The Best Exercises for People With Desk Jobs
Long hours at a desk can lead to tight hips, rounded shoulders, reduced mobility and weakened postural muscles. Over time, these patterns affect how you feel, move and perform during exercise — especially strength training. Fortunately, a handful of simple, effective exercises can counteract these effects and restore healthier movement.
Below are some of the most effective exercises for people who spend much of the day seated.
Hip Flexor Stretch
Sitting shortens the hip flexors, which can increase tension in the lower back and restrict hip extension. A focused hip flexor stretch helps release this tension and support healthier posture.
Benefits:
Reduces hip tightness
Helps relieve lower-back strain
Improves upright posture
Supports better movement during strength training
Hold each side for 30–45 seconds.
Glute Bridges and Hip Thrusts
Prolonged sitting often leads to weak or inactive glutes — which play a major role in hip stability, posture and lower-body strength. Glute bridges and hip thrusts help reactivate and strengthen them.
Benefits:
Strengthens glutes and hamstrings
Improves hip extension
Supports lower-back health
Enhances performance in squats and deadlifts
Glute bridges are performed on the floor with a limited range of motion, making them ideal for beginners, people without equipment and for learning to engage the glutes. Hip thrusts elevate the upper back, creating a deeper movement and allowing for heavier weights, which makes them more effective for building strength and power. While both exercises target the glutes, the increased range of motion in hip thrusts supports greater muscle development.
Thoracic Spine Rotations
Sitting for hours can cause stiffness in the upper and mid-back, which affects posture, shoulder mechanics and even breathing. Thoracic rotations help restore mobility and reduce tension.
Benefits:
Improves mid-back mobility
Reduces tension in the shoulders
Helps counteract rounded posture
Supports healthier movement during pressing and pulling exercises
These are ideal as warm-ups or as movement breaks from your desk.
Seated or Standing Rows
Rowing movements strengthen the upper back and improve shoulder mechanics — especially beneficial for anyone who spends long hours leaning forward over a desk. Rows help pull the shoulders back and support a more aligned posture.
Benefits:
Strengthens upper-back muscles
Stabilises the shoulders
Reduces neck and upper-back discomfort
Helps correct posture
Bonus Variation: Face Pulls
Face pulls are an excellent accessory to rows, targeting the rear delts and upper back. They help improve shoulder stability and counter forward-rounded posture common among desk workers. They can be performed standing or seated — using a seated setup reduces the need for balance and allows the upper back and rear delts to do more of the work, making it easier to train with heavier resistance. Standing face pulls involve more core and postural control, recruiting additional stabilisers but often at the expense of load. This is why seated face pulls are typically preferred for strength and hypertrophy, while standing variations are useful for improving functional stability.
Deadlifts and Variations
Deadlifts are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening the posterior chain — glutes, hamstrings and lower back — all of which become weaker and tighter from long hours sitting. Before upping the weight on these, beginners should learn the hip hinge first - the essential movement pattern behind all deadlift variations.
Benefits of Deadlifts:
Build strong, stable hips
Strengthen the entire backside of the body (posterior chain).
Improve posture
Teach safe lifting mechanics
Useful Deadlift Variations for Desk Workers:
Kettlebell Deadlift – great for learning hinge mechanics
Sumo Deadlift – more upright torso; comfortable for tight hips
Trap Bar Deadlift – easier on the lower back
Romanian Deadlift (RDL) – emphasises hamstrings and control
Starting with hinge practice ensures safe and confident progression.
Dead Bug & Core Control Exercises
People with desk jobs often experience weakened core stability, which affects posture, spinal control and lifting technique. The dead bug is a simple, effective exercise that builds deep core strength without straining the lower back.
Benefits:
Improves spinal stability
Strengthens deep abdominal muscles
Supports better posture while sitting
Enhances lifting technique and control
As with most resistance exercises, slow controlled reps lead to the best results.
Takeaway
Desk work can create tight hips, weakened glutes, rounded shoulders and reduced mobility. Incorporating some or all of these exercises into your weekly routine can significantly improve posture, reduce discomfort and support stronger, healthier movement patterns in and out of the gym.
How Our Studio Helps Desk-Based Beginners Learn These Movements
If you'd like support improving posture, learning these movements or building strength safely, our team offers personal training in Forest Hill, personal training in Kent House, and small-group coaching designed for beginners. Many newcomers start with a beginners weightlifting class in Forest Hill or a beginners weightlifting class in Kent House, where coaches break down each movement step-by-step. Working with one of our expert personal trainers in Forest Hill or Kent House can help you reduce desk-related discomfort, improve technique and build long-term strength with confidence.