17 effective office exercises against tension

Office gymnastics exercises for pain

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Tense shoulders, back pain and no time for a massage? Try our office exercises and convince yourself of fitness at work.

Do you often have pain in your back, shoulders or neck? It's probably because you spend a lot of time sitting.

Whether at university or at work - most of the time we're not on our feet, but sitting our butts flat.

If you think about a normal working day, it's really scary.

Immediately after getting up, you sit down at the breakfast table, then get into the car, bus, bike or other means of transportation.

When you arrive at the office, you sit down at your desk. At lunchtime, you sit down with colleagues for lunch, and in the evening you sit on the couch.

Experts have long warned that we sit for far too long and in the wrong positions every day. This is pure poison for the back, neck, muscles and joints.

The human body is not made to sit so much. With this unnatural posture comes the pain and tension. What helps are Office gymnastics exercises.

How to get fit with office gymnastics

Fitness at work is a great way to say bye-bye to back pain. By the way, you can easily get fit at the office on the side.

Office exercises promote not only your mobility, but also your performance and concentration.

Do you know the midday slump? Right after lunch, your concentration goes steeply downhill. Office gymnastics can help you overcome this low.

With only a few Office exercises you can easily stay fit at work. It is very important to us that you can do the office exercises in a business look. The only thing you should take off are uncomfortable or high shoes.

In our office workout, we'll show you the best exercises to keep you physically and mentally fresh and alert.

Try to do some of these office exercises 2-3x per day. You don't always have to do the whole workout. You can surely motivate a work colleague to do these simple office exercises, right? :)

Pain in the neck is often caused by sitting incorrectly. If you have poor posture - for example, a hollow back or slumped shoulders - you are greatly aided by tension. Later, this neck pain can also lead to problems in the lower back.

In fact, with the wrong posture comes a lot of pressure on the spine.

Regular stretching exercises can help. But you should try to get to the root of the problem. So change something about your posture. Unfortunately, this is very easy to say, but very difficult to implement.

What can help you is Upright. At Upright it is a small electronic straight holder* that you stick between your shoulder blades.

Whenever your posture leaves something to be desired, it vibrates and reminds you to keep a straight posture. At the end of the day, you can see in the app how often you really stood up straight and when not.

I can give you the Upright electronic straight holder* because I've been standing and sitting much more upright since I started using it. Even when I don't have it on at all. Somehow you subconsciously memorize the posture, which is quite practical. :)

The 17 most effective office exercises

We've divided our office workout into neck, legs, back and arms. Even if only your Neck tense is or you only have back pain, you should do all the office exercises.

Because very often, for example, loosening the neck also improves the tension in the arms.

Office exercise for shoulders & neck

Office gymnastics exercises against back pain in the office

Relaxation for neck and shoulders.

  • Sit upright and roll your chair a little away from the work table.
  • Now place your arms stretched out and parallel on the table. Bend forward and support your head between your upper arms. Tighten your arms firmly.
  • Breathe deeply in and out. Try to relax yourself and your neck.
  • Attention: Form a straight back and not a hunchback!

Office gymnastics for the legs

Office gymnastics exercises against back pain in the office

A true relaxation for those who sit a lot and want to get fit in the office.

  • Stand up straight, pull your shoulders out and stretch your back.
  • For this office exercise, stand on your right leg.
  • Stretch your left leg firmly through and forward. Important: The toes point downward.
  • Tighten the leg, hold the position for at least 10 seconds before changing sides.

Exercise for tense shoulders in the office

Exercises for the office against tense shoulders

Let's get up from the chair! The more often you get up and move, the healthier for your back!

  • Stand behind your office chair.
  • Stretch your legs through and rest your palms on the backrest.
  • Now bend forward and make sure your back is straight.
  • Let your head hang down. Push your shoulders back.

If you want to target tension pain in specific areas, then you can a massage gun the solution be

You can use it to treat small and larger muscle areas, trigger points and fascia. The massage shocks penetrate into the deep-seated muscle tissue, where the cause of the problem usually lies. One model that we use ourselves is the Flow mini mass gun.

Relaxation for the shoulders and back

Office gymnastics exercises against back pain

Office gymnastics also work wonderfully in a sitting position.

  • Sit all the way forward on the seat.
  • The right leg is firmly on the ground and bent.
  • Now stretch your left leg and rest it on your heel. The tips of the toes point upwards.
  • Both arms lie on the desk and are stretched.
  • Make sure that your back is not crooked. Place your head between your arms.

If your tensions are mainly in your neck and upper back, you should think about a shoulder and neck massager. You put it around your neck. The circular movements with heat will loosen the muscles. It works best in the evening in front of the TV. This Massager with heat function* has particularly good ratings and testimonials.

