Resistance chairs are a great option for doing strength training at home, especially if you have disabilities that require you to sit down to exercise. Today we’ll look at the best resistance chairs for seniors on the market in 2020!
As I constantly try to bring in to your knowledge here, strength training is very important for your health and the functioning of your body as you age. If you have disabilities that prevent you from walking or getting out of the house or you just want a compact exercise device for doing home workouts, a resistance chair is a good option.
If you haven’t heard about resistance chairs before, don’t worry, many haven’t! That’s why I thought it would be a good idea to talk about what resistance chairs are actually before looking at the available models.
Always remember that there is no single way to do strength training. Some strength training methods can be more effective than others, but if you don’t enjoy doing them, it’s important to find options that suit you.
I always say the most effective workout routine is the one you can stick to! Resistance chairs are a good low impact option for home use, so definitely consider them if you feel like they might be a good match for you.
You can even get a strength chair for your home office if you don’t have room to spare. They are a great option for seniors working from home that sit long times in front of the laptop as you can squeeze in some exercise every now and then.
So without further ado, let’s look at what exactly are resistance chairs.
What are resistance chairs?
Resistance chairs are seated resistance training equipment that use exercise bands also known as Theraband for resistance.
Resistance training is the same thing as weight training or strength training. They are all general terms that can refer to several forms of exercise. The main thing is that resistance training can be used to improve strength, thus it becomes strength training.
Weight training refers to using an external weight while resistance training can mean using your own body weight, resistance bands, exercise machines as well as weights.
So resistance chairs are a form of exercise equipment that allows you to do resistance training to improve your strength and muscle mass. Strength training is very important for older people, as you lose muscle and strength fast when you age.
If you don’t fight against this age-related loss in strength you can get several negative effects like loss of mobility and metabolic diseases.
Resistance chairs are quite simply a chair with resistance bands attache to it. They usually allow you to attach the band in several ways to allow resistance in different directions.
The main use is for improving upper body strength in seniors and the elderly with relatively weak upper body muscles. Because you do most of the exercises sitting down, there chairs are far from ideal for improving leg and core strength.
To improve leg strength, some chairs allow you to do some form of squats while standing over the chair, so that the resistance bands offer some added resistance to the squats.
For most seniors, it’s more important to perform a full range of motion bodyweight squat than to add resistance, so this really isn’t a problem. You can use the chair to workout your upper body and do bodyweight squats for legs and balance. Strength is the most important thing for improving balance in seniors and the elderly.
The resistance chairs are also a good option if you suffer from any disabilities that prevent you from walking or doing exercises on your legs. This could be anything that affects your balance, joints or the functioning of your legs like arthritis, loss of limbs, Parkinson s disease, etc.
Since you will be sitting while performing the exercises on the resistance chair, there is very low impact on the joints of the legs and the spine. Of course, you won’t really need to balance with your leg either because you are seated.
If you are generally healthy, it’s very important to also train your legs because they hold the most of your muscle mass. You legs are also what allows you to move freely and independently, this is extremely for mental and physical health as you age.
VG Actioncare Resistance Chair Beginner pack
Our first resistance chair is the VG Actioncare Resistance Chair Beginner pack. It’s a simple and high-quality resistance chair that’s ready to use out of the box.
The chair features quick-change resistance cables for adjusting the resistance. It’s design is lightweight and foldable so it’s very easy to storage and you will surely find a place for it. You can even slide it under the bed when not in us if you don’t have room to spare.
The build is sturdy with no-skid pads on the legs and it includes a built-in step and balance bar for additional exercises. The starter set includes four exercise DVDs and a cable pack for adjusting the resistance.
All in all the CQ action care resistance chair is a very simple and affordable option for a resistance chair. It’s low maintenance, small footprint, affordable and comfortable to use due to a padded seat cushion. The perfect home gym for seniors.
The only complaint really is that the cables won’t offer enough resistance is you are relatively strong already so it’s best for seniors new to strength training.
VG Actioncare Resistance Chair Super Pack
If the VG Actioncare Resistance Chair beginner pack is not enough for you and you want a full home gym based on the resistance chair concept, I might have a solution for you. The VG Actioncare Resistance Chair Super Pack.
It’s built around the same base chair as the beginner pack but it includes the Smoothrider II Exercise Cycle for doing a cardio exercise using your legs and the Freedom Flex Shoulder Stretcher which allows you to do additional upper bodywork with your upper back and shoulders.
The Smooth rider II Exercise Cycle is a magnetic resistance exercise cycle, so it’s quiet, durable and low maintenance. It’s designed for heavy use, so there’s no need to worry about it being flimsy or braking up. It includes a display for speed, time and burned calories and includes an upright row bar for additional pulling exercises for your upper body.
The Super Pack definitely offers a high-quality home gym that allows you to train your whole body at the same spot. You won’t be disappointed with this pack! I know it might seem a bit pricey but hey, you get what you pay for.
Are resistance chairs effective for improving strength?
Resistance chairs can definitely be effective for improving your health and fitness. They can improve your upper body strength to an extent, like any form of resistance training.
But you have to keep in mind that building strength and muscle mass is based on progressive overload. This means that the amount of resistance will have gradually increase between workouts.
Adding repetitions and making movements harder can work to an extent but there are limits to this way of adding resistance.
If you can do over 20 repetitions on an exercise relatively effortlessly with the hardest full range of motion variation, you will not get any stronger.
Doing exercises in the above 20 repetition range is not pointless though, it will help you maintain the strength you have built and increase the stamina of the muscle. But unfortunately, this is useless for muscle building after a while.
Resistance bands can offer enough resistance to improve your strength significantly, especially if you are relatively weak to start with. But keep in mind that the progress will be short-lived if you can’t find a way to increase resistance (like adding extra bands).
But for health and functionality purposes the resistance bands on these chairs will likely be enough for most seniors. After you max out on the repetitions, you can simply reduce your workout frequency and maintain your strength levels indefinitely.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed these resistance chair reviews and will try them yourself. Exercise chairs are a good option for a home gym as long as you remember they are mainly designed for beginners and people who are relatively weak.
That said, using resistance bands is a valid form of resistance and strength training for seniors. If you think they might be a good option for you, go straight ahead and try them! I encourage you to do any form of resistance training you find exciting.
If you are disabled or just like the idea of a chair that can be used as a strength training tool, resistance chairs are a good investment as a home exercise machine for seniors.
Just remember that you should combine some form of lower body strength training with the resistance chair as leg strength is the most important part for your health as you age.
A resistance chair is also not optimal for all your exercise needs. For optimal health, you should combine full-body strength training with an active lifestyle and moderate amounts of cardio. This will help you build and maintain precious muscle mass and maintain a healthy weight.
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See you next time!