Best Standing Desk Exercises You Can Do at Your Desk (2024)

With the growing trend of standing desks in offices worldwide, many people are making the shift to standing while working. Standing desks can improve posture, enhance focus, and reduce the risks associated with prolonged sitting. However, standing for long periods can also lead to discomfort if you don't incorporate movement into your day. In this guide, we’ll explore standing desk exercises that can keep you active, energized, and pain-free throughout your workday.

Why Standing Desk Exercises Matter

Many office workers are familiar with the downsides of sitting for long hours—back pain, poor posture, sluggish circulation, and decreased energy. While standing desks are a step in the right direction, standing still for hours without movement can lead to stiffness, fatigue, and muscle strain.

By integrating standing desk exercises into your daily routine, you can counteract these issues. These exercises help improve blood flow, prevent muscle tension, and keep your energy levels up. Plus, they don’t require any special equipment, making them easy to do in the office or at home.

Best Standing Desk Stretches to Relieve Tension

Standing at a desk all day can leave you with tight muscles, particularly in your neck, shoulders, and lower back. Here are some stretches that will help relieve tension and improve mobility:

1. Neck and Shoulder Stretch

Start by gently tilting your head toward each shoulder, holding for 10-15 seconds on each side. This stretch helps alleviate tension in the neck and shoulders, areas commonly affected by sitting or standing in one position for too long. To deepen the stretch, reach your opposite hand behind your back to increase the stretch across your neck.

2. Upper Back Stretch

To stretch your upper back, extend your arms straight in front of you and interlace your fingers. Push your hands away from your body and round your upper back as you drop your head between your arms. Hold for 15-30 seconds. This stretch will open up your back and shoulders, which can become stiff from standing for long periods.

3. Hip Flexor Stretch

Standing for extended periods can tighten your hip flexors. To stretch them, step one foot backward into a lunge position, bending the front knee and keeping the back leg straight. Hold for 15-30 seconds, then switch sides. This stretch targets your hip flexors, which can tighten and shorten when standing all day.

These stretches not only reduce tension but also enhance your range of motion, improving your posture and preventing discomfort.

Best Standing Desk Exercises - No Equipment

In today's rocky hill lifestyle, where most of us spend long hours sitting at a desk, it's crucial to find ways to incorporate physical activity into our daily routines. One effective solution is performing standing desk exercises. These exercises can help improve your posture, increase energy levels, and prevent the negative effects of prolonged sitting.

In this section, we will explore some of the best standing desk exercises you can easily do to promote a healthier and more active work environment.

1. Arm Pulses

Extend your arms straight out before you and make small up-and-down movements. Perform this exercise for about 1 minute to engage your shoulder and arm muscles. These are one of the simplest exercises you can perform in your workspace without additional equipment.

2. Warrior Pose

Stand with your feet wide apart and extend your arms sideways. Turn your right foot out and bend your right knee, keeping your left leg straight. Hold this position for 30 seconds and then switch sides. The warrior pose stretches your legs, strengthens your core, and improves stability. Just be sure not to knock your colleagues while performing this sit-to-stand exercise.

3. Arm Circles

Extend your arms straight out to the sides. Make small circles with your arms, gradually increasing the size of the circles. After 30 seconds, reverse the direction. This exercise helps improve shoulder flexibility and blood circulation. Moreover, they also improve your wrist movement.

4. Wall Sits

Stand with your back against a wall and slowly slide down until your knees are at a 90-degree angle. Hold this position for 30 seconds to engage your leg muscles and improve lower body strength. This simple exercise just needs a wall to be performed and does wonders if completed with consistency.

5. Seated Bicycle Crunches

Sit on the edge of your chair with your hands behind your head. Lift one foot off the ground and bring your knee toward your opposite elbow. Repeat on the other side. Perform 10 to 15 repetitions on each side to work your abdominal muscles. These work great for chairs with no wheels since they stay in the same position without wobbling.

For more ideas on staying active while seated, check out these seated back exercises that you can do at your desk. You can also try these chair exercises for legs to keep your lower body engaged throughout the day.

