The Power of Just ONE Chair Squat

Over the past year I’ve been experimenting with improving my leg strength during which I gained back a lost skill. I share the surprising results below.

Since my ALS diagnosis in 2010, I’ve followed a daily practice of range-of-motion exercises based on fundamental movements taught by the strength and movement specialist company Original Strength. I also do a series of modified yoga, Pilates, and gymnastics moves.

But, somewhere along my ALS journey, I lost the ability to sit down and get up again without needing someone’s help. My sitting was more of a free-fall “plopping” onto the chair. Getting up required great effort. I’d take a heave-ho push and then lean onto a nearby side table or have someone grab my hands to pull me onto my feet — not a pleasant experience.

One day, I got fed up with all my plopping and pulling and worried that I was losing my leg strength for-ever. So, I designed a mini program to improve my failing leg strength.

In general, exercise for ALS patients is meant to maintain joint mobility and muscle strength. Studies rarely mention the word improvement.

But, I wondered, What’s the worst that could happen? If nothing improves, then I’ll just be right where I started. At least, I wanted to know I tried.

My plan of attack

In gyms worldwide, the tried and true leg strengthening exercise is a full squat.

Yikes! A full squat would have me calling 911. I better look up a modification!

I remembered that the easiest, bottom-rung version of a full squat is an air squat: From a stand, bend the knees a little, then return to a stand. Don’t laugh; it’s an accepted fitness exercise. 

I wasn’t laughing. All I could manage was a drop of about 4 inches before my leg muscles began tremoring. However, I managed 10 in a row. So, I added air squats to my daily routine.

I also knew that to make any real progress, I would have to practice with a real chair.

Down, up, and down again

Positioned with a chair behind me and a rollator in front, I lowered my hips down toward the chair as slowly as I could, resisting all the way.

Once safely seated, I counted “one!”

Frankly, that’s all I could do! It was a “humble-pie moment,” as my grand visions of easily knocking off 10 quickly faded away. Be willing to do just one, I firmly told myself as I set a new goal to do one very slow “sit-down” every day for a week.

Turns out I didn’t have to wait a week! Within four days I figured out that one slow “sit-down” in the morning and another in the afternoon would double my progress. By week’s end, I doubled it again.

Within another week I was able to sit down and rock myself back up to a stand by leaning on my rollator handles. The revised goal became two down-and-ups twice a day — adding one more every week.

At the end of one month, I was doing 10! Slowly, yes, but 10 twice a day … 20 a day! I was smiling!

My new goal was 40 a day!

Here's a great review of how to do a chair squat. Note the body position (no slumping!) and, I do these holding onto a rollator that's directly in front of me.

Slow progress

At some point I switched from air squats to legitimate chair squats, actually touching down onto the chair before standing up. I finally hit my goal of 40 a day, divided up as 10 repetitions four times a day. I even felt guilty when backing up to sit down if I didn’t do one or two chair squats just for the heck of it before finally sitting.

Mind you, this endeavor takes time, especially when living with ALS. I had good-feeling days, low-energy days, and “I’m just too busy” days. But whenever I felt like giving up, I’d chant my mantra: Be willing to do just one!

The results?

I’m still at 40 chair squats per day. I still hold onto my rollator for balance while doing them. It still takes effort to get up from a chair. However, I don’t need anyone to help me and I don’t feel shaky anymore.

My posture has improved and when I walk with my rollator, I walk a little taller.

At my last visit to the ALS Clinic, the physical therapist commented that my leg muscles tested stronger.

“Forty chair squats a day!” I blurted out.

Raising an eyebrow, he replied, “Whatever you’re doing, keep on doing it.”

UPDATE:  It’s been almost a year since I began doing chair squats - - and I continue to do them e-v-e-r-y-d-a-y. Now, I can sit onto my chair, wait a few seconds, then stand up without rocking or great effort. I still hold onto my rollator, but I have renewed confidence in my leg and hip muscles.

And continued confidence in the power of: “be willing to do just one!”

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Image by happyveganfit from Pixabay 

A version of this post first appeared as my column on the ALS News Today website.

Dagmar Munn
ALS and Wellness Blogger

If you never try,

you'll never know.

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