You've probably heard that sitting is the new smoking, and to a certain extent, it's true. If you find yourself sitting down for 3-4 hours every day, it's not going to do wonders for your health.
According to research published in the Journal of Lifestyle Medicine office workers who sit for long periods can end up feeling more tired during the day, feel less satisfied in their job, experience higher blood pressure, and physical discomfort or pain in areas like the shoulders, lower back, thighs, and knees. Prolonged sitting can even lead to things like dead butt syndrome, where your glutes forget their role and stop supporting your back and pelvis.
But how do you get around this if your 9-5 is a job that requires you to sit behind a screen all day? Here's where the following nine exercises come in. Taking short screen breaks to do some of these exercises, or head out for a walk can do wonders for your health. Read on to find out more.
It's also worth taking a look at your office setup. Investing in one of the best office chairs can help you sit with good posture and proper back support. If you have the room, adding one of the best standing desks or the best under-desk treadmills can also help you move more.
The best exercises to do if you sit down all-day
As well as simply standing more during the day, exercises that focus on strengthening the posterior (or back) part of your body should be key in your workout routine. Your back, your glutes, and your hamstrings are all at risk of weakening or tightening if you spend too much time sitting down. You should also look at exercises that will stretch the anterior muscles along the front of your body — we’re talking about your hip flexors and your pelvis — as this can help counteract the tightness and help with your posture.
Here are the exercises to try:
1. Dead bugs
A dead bug works on stabilizing your core muscles, as well as your spine and back muscles - all important for good posture. Perform 20 of these, 10 reps on each side.
How to do a dead bug:
- Start by lying on your back, keeping your lower back pressed into the mat — think about sucking your belly button into your spine.
- Raise your arms straight above you, and your knees into a tabletop position.
- Slowly lower your right arm to a couple of inches off the floor behind your head, as you do so, stretch your left leg away from your body and lower that to just above the floor.
- Pause, then return to your starting position and repeat on the opposite side. Keep alternating sides, and aim for three sets of 10 reps on each side.
Inspired? Read what happened when our fitness editor did 100 dead bugs a day for a week.
2. Plank
Although you might dread the plank section of your workout, they are a good way of working your core as well as your upper and lower body. A strong core has been shown to reduce lower back pain, which is often associated with prolonged sitting. Start by attempting to hold a plank position for 30 seconds, and gradually increase this to longer intervals as you get stronger.
How to do a plank:
- Start in a press-up position, with your arms slightly wider than your shoulders and your body weight resting on your hands flat against the floor, or your forearms, depending on which variation you opt for.
- Think about creating a straight line from your heels to the crown of your head, engaging your core.
- Hold here for 30 seconds, and build up to holding for one minute.
3. Glute bridge
The glutes are the biggest muscle in the body, and spending a prolonged period just sitting on them means they’re not being activated or worked at all. This, in turn, can make your hip flexor muscles tighter, causing compression in the lower back, which can lead to back pain.
To fire up your glutes, try practicing glute bridges. Aim to do 10-15 repetitions.
How to do a glute bridge:
- To do a glute bridge with correct form, you’ll need to start by lying on your back on an exercise mat, with your feet pressed into the floor about hip-width apart.
- Engage your core (think about sucking your belly button into your spine) and squeeze your glutes together as you raise your hips and pelvis to the sky.
- Squeeze your glutes at the top, before slowly lowering your hips back to their starting position. That’s one rep.
- To make bodyweight glute bridges harder, raise your arms up to the sky.
If you want to increase the intensity, try holding one of the best adjustable dumbbells on your hips as you lift and lower, or loop one of the best resistance bands above your knees. Inspired? Read what happened when this fitness editor did 50 glute bridges a day for a week.
4. Single-leg glute bridge
Once you've mastered the glute bridge above, try single-leg glute bridges, which really work into the gluteus maximus, which is the largest muscle in the glutes. Your hamstrings and core will also get a workout here too. Remember if you've spent a long time sitting on your glutes, they are likely to be lazy, so this exercise might feel challenging. It's also normal to have a weaker side, so don't worry if one side feels more wobbly.