6. Oblique Twists

Next, stand with your feet hip-width apart and place your hands on your hips. Rotate your torso to the right and left, keeping your hips stable. Perform 15 to 20 twists on each side to target your oblique muscles. While these might be challenging for beginners, they do great wonders for your overall body once you get the hang of it.

7. Gluteal Squeeze

If you have your sit-stand desk at your office where there are many other people working as well, it can understandably feel weird to do exercises while you work. First of all, you have to realize that you will need to get over this if you truly want to do these exercises properly. The more varied your workout is and the more movement it entails, the better it will be for you in the end.

However, if it’s hard to start doing them and feeling embarrassed, you can always start small and get used to it over time. The best thing to do for starters is the gluteal squeeze. This exercise is easy and quick, but most importantly, unnoticeable. All you have to do is contract your butt muscles and hold them tight for three seconds or so. After that, you relax for two or three seconds and do it again. You can repeat the process several times, even make several sessions during one working day.

Over time, you will start getting a firmer and stronger backside and your colleagues won’t even notice that you’ve been creating it at work.

Bonus tip: once your colleagues start noticing your butt, tell them what you’ve been doing. Trust me, they are bound to love it as they’ll realize how easy and useful it is and start doing it themselves. Furthermore, this can prove to be a great icebreaker and get you to start doing more complex exercises at your stand up desk.

8. Chair Dips

You can see that not all of these standing desk exercises have to involve your height adjustable desk. It’s always good to use everything you have at your disposal. The ergonomic chair is one of those things and you can use it to do some chair dips.

To do them properly, follow these steps: First, sit on the edge of the chair with your legs in front. Then, place your hands behind your hips and hold the edge of your seat firmly. Start the dips by lowering yourself and then pushing back up. The key here is to only move your arms and keep the rest of your body firm. Also, make sure your back and neck stay aligned in the proper position, as improper form can lead to unnecessary pain.

If you’re looking to target other areas, check out these chair exercises for the stomach to engage your core. For chair exercises for men, focus on strength and flexibility, which complement the chair dip well. Additionally, if you’re dealing with lower back pain, the single best exercise for lower back pain can help alleviate discomfort. Also, don’t forget to incorporate a regular leg stretch exercise routine for flexibility and injury prevention.

When starting with chair dips, begin with a few reps (around 7-8) and gradually increase the number as you build strength.

9. Squats - The Regular Exercise

Squats are one of the most common exercises you can do in any type of workout and in any occasion basically. The good thing about them when it comes to your electric sit-stand desk is that they are truly perfect here. You can continue to read your emails for example, while you do some squats.

However, you have to do them properly in order to get the best effect. Start by setting your back and head straight. Extend your arms and use the edge of your desk for support when necessary. Start doing the squats from your knees by first bending them as you start to go down. When your thighs are parallel to the floor, you should start going back up.

The key here is to do them slowly and firmly, never changing the overall position of your body and keeping all the muscles that you’re using steady and firm.

Do several squats in a row every once in a while and start increasing their number per session as you get stronger and the squats get easier.

Also, who knows, you might even motivate your coworkers to start doing the same and start getting healthier just like you are!

10. Leg Extensions - Keep Using Your Legs

When you’re sitting, your legs are just wasting for no reason. When you’re standing, they are also wasting as you are putting a lot of strain on them. The solution here is to either use them or do some easy standing exercises that focus on your legs.

One of the best exercises for your legs is certainly leg extensions. They are quite simple to do, you need to be sitting in your chair and then start by extending one of your legs to the hip level and holding it in that position for as long as possible. Then you need to do the same with the other leg. You can repeat this process for as many times as you want as well.

11. Abdominal Curls

You can do this standing desk exercise while you’re sitting as well as while you’re standing, using the full potential of your sit-stand desk.

The key to this exercise is to keep the upper body straight. Cross your hands over your chest and start this standing desk exercise by squeezing your abs tight and then curling your chest down toward. Hold this position for a few seconds and return to the original position. Then you just need to repeat the process for as many times as you want.

