4 Chair Exercises That Restore Glute Strength Faster Than Gym Machines After 60

By Alexa Mellardo

May 15, 2026

If you’d like to boost your mobility and lower back support, improve your posture, and increase your overall power for everyday activities, it’s essential to strengthen your glutes. Strong, capable glutes help you stand, walk, and gain power for lifting, jumping, and sprinting.

To help you get started, we asked for the advice of Marwa Ahmed, NASM-Certified Personal Trainer & Running Coach, CEO of The BodyMind Coach, Toronto. Here are four chair exercises you can add to your routine that can help restore glute strength faster than gym machines after 60.

“Gym machines are great for isolating the glutes and building strength and volume, but they often train the muscles in a fixed way that doesn’t fully carry over to real‑life movement,” Ahmed explains. “Functional glute strength is about training the hips to stabilize, extend, and control the body during everyday actions like standing up, climbing stairs, walking, and balancing on one leg. Chair exercises and bodyweight movements tend to reinforce these patterns better because they put the glutes to work in a more natural, weight‑bearing way, which mirrors everyday functional movement.”

Ahmed selected the following exercises because they’re low-impact, simple, and don’t require much equipment besides a sturdy chair and a resistance band. They activate the glutes in a meaningful way to prepare them for daily movement.

“They mix functional and more isolated movements in a way that still promotes strong glute engagement, which is needed for better movement quality,” Ahmed adds.

Chair Sit-to-Stands

1. Begin seated at the front of a sturdy chair, feet under your knees.
2. Lean forward just a bit.
3. Try to stand up without using your knees, hands, or additional support.
4. Use control to slowly sit back down.

Seated March

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1. Begin seated with your feet placed hip-width apart on the floor.
2. Lift your left knee up to hip height.
3. Lower.
4. Then, lift your right knee up to hip level.
5. Lower.
6. Maintain solid posture as you continue to “march.”

Seated Hip Abduction

1. Begin by sitting tall.
2. Place a resistance band just above your knees. Alternatively, place your hands on your outer thighs, pressing inward to create resistance.
3. Push your thighs out.
4. Hold for 2 seconds, squeezing your glutes as you do so.
5. Slowly return to the start position.

Chair-Supported Hip Hinges

1. Stand tall, feet hip-width apart.
2. Place your hands on the back of a sturdy chair for support.
3. Press your hips back while maintaining a tall chest.
4. As you hinge forward, feel a solid stretch in your hamstrings.
5. Activate your hamstrings and glutes to drive your hips forward.