5 Seated Exercises That Burn Major Calories

Let’s be honest—sometimes, the idea of standing for a workout sounds about as appealing as running a marathon in flip-flops. But guess what? You don’t have to be on your feet to torch calories and build serious strength. Seated exercises can deliver a calorie-burning punch while keeping things low-impact and joint-friendly.

The key is effort. Just because you’re sitting doesn’t mean you’re coasting. With the proper resistance, tempo, and intensity, seated workouts can fire up your muscles, elevate your heart rate, and trigger serious calorie burn. They’re also a game-changer if you’re dealing with an injury, easing joint stress, or just looking for a fresh challenge that doesn’t involve endless burpees.

So whether you’re rehabbing, cross-training, or just need a workout that meets you where you are, these five seated exercises will push your limits, rev up your metabolism, and leave you feeling stronger than ever. Grab a seat (literally), and let’s get to work.

Why Seated Workouts Work

Seated exercises can still challenge your muscles, increase your heart rate, and burn calories effectively. By focusing on controlled movements and heavier resistance, you engage multiple muscle groups, triggering higher energy expenditure. Plus, seated workouts reduce joint stress, making them an excellent option for those with mobility concerns or anyone looking for a change of pace.

Want to increase the intensity and maximize calorie burn? Try these strategies:

• Increase Resistance: Add more weight or use resistance bands to make each rep more challenging.
• Slow Down Your Reps: To maximize muscle engagement, perform exercises with a controlled tempo (e.g., three to four seconds on the lowering phase).
• Add Isometric Holds: Pause at the most challenging part of the movement for three to five seconds to fire up your muscles.
• Minimize Rest Time: To maintain an elevated heart rate, keep rest periods short (30 to 45 seconds).
• Incorporate Drop Sets: Start with a heavy weight, then reduce it slightly and continue until failure.
• Engage Your Core: Sit tall, brace your core, and avoid relying on the backrest to increase overall activation.

Leg Press

The leg press targets the quads, hamstrings, and glutes, three of the biggest muscle groups in your lower body. Since larger muscles burn more calories, this movement is a powerhouse for torching fat while building strength.

How to Do It:

1. Adjust the seat of the leg press machine so your knees are bent at roughly 90 degrees when your feet are on the platform.
2. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, keeping your heels flat.
3. Push through your heels to extend your legs, straightening them without locking your knees.
4. Slowly lower the weight back down to the starting position under control.
5. Repeat for 10-15 reps.

Best Variations:

• Single-leg press
• Wide-stance leg press
• Low-foot placement press

Seated Lateral Raises

This shoulder-sculpting move isolates the deltoids, firing up your metabolism while giving you that coveted broad-shoulder look. Keeping it seated removes momentum, forcing your muscles to work harder.

How to Do It:

1. Sit tall on a bench or chair, holding a dumbbell in each hand with arms at your sides.
2. With your elbows slightly bent, raise your arms out to the sides until they reach shoulder height.
3. Pause briefly at the top, then slowly lower the weights back down.
4. Keep your movements controlled and avoid swinging.
5. Repeat for 12-15 reps.

Best Variations:

• Seated front raises
• Seated alternating lateral raises
• Seated Y-raises

Seated Cable Row

This back-building beast targets the lats, traps, and rhomboids while engaging the core for stability. A strong back burns more calories than you think—plus, better posture is a bonus.

How to Do It:

1. Sit on the cable row machine with your feet secured on the platform.
2. Grab the handle with both hands, keeping your chest up and shoulders back.
3. Pull the handle toward your torso, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
4. Slowly extend your arms back to the starting position without rounding your back.
5. Repeat for 10-12 reps.

Best Variations:

• Wide-grip cable row
• Underhand grip row
• Single-arm cable row

Seated Leg Curl

Hamstrings are often neglected, but training them torches calories and improves overall leg strength. The seated leg curl machine locks your body in place, ensuring max activation.

How to Do It:

1. Adjust the seat and backrest so your knees align with the machine’s pivot point.
2. Place your lower legs under the padded bar, gripping the handles for support.
3. Curl your legs down, bringing your heels toward your glutes.
4. Hold for a second at the bottom, then slowly return to the start.
5. Repeat for 12-15 reps.

Best Variations:

• Lying leg curl
• Single-leg seated curl
• Resistance band seated curl

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

This upper-body staple works the chest, shoulders, and triceps while stabilizing your core. Pressing movements boost calorie burn by engaging multiple muscle groups simultaneously.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

How to Do It:

1. Sit on an incline bench (30-45 degrees) with a dumbbell in each hand.
2. Press the dumbbells up to shoulder height, palms facing forward.
3. Push the weights upward until your arms are fully extended.
4. Slowly lower them back to the starting position under control.
5. Repeat for 8-12 reps.

Best Variations:

• Seated machine chest press
• Seated dumbbell shoulder press
• Single-arm incline press

Wrapping It All Up

Seated workouts aren’t just an easy way out—they can be a powerhouse for calorie-burning and muscle-building when done right. Whether you’re looking for a low-impact option, recovering from an injury, or just want to mix up your training, these exercises will keep you burning calories while staying comfortably seated. So, sit down, but don’t slow down—your next killer workout starts now.

Jarrod Nobbe, MA, CSCS