12. Calf Raises

Not every leg exercise can have a strong effect on your calves, you need to do some exercise that specifically targets them as calf raises do. They are great and easy to do while standing next to your height adjustable desk as you won’t have to move much and you’ll be able to continue looking at your monitor without interruptions.

The process for calf raises is pretty straightforward. You only need to raise your heels a few inches from the ground and keep the position for a few seconds and return to the starting position. Do this with both of your legs equally. Also, whenever you need to, you can hold onto your standing desk for support and balance.

13. Standing Desk Pushups

Pushups are the core of many workouts and are quite useful for your upper body and your hands. The problem with them when it comes to the office is that the floor is most likely very dirty. Thankfully, you can avoid it altogether and use your sit-stand desk. Hold onto your standing desk and assume a similar position to the one you have while doing regular pushups, the only difference now is that you are not completely in a horizontal position. Then you only need to do the pushups as you normally would.

14. Side Lunges at a Standing Desk

Yes, you most definitely can. Side lunges can be done next to your height adjustable standing desk as well, with no problem.

However, you need to do them properly to get the best effect. This is because when done correctly, side lunges can affect several parts of your body, like the outer thighs and glutes.

Start the side lunges by standing with your feet parallel, only hip-width apart from each other. The start stepping to the side, straightening one leg while bending the other one. Hold the position for a few seconds and then start going back. Then repeat the process to the other side and keep on alternating the sides while you do this exercise for as long as you want.

Don’t forget to keep your back and especially your head and neck straight.

15. Standing High Knees

To get your heart rate up and boost your energy, march in place while lifting your knees as high as possible. Alternate legs and perform for 1-2 minutes. High knees help improve cardiovascular health and engage your core.

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Standing Desk Exercises with Fitness Equipment

While many standing desk exercises can be done with just your body weight, incorporating fitness equipment can enhance your routine, providing an extra challenge and helping you target specific muscles more effectively. Here are some simple ways to integrate fitness equipment into your standing desk workout:

1. Resistance Bands

Resistance bands are portable, affordable, and easy to use, making them perfect for standing desk exercises. You can anchor them to your desk or a nearby object to perform various upper and lower body movements.

• Standing Leg Abductions: Secure the resistance band around your legs just above your knees. Stand tall, and slowly raise one leg out to the side, keeping your core engaged. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
• Bicep Curls: Stand on the resistance band with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the handles with palms facing forward, then curl your arms toward your shoulders. This targets the biceps, helping you build upper-arm strength while standing.

2. Mini Exercise Ball (Desk Ball)

A small exercise ball can provide support and add a fun challenge to your standing desk exercises. It can be used as an alternative to a traditional chair or as a tool for stability exercises.

• Gluteal Squeeze: Place the mini exercise ball between your knees while standing and gently squeeze. This engages the glutes and inner thighs, offering a low-intensity workout that helps to tone these areas.
• Balance Exercises: Stand with the ball behind your lower back against your chair or desk, and use the ball for added stability while performing leg raises or torso twists.

3. Dumbbells or Kettlebells

Adding weights to your standing desk workout can help strengthen muscles and increase the intensity of your exercises.

• Dumbbell Shoulder Press: Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, and press the dumbbells overhead, extending your arms fully. This targets your shoulders and triceps.
• Kettlebell Deadlifts: If you have enough space, you can incorporate kettlebell deadlifts into your routine. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell in front of you. Bend at the hips (keeping your back straight) and lower the kettlebell to the floor, then return to standing.

4. Stability or Balance Discs

Balance discs are inflatable cushions that you can place under your feet or on your chair to improve your balance and engage core muscles while you work.

• Core Engagement: Place a balance disc under one or both feet while standing. As you work, focus on keeping your balance by engaging your core. This can help activate the muscles in your abdominals and lower back.
• Foot and Ankle Strengthening: Simply standing on the balance disc for a few minutes at a time helps strengthen the muscles in your feet and ankles, improving overall stability and posture.

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5. Portable Pedal Exerciser

A portable pedal exerciser is a small, compact piece of fitness equipment that fits under your desk, allowing you to cycle while standing or sitting.

