It’s hard to escape the inevitable stiffness and low energy that accompany long, sedentary workdays. Research indicates that about 70% to 85% of work hours are spent inactive, and sedentary activity is associated with a wide range of negative health outcomes like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, deep vein thrombosis and back pain. Staying active during the day may be challenging, but proactively planning a desk exercise routine can help you avoid these risks and improve your health. Building a desk-side gym is one convenient, effective way to make it easier to fit in a little exercise without having to leave your workspace.
Quick Overview
And that’s just it: You don’t have to engage in a 30-minute sweat-fest to make a difference. John Lindala, a performance enhancement and injury prevention expert, says that just “getting the blood flowing stimulates your metabolism and gives you a good hormone boost.” Movement increases blood circulation, helps remove waste buildup in muscles, reduces fatigue and engages your muscles. Research indicates that adding exercise to your workday can increase total energy expenditure without affecting attention. In fact, adding movement breaks can even boost work productivity and concentration.
While strategies like sit-stand desks may help reduce sitting time, evidence indicates you’ll need to get a bit more active to combat health risks. As a personal trainer myself, I swear by my walking pad as a way to log a few extra miles throughout the day while combatting dormant butt syndrome. And it’s not just walking pads that make a difference. Developing a simple desk-side gym gives you easy access to exercise equipment and helps keep regular movement top of mind. Ultimately, it also gives you the ability to make desk exercises more challenging and effective.
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In addition to using my own experience and expertise, I reached out to an exercise scientist, an ergonomist and a lifestyle medicine coach to get their tips on working out desk-side, including the best equipment and exercises to choose and why they work.
1. Invest in a walking pad
Including a walking pad in your workstation setup can skyrocket your step count and increase blood circulation, which fights fatigue, says certified ergonomist Lisa Orr. Using an under-desk walking pad can increase your total energy expenditure and may improve body weight, body fat, waist circumference and cholesterol, according to a small one-year prospective trial of treadmill desk use.
That said, some people aren’t keen on walking while they work. “If you find it hard to multitask or if it detracts from your job performance, it’s an absolute no-go,” says Lindala; however, you can still use these low-profile walking machines during work breaks to help increase your daily activity. “More movement is better than no movement,” he adds.
Orr also warns it’s crucial to be aware of your posture and ensure your setup doesn’t strain your back or neck as you reach forward while you work.
Desk-friendly moves
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Steady-state walk: The best workout a walking pad offers is right there in its name: a walk. Walking is fantastic for your cardiovascular health and increases your calorie burn while boosting energy, focus and productivity. It can even improve your cardio-metabolic health over time.
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Movement break bursts: Short, higher-intensity intervals during breaks are another great way to use your walking pad. Melyssa Allen, a lifestyle medicine coach and fitness specialist, says these workouts provide a quick energy boost and mental refresh to help you get through the more sluggish parts of your day.
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With the handlebar folded down, you can easily control the speed and incline of the pad with the included remote. “I really like using this product,” said our tester. “It was a great experience using it in my living room and watching a show on TV. I liked how easy it was to unbox and put together and how easy it is to adjust the speed and the incline either on the treadmill or using the remote control.”
2. Keep resistance bands at-the-ready
Resistance bands are Lindala’s top choice for working your muscles desk-side. “With a sturdy wall and a couple of minutes, you can be pouring sweat and feeling an excellent burn,” he says.
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Bands are an ideal tool for a workspace gym. They’re compact, versatile and quiet and have adjustable resistance. They also add a strength component that is often missing from workday activities. A research review published in BMC Public Health found that incorporating strength exercises fights fatigue and improves stamina while increasing overall well-being, which can boost your productivity.
Desk-Friendly Moves
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Seated row: Seated rows are ideal for increasing your upper back strength — your rhomboids and lats — which improves posture and counteracts “desk slump,” according to Lindala.
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Chest opener stretch: You can use a resistance band to open tight chest muscles, “which is where a lot of us might feel some tension as we’re sitting hunched over our desks with that poor posture,” says Allen.