Stretching arms and legs at the office

Office gymnastics against back pain and tension

So now it's time to stand up again. With this exercise you stretch the legs and relieve the spine.

  • Stand shoulder-width apart and stretch your left leg forward.
  • With your left arm, touch the top of your foot. The legs must be stretched out.
  • Hold this position for 15 seconds and then change sides.

Shoulders gyrate as office gymnastics

Office gymnastics exercises against tension

Do you know this too? You concentrate on a straight back and only a few seconds later your back is bent again? You can counteract this with exercises that require you to sit up straight.

  • Sit at the front of the chair.
  • Stretch the back and now begin to circle the shoulders in a clockwise direction.
  • Do this office exercise for 20 seconds and then switch counterclockwise.
  • After 20 seconds, again counterclockwise. That is, the right shoulder clockwise and the left counterclockwise.

Relaxed neck with office gymnastics

Exercise against neck tension in office

The best office exercise for a relaxed neck is this one.

  • Sit upright and place your right hand on your left knee. The left hand is on the edge of the chair.
  • Now stretch your back, push your shoulder blades back and turn your head to the left side.
  • Hold the position for at least 10 seconds before turning your head to the right side. Now switch arms.

Office gymnastics for tense shoulders

Office gymnastics exercises for tense shoulders

Things get a little acrobatic with this office gymnastics exercise.

  • To do this, sit quite far back on the chair. The legs form a right angle.
  • Bend your upper body towards your thighs. Now stretch your arms upwards as far as you can.
  • Your back is straight. Hold the tension for 10 seconds.

Looking to the side as an exercise in the office

Office gymnastics exercises for pain

Very simple but usually underestimated: the view to the side. Most of the time, we stare at the screen. This causes a lot of muscles and fasciae to harden.

  • Sit up straight, rest your arms on your desk, and turn your head to the side as far as possible.
  • Hold this "fit in the office" exercise for 5 seconds per side. Do 10 repetitions per side.

Stand on tiptoes for calves

Office gymnastics exercises for the legs

  • Stand behind your office chair and make sure it can't roll away.
  • Straighten your body and stand on tiptoes. Now lower your body back onto your heels and return to the toe-up position.
  • Do this exercise very slowly.
  • Standing on your toes, hold this position for 5 seconds before going back to your heels. Do 10 repetitions of this office exercise.

Standing on your heels

Office exercises for the legs

  • Exercises in the office for the legs include standing on heels.
  • It's best to use your desk to help you. Stretch your back and legs. Lift the tops of your feet off the floor.
  • Stay in this position for 5 seconds before lowering the legs again. Repeat the exercise 10 times.

Fit in the office with strong arms

Office gymnastics for the arms

In this office exercise you will train your neck, shoulders and arms.

  • Grab two books, water bottles, or binders. They should be of equal weight.
  • In each hand you hold one of the weights. Your back is straight.
  • Now begin to stretch the head alternately and as far as you can to the left and to the right.
  • Hold the stretched head on one side for 5 seconds and repeat the exercise 10 times.

Arms behind the head as office gymnastics

Office gymnastics exercises for the shoulders

This exercise is great for those who tend to sit with a crooked back.

  • Stand shoulder-width apart and place your palms behind your head.
  • Now push your shoulders and elbows firmly back and hold this position for 15 seconds.

Office exercise for the arms

Office gymnastics exercises for the arms

So and now it's getting a bit exhausting :)

  • Lean your office chair towards a wall, if possible. Now support yourself with your arms and form a right angle with your legs.
  • Bend your arms and walk with your buttocks a little towards the floor. This office exercise trains biceps, triceps and thighs.

Push ups with desk

Office gym push ups with desk

  • Stand in front of your desk and make sure it can't slide.
  • Now take two big steps backwards and lean your palms on the table surface.
  • Stretch your entire body straight through. Now start with push-ups. Do as many repetitions as you can :)

Office gymnastics for the legs and back

Office gymnastics for the back

  • Sit upright on your office chair. Now lift your left leg as high as you can. Your hands support you as you lift your legs.
  • Your back is straight through.
  • Slowly raise your left leg 3 times. Then switch sides. Do 3 passes.

Exercise for the shoulders in the office

Exercises in the office for the shoulders

A real boon for all those who type a lot and work with a mouse.

  • Sit up straight. Stretch your right hand over your back. The left elbow touches your hip.
  • Now you grab with both hands one after the other.
  • Push your shoulders back.
  • Make sure your right elbow is pointing straight up and your upper arm is parallel to your head.

Our conclusion

Office exercises help to loosen up the body and make tension disappear. If you do regular exercises in the office, you can prevent pain in the neck, back or arms. So better prevent than treat :)

Our tip: If you suffer from tension, you should regularly go for a massage. This loosens the muscles.

You can also prevent this by taking a short walk through the office every hour or by getting something to drink.

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