4 Chair Exercises That Firm Sagging Arms Faster Than Gym Machines After 65

By Alexa Mellardo

August 20, 2026

If you’re dealing with unwanted arm sag and want to get your triceps back into shape, we’re here to help. We all naturally lose muscle mass and collagen with age. The process can begin as early as your 30s. The good news? There’s much you can do in your diet, workout, and daily lifestyle in order to turn things around and sculpt your arms.

We spoke with Josh York, Founder & CEO of GYMGUYZ, the world’s largest in-home and on-site personal training company, and learned four chair exercises you can do that can help strengthen your arm muscles quicker than gym machines after 65.

What makes chair workouts a beneficial addition to your arm day routine?

According to York, “A chair works because it forces your body to stabilize itself, whereas machines quietly do some of the stabilizing work for you with a fixed movement track. As a result, support and movement control become even more important when doing chair exercises. Chair exercises also come with the advantage that they can be done at home. That accessibility makes it easier to stay consistent, and consistency is what actually drives results, not the equipment you’re using.”

Lateral Raises

“Lifting your arms out to the side directly engages the deltoid, the muscle that plays a significant role in shoulder strength. Doing this as a seated chair exercise lets you ground your feet into the floor and sit tall against the chair, giving you a stable base so all the work stays isolated in the shoulder instead of leaking into the rest of your body,” York tells us.

1. Begin seated with your feet flat on the floor and a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in.
2. Slowly lift your arms out to the side until they reach shoulder height.
3. Hold for a few seconds at the top before lowering.

Seated Bicep Curls

“The bicep is the muscle most people picture when they think ‘toned arms.’ Doing this seated with a dumbbell or band means your core and shoulders have to stay stable while your bicep does the work,” York explains.

1. Begin seated on a sturdy chair, holding a dumbbell or water bottle in each hand at your sides with a supinated grip.
2. Bend your elbows to curl the weights up toward your shoulders.
3. Squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement.
4. Use control to lower the weights back to the start position.

Chair Dips

“The back of the arm is one of the most common areas people want to firm up, and this move isolates it directly. Chair dips replace a tricep machine or cable pushdown by using only your own bodyweight for resistance,” York explains.

1. Begin sitting at the edge of a sturdy chair.
2. Place your hands on the edge of the seat and lift your tailbone off the chair.
3. Walk your feet away until your knees, hips, and torso form 90-degree angles.
4. Activate your core and keep your shoulders relaxed as you bend your elbows and lower your body just below the seat.
5. Press back up until your arms are straight, engaging your triceps as you do so.

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Lateral Palm Rotation

“This is a great example of a movement no machine in the gym really replicates. The continuous rotation works the smaller stabilizing muscles around the forearm and elbow, areas that often get overlooked but contribute to an overall toned, defined look through the entire arm,” York notes.

1. Begin sitting tall in a sturdy chair with your feet flat on the ground.
2. Bend both elbows to roughly 90 degrees, keeping them close to the sides of your body.
3. Hold your forearms out in front of you, palms facing up.
4. Gradually rotate both forearms so your palms turn down.
5. Reverse the motion.
6. Continue to alternate.