Chair Jacks: how to do it

Chair Jacks

Moderate

Seated

Whole body

Arms

Legs

Starts at 1:36 in “Lose Weight With This Chair Workout For Seniors Over 50”. The time is from YouTube's automatic chapters, so it may be a few seconds out.

What it is

A seated jumping jack. Step your feet out as your arms go up, and back in as they come down.

How to do it

Sit tall with feet together.
Step both feet out wide as you raise your arms out and up.
Step the feet back in as you lower your arms.
Keep a steady rhythm you can keep up.

Key tip: Breathe. If you can't talk in short sentences, slow down.

Who should skip it, and why

Your shoulder hurts when you lift your arm above shoulder height (for example a rotator cuff problem or frozen shoulder). Reaching overhead squeezes the sore tissues. Keep your hands below shoulder height instead, or skip it.
You have heart or blood pressure problems that are not well controlled. Arms overhead plus fast movement raises heart rate and blood pressure quickly.

Easier and harder versions

Easier: Arms only to shoulder height, or legs only.
Harder: A faster pace for the full time.

How much

In our videos each move runs for about 40 seconds with 20 seconds of rest. Start with less if you need to. Comfortable effort is the goal, not exhaustion.

Try it: 3 rounds of 40 seconds

Stop straight away and get help if you feel:

chest pain, pressure or tightness
dizziness, light-headedness or faintness
breathlessness that doesn't settle when you rest
sharp or joint pain, or pain that gets worse as you go
numbness, tingling, or a sudden severe headache

This is general exercise information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, or you've had a fall, injury or surgery recently, check with your doctor or physiotherapist first.