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Banded squat + side leg lift: Banded squats help activate your glutes, which is crucial for desk workers, according to Lindala. “Glutes are designed to keep us upright, and putting them in a chair all day negatively impacts their performance — as much as you can, [you need to] get out of the chair and get your glutes involved,” he says. You’ll need a mini loop band for this exercise.
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Wall sit + band pull-apart: Use a free section of the wall and a band to build quad endurance, core stability and upper back strength.
Lindala says to sit against the wall (knees bent to 90 degrees), hold the band in your hands with your arms straight out in front of your chest, then pull the band apart as you reach your arms back to touch the wall. Keep your abs engaged as you press your back into the wall. Hold here for a count, then return your arms to the starting position. Repeat four or five times.
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3. Don’t overlook massage tools
Desk jobs might be inactive, but they’re still hard on your muscles and tissues. Allen recommends taking breaks to address tightness in areas like the hamstrings and the chest, and massage tool like foam rollers, balls,and sticks are a great way to target that tension directly.
Foam rollers can relieve tension better than static stretching, so keeping a smaller, ridged one for self-massage sitting at your desk can help you loosen up when you’re feeling tight. Allen suggests taking breaks to stretch, move and release tension, combining these breaks with deep breathing for a mental boost. “Deep breathing helps get some fresh oxygen into our lungs and helps to clear out some brain fog, and paired with movement, it’s going to get our blood flowing a bit better as well,” she says.
Desk-Friendly Moves
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Under-foot roll: Using a ball under your desk can give you some much needed plantar fascia release to ease foot pain or tension, particularly if you’ve been standing or walking while you work. It also feels great, so it’s a nice boost even if you don’t have tense feet from walking while you work.
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Upper back & shoulder release: Use a foam roller to release knots in your neck, traps and upper back and relieve shoulder tension from using a computer. These muscles are key areas to target for better posture, according to Lindala. If lying on the floor next to your desk is a no-go, you can brace against a wall instead.
Trigger Point Performance
4. Add some low-key weights
Stashing a few low-key weights in your desk-side gym area is a practical and effective way to make sure you get in the minimum two days of strength training per week recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Weights can add resistance to common desk exercises, like squats, and help you get a better workout. “Light weights provide an extra boost to movements to create a better burn,” Lindala says. Research shows that using weights as part of workplace activity interventions can increase well-being, combat fatigue and improve stamina.
Desk-Friendly Moves
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Upper body routine: You can do a seated upper body workout using light weights in just a few minutes. Try bicep curls, shoulder presses, lateral raises and overhead triceps extensions.
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Full-body workout: If you have more room to move, you can get out of your chair and do a quick, full-body workout. Try adding squat presses, alternating lunges, standing dumbbell rows and calf raises and overhead triceps extensions.
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5. Build core strength with a stability ball
Stability balls were all the rage in office settings when manufacturers promoted them as better for you than a standard chair, citing claims that they increased calorie burn and core engagement. But, according to Orr, stability balls are generally not recommended as chair replacements. Research has also since indicated that it’s better to use your ball for dedicated exercise rather than sit on it, since the energy increase is slight and you could end up with poor posture and sore muscles. “The exercise ball offers very little support,” Orr says, which can lead to increased muscle strain from balancing without back support.
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Instead, use your ball for desk exercises. They’re a great tool for quick movement breaks to engage core muscles, improve balance and stretch out any tight areas.
Desk-Friendly Moves
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Seated pelvic tilts: Your hips and lower back can get pretty stiff from sitting at a desk for hours on end. Loosening them up with seated pelvic tilts on a stability ball can improve core awareness and provide gentle low-back mobility.
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Hamstring stretch: Allen and Lindala both recommend taking time to stretch tight hamstrings during the day. You can use your stability ball to loosen them up and to strengthen them, thwarting weakness that can occur from being inactive all day.
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Meet the experts
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John Lindala, MS, a performance enhancement and injury prevention expert
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Lisa Orr, CPE, certified ergonomist
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Melyssa Allen, double-board-certified lifestyle medicine coach and size-inclusive fitness specialist
Our health content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional medical advice. Consult a medical professional on questions about your health.
