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Sit-to-Stands: A Chair Is a Perfectly Good Coach

Sitting to a chair and standing back up teaches squat depth with a target. Raise the seat if you need to. Lower it when the reps are easy.

Chair sit-to-stand side view: sit, stand up, and stand tall — Sit-to-Stand movement illustrations

The prescription

Sets: 3 sets
Reps: 6–10 reps
Rest: 45 sec
Time: About 8 min

Equipment. Chair

Muscles. quadriceps, gluteus maximus. Also core

Starting position

Use a sturdy chair or bench that will not slide.
Feet are flat, slightly behind the knees, about hip to shoulder width.

How to move

Lean the chest forward a little and push the feet into the floor.
Stand all the way up without using the hands, if you can.
Reach the hips back to sit down softly. Do not plop.
If you need hands on the thighs or armrests, use them and still make the legs work.

Common mistakes

Choosing a seat so low that you have to drop into it.
Pushing the knees together as you stand.
Using only the arms on the armrests.

Variations

Bodyweight squat
Goblet squat to a box

Progressions

Use a slightly lower seat.
Hover just above the chair before you sit.

Regressions

A higher seat
Hands on the thighs for a little help

Safety

Stop if you feel sharp pain, joint pinch, or symptoms that are not ordinary muscle effort.
This is general technique education, not a personal clearance to train through an injury.
The chair must be stable. A rolling desk chair is a bad spotter.

All Cheeked Up publishes general fitness education. It is not medical advice, physical therapy, or a promise that your body will change. Stop any exercise that causes pain and talk with a qualified professional about injuries, pregnancy, or health conditions before you train.

Related exercises

Programs that use it

The Cheek Starter