15 Cubicle Exercises You Can Do at Your Desk

15 Cubicle Exercises You Can Do At Your Desk

Imagine sitting at a desk for hours, immersed in work. You stare at the monitor in your office cubicle and your hands move quickly on the keyboard. But suddenly you feel your energy drained and your shoulders ache. 

Have you ever wondered what kind of stress your body is under in this situation? Sedentary jobs put a lot of pressure on your back, neck, eyes, and wrists, causing muscle atrophy. Your body needs attention and you need to do something for its health. 

This is where exercising at your desk becomes important. But how can you exercise without leaving your desk and restore vitality to your body?

You can exercise without leaving your desk and restore vitality to your body by incorporating simple movements such as stretching, strengthening, and posture-improving exercises. Perform seated leg raises to engage your core, shoulder rolls to ease tension, and neck stretches to improve flexibility. Use your desk for push-ups or planks to strengthen your upper body, and do calf raises or ankle rolls to boost circulation. These discreet exercises help reduce fatigue, improve posture, and rejuvenate your energy, all while staying productive at your workspace.

Cubicle Exercise	Cubicle Exercise
Neck Stretch	Neck muscles
Shrug Your Shoulders	Shoulder and back muscles
Bear hug rotation	Thoracic Spine, the subscapularis muscle
Hand and Wrist Stretch	Wrist, fingers
Chair Dip	Triceps muscle
Chair Lift	Chest, shoulder, and triceps muscles
Hamstring Stretch	Hamstrings and glutes
Abdominal Stretches	Abdominal muscles
Seated Chair Crunches	Abdominal muscles
Alternating Toe Touches	Abs, hip flexors
Desk Pushups	Chest, arms, and shoulders
Squats	Glutes, hamstrings, and quads
Calf Raises	Calves
Seated Oblique Crunches	Oblique
Leg Extensions	Quadriceps muscles

Doing exercises at your cubicle has numerous benefits!

Research involving almost 800,000 people found that, compared with those who sat the least, people who sat the longest had:

• 112% increase in risk of diabetes.
• 147% increase in cardiovascular events.
• 90% increase in death caused by cardiovascular events.
• 90% drop in enzymes that help to break down fat.
• Calorie burning drops down to 1 cal per minute.
• The level of good cholesterol drops by 20% after sitting for 2 hours.

15 Cubicle Exercises You Can Do at Your Desk While Sitting

1- Neck Stretch

Sit up straight and pull your left ear towards your left shoulder (The ear does not have to touch the shoulder.) Hold for 10 seconds and repeat on the other side. 

Do this exercise whenever you feel your neck getting tired. 

This exercise will release tension in your neck and reduce headaches. You can do this exercise while you sit in your cubicle.

 

2- Shrug Your Shoulders

You’ve probably noticed that when you’re unsure about something, you raise both shoulders toward your head; do the exact same movement, holding your shoulders up for 10 seconds and then releasing them. 

This exercise will not only relieve tension in your neck but will also loosen up any tight muscles in your back.

 

3-Bear Hug Rotation

To stretch your back muscles, hug your body, place your right hand on your left shoulder and your left hand on your right shoulder. 

Then take a deep breath and release any tightness in the area between your shoulders. This is a thoracic spine mobility exercise that is performed to increase thoracic rotation and extension while also uncoupling movement from the scapula.

 

4- Hand and Wrist Stretch

To reduce tension and pain in joints and tendons and prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, do wrist stretches 1 or 2 times every hour. 

Stretch one hand forward and bend the palm upwards (palm facing outwards) with the other hand. 

Then pull the fingers back and hold for 10 to 30 seconds. After releasing, bend the palm downwards (palm facing the body) and with the opposite hand stretch the fingers towards your body once more. Switch hands and repeat this exercise 2 or 3 times.

 

5- Chair Dip

This exercise is more suitable for people who have a private cubicle. Choose a firm, non-rotating chair to perform this exercise. 

To strengthen and tone your arms, sit on the edge of the chair, place your palms on the edge of the chair, and move your body slightly away from the chair in front of you. 

Then slowly lower yourself until your elbows reach a 90-degree angle. Next, lift your body towards the chair. Start with one set of 8 repetitions a day and increase the number of sets if necessary.

 

6- Chair Lift

This exercise is similar to the chair dip, except you don’t get down from the chair this time. Sit on the edge of the chair and place your hands on the armrests. 

Lift your body slightly off the chair and hold for a few seconds. Then slowly release and sit down. Repeat this movement for 5 sets of 10.

 

7- Hamstring Stretch

Tight hamstrings can cause back pain, especially if you’ve been sitting at a desk all day. 

