently push your lower back into the back of the chair, tucking your tailbone under you. 
4. Hold for a few seconds and release.
5. Repeat the move 8-10 times.

Shoulder Blade Squeeze

How to perform: 

1. Sit tall on your chair, keeping both feet on the floor. 
2. Bend your arms at your elbows, gently pulling them back as you squeeze your shoulder blades together. Keep your arms at your sides. 
3. Hold for a moment and release.
4. Repeat for 8-10 reps.

Sit-and-Stand

How to perform: 

• Sit tall on a sturdy chair with your feet flat and your hands on your thighs.
• Engage your core to slightly lean forward.
• Press through your heels to stand slowly, keeping your back straight.
• Lower yourself back down with control.
• Do 8-10 reps. 

Read more: Chair Stretches for Seniors: A Gentle Way to Improve Flexibility

Do Seated Exercises Work for Seniors?

Absolutely. Seated lower-back exercises for seniors can help older adults in many ways: 

• Boosting strength
• Improving flexibility and mobility
• Helping with balance and coordination (1)

Overall, chair exercises for lower-back pain also help reduce stiffness while keeping your joints supported. When you’re seated, your body is stable, which means you can focus on moving with control rather than worrying about falling on the ground. 

That’s a real confidence boost, motivating you to do a variety of exercises. 

These 9 moves explained above target hips, core, shoulders, and lower back – essential areas for maintaining everyday activities: standing, walking, and reaching. 

Another great win on seated moves is their accessibility. You do them at home, with minimal space and no fancy equipment. Your consistency will play a key role in building a new habit that improves your well-being (along with your back).

Seated exercises truly work if you do them correctly and get even more effective if you turn them into your daily habitual routine. 

Our previous post goes into great detail about the chair exercises for seniors.

How Do I Strengthen My Lower Back While Sitting?

What does strengthening the lower back really mean? It’s about support and protection. Not just sitting core exercises or low-back strengthening moves, but sustaining your back’s overall health. The real power is in your:

• Posture: You need to sit tall, with your feet flat and hips higher than your knees. Your shoulders need to be relaxed and you should also keep your core engaged. 
• Movement: If you’re a sedentary senior or you have a primarily seated job, try to make short walking breaks every 30 minutes. This will prevent stiffness and activate the muscles of your entire body. A recent study highlighted that active breaks while sitting effectively decrease stress and sleepiness (2).
• Core activation: Gently tighten your stomach while sitting, lifting light objects, or reaching for something. By doing this, you’ll train your body to protect your lower back automatically. 
• Exercises: We already discussed the efficacy of sitting workouts. They’re a real treat for your lower back. Virtually every exercise will involve the engagement of your core. It’s important to strengthen this region for both your workouts and real life.

By the way, if you’re interested in more advanced exercises, such as yoga, you can try a chair yoga routine for seniors. It blends simple seated moves to promote your balance, core strength, and posture. Chair yoga offers many perks: better sleep, weight loss, less back and arthritis pain, stable blood sugar, and a reduced risk of heart disease (3).

Remember, seniors are capable of many exercises suitable for their fitness experiences. Even if you’re the most sedentary senior who hasn’t worked out for years, adding daily walking and chair exercises will compensate for your inactive days. 

Read more: Why Is The Chair Yoga Mountain Pose Worth Adding to Your Daily Routine?

What Is the Best Chair Exercise Program for Seniors?

A robust program for seniors would mix seated strength exercises, upper-body movements, and a gentle stretching routine. Feel free to add easy lower-back exercises for seniors to this program too. This time, though, we’re focusing on pain reduction and improving mobility, flexibility, and strength. 

Here’s a typical sample of a 20-minute program.

Equipment: Sturdy chair. 

Warm-Up Routine

• Seated march: Lift your knees alternately, swinging your arms gently. Do this for 1 minute. 
• Shoulder rolls: Roll your shoulders backward and forward. 10 reps each direction.
• Neck stretches: Gently tilt your head side to side, holding 5 seconds per side.

Strength and Core Moves

• Seated leg lifts: Lift one leg at a time, hold for 3 seconds. Perform 8-10 times on each leg. 
• Seated knee extensions: Straighten your legs out and back down. Perform 8-10 times on each leg. 
• Seated arm raises: Lift your arms to shoulder height, then lower slowly. Repeat 10 times.
• Seated glute squeezes: Squeeze your glutes and hold the squeezed position for 3 seconds. Perform 10-12 reps.

Flexibility and Mobility

• Seated side bends: Reach one arm overhead and gently lean to the opposite side. Hold for 4 seconds per side.
• Seated spinal twist: Twist gently to each side, holding 5 seconds on each twist. 
• Forward Fold: Lean forward from your hips to stretch the back and hamstrings. Hold for 8-10 seconds.

Finish with a Soothing Cool Down Routine

Do some stretching using:

• Cat-cows
• Shoulder rolls
• Arm circles
• Deep breathing (inhale through your nose and slowly exhale through your mouth). 

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What Are Common Back Exercise Mistakes Seniors Make?

Even the most trained elderly person can make mistakes during simple lower-back exercises for seniors. 

The first common misstep is arching and rounding the spine too much, which strains your muscles instead of supporting them. 

What to do instead: Sit and stand tall, with your spine neutral. Picture a string that gently pulls the crown of your head upward. Engage your core with every exercise you do.

Another mistake you may be making without noticing it is holding your breath during seated exercises. Always breathe properly, as this keeps your muscles engaged and joints safe. Also, breathing supplies oxygen to your body, which helps you maintain a better level of performance. 

What to do instead: Breathe steadily. Inhale before lifting or stretching and exhale during exertion. 

The third misstep to avoid during back exercises is rushing the movements. If you rush your moves, this reduces control and increases the risk of injury. Moving too quickly prevents proper muscle engagement, which may lead to overuse injuries such as strains and joint stress. 

What to do instead: Move slowly. Stay in mind-muscle connection mode (pay attention to what you do and how your body feels about it), and pause briefly at the peak of the movement. 

Finally, neglecting proper posture and core engagement while seated is also harmful. Your core muscles – abs, obliques, and lower back – are a natural support system for your spine. If they aren’t activated properly, your lower back will do all of the work, which will place unnecessary stress on it, potentially leading to pain or injury over time.  

What to do instead: Stand or sit, slowly drawing your belly button toward your spine, keeping your shoulders relaxed. 

The Bottom Line

This article has covered nine primarily seated lower-back exercises for seniors. Chair moves for the elderly are a real win for their well-being – they promote flexibility, mobility, and reduce stiffness. Such exercises also benefit balance and coordination, which allows elderly people to perform daily activities with ease.

Outside of exercise, you can keep your lower back strong by sitting with correct posture, activating your core, and moving more.