While standing at your desk, use the pedal exerciser with your hands to engage your arms and shoulders. Alternatively, you can use it as a traditional foot pedal to cycle, giving your legs and cardiovascular system a workout.

Using fitness equipment at your standing desk provides more variety and helps target different muscle groups, turning your workspace into a mini gym. Whether you’re looking to build strength, improve balance, or just stay active during the workday, incorporating these tools can make your standing desk routine more effective and enjoyable.

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6. Treadmill or Walking Pad

Integrating a treadmill or walking pad with your standing desk allows you to walk while working, providing numerous health benefits.

• Walking While Working: Set the treadmill at a slow pace (1-2 mph) and walk while you type, take calls, or attend virtual meetings. This keeps you active without interrupting your productivity.

• Cardiovascular and Posture Benefits: Walking helps improve heart health, boosts energy, and promotes better posture by keeping your body in motion throughout the day.

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How to Maintain a Proper Exercise at Work Routine?

In today's fast-paced work environment, finding time for exercise can be challenging. However, you can maintain a proper exercise regimen even while at the office by prioritizing your health and making small changes to your work routine. Here are some tips to help you incorporate exercise into your workday:

• Set Reminders

Getting caught up in work and forgetting to take breaks is easy. Set reminders on your phone or computer to alert you to take exercise breaks regularly throughout the day. Use these reminders to get up from your desk and move your body.

• Plan Your Schedule

Treat exercise as an essential part of your work schedule. Allocate specific time slots for physical activity and consider them as important appointments that cannot be missed. Whether it's a quick walk around the office or a dedicated workout session during your lunch break, schedule exercise time and stick to it.

• Find an Accountability Partner

Having a colleague or friend who shares similar health goals can provide motivation and support. Team up with someone who also wants to maintain an exercise routine at work. Encourage each other to stay active and hold each other accountable. You can plan workout sessions together or participate in group activities such as walking meetings or office wellness challenges.

• Modify Your Workspace

Consider investing in a standing desk or an small portable standing desk if possible. These allow you to alternate between sitting and standing throughout the day, promoting movement and reducing time spent in a sedentary position.

Additionally, arrange your workspace in a way that encourages physical activity. Keep frequently used items slightly out of reach, so stand up and stretch to reach them.

• Stay Hydrated

Drinking an adequate amount of water not only keeps you hydrated but also encourages you to take regular breaks. Aim to drink water throughout the day and keep a water bottle at your desk. This promotes hydration and prompts you to get up and refill your bottle or use the restroom, providing opportunities for movement.

• Take Active Breaks

Instead of scrolling through social media or browsing the internet during your breaks, use that time to engage in physical activity. Take a brisk walk around the office, climb a few stairs, or do a quick stretching routine. These short bursts of movement can help increase blood circulation, relieve muscle tension, and re-energize you for the tasks ahead.

• Incorporate Desk Exercises

Even at your desk, you can do exercises to stay active at work, as discussed in this post. For example, you can perform seated leg raises, shoulder shrugs, or neck stretches.

Additionally, try doing seated or standing desk yoga poses to stretch your muscles and improve flexibility. These exercises can be done discreetly and provide a refreshing break from sitting for extended periods.

Conclusion

As you can clearly see, there are plenty of exercises to do at work while standing that you can practice next to your motorized desk. Most of them won’t even change your working habits too much and will definitely give you a lot of benefits. For one, you will start getting fit if you already aren’t. Two, you will stop sitting or standing for long periods of time, both of which can cause problems to your overall health in time. Third, you’ll start feeling healthier, more relaxed, and happier while you work.

When you look at all these benefits, you start to realize that doing some standing desk exercises each day can certainly be really helpful. What’s more, you can finally start having that minimum of 30 minutes of daily activity that the World Health Organization keeps recommending for all adults.

Incorporating standing desk exercises into your daily work routine is a simple and effective way to improve physical health, enhance posture, and boost productivity. By performing the best standing desk exercises mentioned in this article, you can counter the negative effects of prolonged sitting and enjoy a more active and energetic workday.