How to do a single-leg glute bridge:
- Start by lying on your back with your knees bent, your feet flat on the floor and your arms by your side.
- Lift one foot off the floor and extend your leg so it is at a 45-degree angle from the floor. You can also bend the knee if this feels better.
- Squeeze your core, as if you’re trying to suck your belly button into your spine, and push into the foot still onto the floor to raise your hips up off the floor. Use your posterior chain to drive your hips into the air — think about making a straight line, so your shoulders, hips, and knees form a straight line.
- Hold this position for a few seconds.
- Lower your hips back down to your starting position slowly and with control, keeping one leg lifted.
- Repeat all your reps on the same leg before switching sides.
- Make sure you complete the same number of reps on both sides.
5. Kettlebell squat
Another exercise that targets most of the muscles in your posterior, a kettlebell squat activates your hamstrings, glutes, calves, and lower back muscles, as well as your quads and your core. If you don’t have a kettlebell or a pair of dumbbells, try using something heavy, like a backpack filled with books, or milk cartons filled with water. Aim for 12 to 15 repetitions.
How to do a kettlebell squat:
- To do a kettlebell squat, start holding a kettlebell against your chest, with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Pushing your hips back, lower into a squat position, keeping your core engaged.
- Push up from your feet to raise back into your starting position.
Here's 5 of the best kettlebell exercises for beginners to build muscle and strength
6. Lunge with a twist
A great one for anyone who sits down for a living, the lunge part of this exercise stretches the hip flexors, glutes, and adductors, while the rotation works on the thoracic spine. Aim to do 10-20 repetitions, with 5-10 on each side.
How to do a lunge with a twist:
- Stand with your feet flat hip-width apart and your arms folded across your chest
- Step forward into a lunge with both knees at a 90-degree right angle
- Engage your core and twist to the left
- Return to the center, stand up and repeat the move with a twist to the right.
To make this exercise more challenging, hold a weight in your hands as you twist.
7. Mountain climbers
Mountain climbers target the shoulders, hamstrings, triceps, quads, and core — all areas of the body that are important for good posture. Aim to do 20 to 30 reps, with 10 to 15 on each side.
How to do a mountain climber:
- To do a mountain climber, start in a plank position, with your hands shoulder-width apart, your back flat, and your core engaged (think about sucking your belly button into your spine).
- From here, bend your left knee and bring it into your chest, as far as you can.
- Pause, then straighten your leg back to its starting position and bring your right knee in underneath your body.
- Keep repeating this movement and build up speed until you’re running your knees in and out.
Inspired? Read what happened when this fitness editor did 100 mountain climbers a day for a week.
8. Kettlebell deadlifts
Deadlifts are another great way of targeting the muscles down the back of your body, as well as working on the core and hips. Again, if you don’t have a kettlebell for this exercise, try using some dumbbells, or anything you can find that’s easy to hold. If you’re traveling or don’t have anything to hand, bodyweight deadlifts are still are a great way to work on your posture. Aim to do 12 to 15 reps.
How to do a kettlebell deadlift:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes forward, and place the kettlebells on either side of your feet.
- Bend your knees and squat down to grip both kettlebells.
- Roll your shoulder blades back and down, engage your core, and squeeze your shoulder blades to engage your lats.
- Sit your bum down, chest forward facing, with a flat back. Look ahead and inhale.
- Exhale as you drive through your feet to stand, keeping the kettlebells close to your legs. Squeeze your glutes at the top and fully extend at your hips.
- Begin to lower the kettlebells with a soft bend in the knee, sending your hips backward with a flat back.
- At knee height, re-bend your knees and lower your bum to bring the kettlebells back down to the floor.
9. Bent-over rows
This exercise is a fantastic one for working the muscles in your back, but your biceps and core will also get a workout here too. For this one you'll need a set of dumbbells or kettlebells if you have them, but if not use two heavy books, or milk cartons.
How to do a bent-over row:
- Keep your feet shoulder-width or hip-width apart, slightly bend your knees and hinge forward at your hips. Ensure your back stays flat
- Engage your core and keep a neutral grip on the dumbbells (palms facing each other)
- Row both dumbbells back toward your hips, arms close to your ribs, then lower the weights back to the starting position.
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