Exercises for a programmer sitting by the PC all day
What exercises are recommended for people, who sit in front of the PC working for long hours?
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I wouldn't go for deadlifts right away. Yes, they are good, but chances are high that your posture has problems, your mobility is reduced and as a result your execution of DLs will suck.
Focus on stretching and try yoga or other activities like that to work on that posture and core strength. Other than that, any regular workout is a good workout for everyone, same rules apply.
Surprised there has been no mention of juggling for fitness yet! Many programmers I have worked with or met already know how to do it, and it's really easy to learn with scarves first. There are also tons of videos on YouTube or other sites to show you how. People don't generally think of it as exercise, but it is:
It's an aerobic activity that burns 280 calories an hour just like walking
It's easy to do in the office
Tones arms and engages core muscles
The motion of throwing balls up counteracts the repetitive downward position of the hands while on the computer.
It's been shown to grow gray matter in the brain, making it a brain-body exercise
Also, I created a fitness product called Cardio in a Box designed for the office desk. It's loosely based on juggling, and there are easy moves you can do even when on the phone that work the core muscles and arms and give you energy.
Even just standing up during phone calls or meetings will give you more energy and burn extra calories.
For someone who is sitting for long periods of time I would highly recommend doing yoga very often during the week. Here are a small handful of reasons why:
Working in a chair means you are
mostly sedentary and aren't moving
around much. This will cause your
muscles to tighten and shorten.
Yoga, which involves lots of intense
stretching, helps correct any
problems caused by sitting for long
periods of time.
Yoga helps immensely
with core strength, posture, and
balance. It will reinforce proper
body positioning and posture and make
it easier for you to sit up straight
with proper posture while working in
a chair.
Yoga is a great stress
relief outlet. If you work in a
chair/desk all day, chances are you
also work in an office environment.
Office environments tend to be the
most stressful location any one
person is in during their day to day
lives. Yoga helps your body with
stress relief before or after tough
days at the office.
One of the biggest afflictions for programmers is a phenomenon called Programmers Back.
We sit for 8 to 10 hours per day, sometimes longer, which is perhaps the worst thing you can do for your back. Human beings just weren't designed to sit for extended periods of time.
The article I referenced recommends stretching. Specifically, lower back stretching. Sitting puts a lot of pressure on the lower back, reduces blood flow to the legs, and can cause the muscles to shorten and atrophy.
Stretching helps reduce those muscle-weakening issues, helps you gain much-needed flexibility, and gets the blood flowing throughout your body.
I personally try to stretch at least once per day. If I go into work before everyone else, I use about 5 to 10 minutes to do some stretches in the office to help start my day.
In addition, another helpful tip is to use a standing desk. The Speedy Stand and the Ikea Fredrik are two very affordable options. People who use stand-up desks say they feel more active, productive, and alert. In addition, they claim they feel less soreness from being sedentary.
Back extensions, side bends (with or without weights), pointers and plank. Anything that strengthens the back and core muscles. Try sitting on a fitball instead of a chair and do pelvic rocks and circles while you work.
Here's a brief article on how problems arise from the muscle specialization we form from spending all day in a chair. See the bottom for a short regimen of yoga exercises designed specifically to help compensate.
I haven't tried it myself, yet, just read it 2 minutes ago.
I've been searching for a while on this subject as well and I came across this writeup on reddit and it has some pretty informative stuff in it. reddit.com/r/fitness . It has a bunch of stretches you should be doing every day.
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