To do this exercise, place one foot on the desk, bend over, and reach your toes. Make sure your back is straight and don’t let your spine be bent.

 

8- Abdominal Stretches

One of the places that show excess weight in the body is around the stomach. You can do many stretching exercises for the abdomen by using office cubicles. 

One of the exercises that you can do at your cubicle is to first sit on the edge of a chair. 

Bend your knees and place your feet on the floor. Place your hands behind your head and twist to the right. 

Wait at least for one count. Then do the same motion for the left side. It is better to repeat it 20 times.

 

9- Seated Chair Crunches

First, sit on a chair and scoot your glutes towards the front of the chair. Then, crunch your knees towards your chest. Try to stay as straight as possible. 

Next, extend your legs straight out. Use the armrests of the chair for stability while doing this exercise and place your hands on them.

 

10- Alternating Toe Touches

This is one of the cubicle exercises you can do without leaving your desk. To do it, you need to stand and lift one leg. Extend the opposite arm towards your toes. 

Then do the same exercise with the opposite arm and leg. Make sure to keep your back straight while doing this exercise.

 

11-Desk Pushups

Facing your desk and lean against it. Open your arms and place them slightly outside your shoulders. 

Tighten your abs and lower your body until your chest almost touches the desk. Then return to the starting position and repeat this motion at least 10 times.

 

12-Squats

Squats are also a useful exercise that you can do in your cubicle. To do squats, you need to stand and keep your feet shoulder-width apart. 

Then bend your knees as if you were sitting in a chair. Return to the starting position and repeat 10 times. It is best to tighten your abs while doing squats.

 

13-Calf Raises

Stand tall and rise up onto your toes. Hold this position for a moment and then lower your heels back to the floor. Hold your desk for balance while doing this exercise.

 

14- Seated Oblique Crunches

To do this exercise, sit on your chair. Then place your hands behind your head in a crunch position. 

Bend your body to the side and reach your elbows to your hipbone. Repeat this motion for the other side of your body. 

Keep your back straight while doing this exercise and repeat at least 10 times for each side.

 

15-Leg Extensions

Another cubicle exercise you can do while sitting at your desk is leg extensions. To do this, extend one leg and level it with your hip. Hold as long as you can, then relax. Repeat 10 times for each leg.

 

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The Benefits of Exercise at Your Cubicle

Physical Health

Doing regular cubicle exercises, especially stretching exercises, can help improve posture, strengthen muscles, and prevent pain from sitting for long periods of time. 

Exercising at work significantly reduces musculoskeletal pain, especially neck and shoulder pain. 

Much of the muscle pain we experience is due to the repetitive use of some muscles and the inactivity of others, which ultimately leads to muscle imbalance. 

Exercise also helps improve and eliminate muscle spasms by increasing blood circulation. Exercising at your desk reduces the risk of diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

Note: Alongside doing regular exercise at your desk, use ergonomic furniture to maintain your health.

Increase Performance and Productivity

If you dedicate every little bit of time to exercise at your desk, your performance and productivity will increase throughout the day. 

Exercising before work and throughout the workday can improve focus, attention, alertness, energy, decision-making ability, and the ability to multitask. 

In fact, improved performance comes from improved blood flow to the brain. 

Both resistance and aerobic exercise are helpful in this regard. Another benefit of exercising during the workday is increased and sustained energy throughout the day.

Stress Management and Improving Mental Health

Doing exercise is not only good for the body, but also for the mind. Some hard workdays put a lot of mental pressure on employees. 

Mental conflicts and stress reduce their performance. Regular exercise causes the secretion of the hormone Cortisol, which leads to a reduction in stress and anxiety. 

Therefore, if you dedicate a short time to exercise at your desk, you will experience more peace throughout the day.

Increased vitality and efficiency

Sitting for long periods of time can cause fatigue and reduce productivity. Regular daily exercise in the workplace improves employee morale. 

Productivity is certainly much higher in a happy environment than in a stressful workplace. 

Also, doing desk exercises increases employees’ creativity and the ability to provide solutions to problems.

Conclusion

 Doing cubicle exercises at your desk is a great way to take care of your physical and mental health amid the stresses of long work hours. 

By doing these 15 exercises at your desk, you can prevent physical damage caused by sitting for long periods of time. 

Doing these cubicle exercises will keep your energy up throughout the day and increase your productivity and focus. 

This short time you dedicate to exercising at the workplace can improve your quality of life. 

Doing exercises at your desk along with having ergonomically designed office furniture is a great combination to maintain health and increase productivity. Remember, these two factors are the key to happiness and health in the workplace.