Regular readers know I love working out at home. I started when my kids were small and going out to a gym or exercise class just wasn’t practical. Over time, I traded in my VHS tapes and DVDs for YouTube workouts. When I recently hurt my leg and needed to slow down, I explored seated workouts on some of the YouTube channels I follow. Read on for some of my favourites.

Disclaimer: These workouts are suitable for all fitness levels, but it’s always a good idea to check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.

Favourite channels for older adults

There are so many terrific workouts on YouTube. I’ve visited a lot of fitness channels, and some are more suited to my age group than others. I always look for instructors who have credible fitness credentials, and experience working with older adults.

Here are three of my favourite channels that I go back to time and time again.

Improved Health

Jules is a Recreation Therapist from Canada. She has over 25 years experience and over 15 years specifically working with seniors. She also has Group Fitness and Senior Fitness Instructor qualifications.

Her site has a wide variety of workouts to cater to all fitness levels. On the site, you’ll find three playlists with an assortment of seated workouts catered to all fitness levels. 

• Seated Gentle Workouts (Level 1)
• Seated Beginner Workouts (Level 2)
• Seated Intermediate Workouts (Level 3)

Senior Shape Fitness

Lauren is an American Council on Exercise (ACE) certified fitness instructor with a specialization in senior fitness. 

Lauren’s videos always feel calming with gentle music and her soft soothing voice. Don’t be fooled though. Her workouts are challenging and she excels at giving clear instruction for all the moves.

Her channel includes a full playlist of 40 seated workouts.

• Chair (seated) workouts

Fabulous 50s

Schellea Fowler is a certified fitness instructor and Human Performance coach specializing in exercise and brain health for older adults.

She has a calming voice and a delightful Australian accent.

Her channel is designed for women over 50 and has a huge selection of videos of various lengths and types. She has a couple of playlists dedicated to seated workouts:

• Seated abs series
• Seated workouts and stretches

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Terrific seated workouts to get started

Are you ready? Here are 10 of my favourite seated workouts. I included a good mix of cardio, resistance and flexibility.

Chair Pilates for Seniors and Beginners – Senior Shape Fitness

Length: 26 minutes

This is a good place to start. It’s soothing and gentle while working all muscle groups. I love that Lauren added a gentle foot massage to the stretching at the end.

Energizing Chair Yoga for Seniors and Beginners – Senior Shape Fitness

Length: 26 minutes

This gentle dynamic yoga flow felt so good. It’s great for days when you don’t have a lot of energy but want to get some movement in.

Seated HIIT Workout – Improved Health

Length: 31 minutes

This one is just over 30 minutes and includes a warmup, HIIT, cool down and stretching. The HIIT portion alternates 30 seconds of running with 30 seconds of slower activity.

Seated Full-Body Workout – Improved Health

Length: 33 minutes

This video provided a complete workout in just over 30 minutes, including warmup, cardio, strength training using light dumbbells, core exercises and stretching.

Seated Strength Workout – Senior Shape Fitness

Length: 35 minutes

This is a terrific full body strength training workout using light dumbbells. It includes a warmup and a wonderful stretch at the end.

30-Minute Lose Belly Fat Sitting Down – Fabulous 50s

Length: 36 minutes

This is a compilation of three of Schellea’s other seated workouts. It starts with 10 minutes of ab exercise, followed by 10 minutes of upper body training using dumbbells, and then 10 minutes of leg exercises. It wraps up with a 5-minute stretch.

This was a great workout, but I found the leg exercises didn’t work for my sore leg so I had to modify them.

Resistance Band Chair Exercises – Full Body 30-Minute Workout – Senior Shape Fitness

Time: 28 minutes

This one might be my favourite of all the seated strength training workouts.It was surprisingly more challenging than the dumbbell workouts and I found the resistance band helped me work my leg while providing some support. 

Full Body Resistance Band Workout – Improved Health

Time: 34 minutes

This is another excellent resistance band workout that works all major muscle groups. Jules provides clear step-by-step instruction for all exercises.

At Home 45-Minute Chair Workout – Improved Health

Time: 45 minutes

I’m a big fan of Jules’ all-in-one workouts so I was delighted to find a seated version. At 45 minutes, it’s a bit more challenging, but it include a warm up, cardio, weights, abs and stretching all in one video.

Chair Cardio Walking Workout for Seniors – Senior Shape Fitness

Time: 34 minutes

I was delighted to open YouTube one morning to see that Lauren had added a brand new seated workout. This one alternates between 30 seconds of walking, 30 seconds of a cardio move, and 15 seconds of a higher intensity version of the cardio move—all done to the beat of the music.

Link to previous workout posts

I love all the free content on YouTube. If you’re looking for more workout ideas, check out these earlier posts.

• Try these balance exercise videos to promote healthy aging
• It’s easy to keep fit at home with these 22-minute workouts
• Fun and easy Christmas workouts to meet your schedule
• Fabulous 30-minute YouTube workouts you’ll love
• 15-minute YouTube workouts to keep you fit all year round
• Awesome free workouts for couch potatoes

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I’m happy to report that I’m on the mend and I hope to be able to slowly ramp up to my regular workout schedule starting in November. I’m grateful to Lauren, Jules and Schellea for the work they do. They gave me an opportunity to continue to work out while focusing on healing.

Give your future self a gift and visit these fitness channels today. You’ll be glad you did! If you have other favourite fitness channels dedicated to older adults, drop me a link below.