This is sit to stand with an arm reach built in. From a high stool, you reach your weaker arm up and out to that side, keep reaching as you stand, and let your weight move onto the leg on the same side. Physios use it to help people lean into a weaker side that tends to get left out, usually once plain sit to stand is going well.

How to do the sit to stand with a side reach

Sit tall on a steady, high stool with your hips a little higher than your knees.
Set your feet hip width apart, directly under your knees.
Lift your weaker arm and reach diagonally up and out to that side, as if toward a high shelf. The other hand can rest against your chest, as in the video, or wherever it is comfortable.
Keep reaching as you lean forward and stand up, letting your weight travel onto the leg on the reaching side.
Straighten your hips fully at the top and hold the reach for a moment.
Bring the arm down, sit back onto the stool slowly and repeat.

What you should feel

Work in the thigh and buttock on the reaching side, with a stretch along that side of your trunk. The weight shift can feel odd if you usually lean on your other leg.

Common mistakes

Reaching without shifting, so your weight stays on the stronger leg.
Arching your back or flinging the arm up to gain momentum.
Reaching so far that you overbalance sideways.
Finishing with your hips still bent.

How often

Many programs begin with 5 to 10 reaching stands, done for 1 to 3 sets on most days. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

You feel dizzy, lightheaded or faint as you get up. Sit back down and wait for it to pass. If it does not pass within a minute or two, or it keeps happening, get medical advice the same day before you practice again. If you faint, or it does not settle within a few minutes of keeping still, call emergency services.
Pain in the shoulder of the reaching arm, or a sharp pain in your hip, knee or back.
You tip toward the reaching side and cannot stop yourself.
Chest pain or pressure, dizziness or feeling faint, a racing or irregular heartbeat, or being far more out of breath than the effort should cause.

From the clinic

Put a counter or rail on the side you reach toward, or ask someone to stand there. That is the way you are most likely to tip. The stool must be firm and still; a bar stool that swivels or rolls is not suitable.

If you have fallen in the past year or feel unsteady, keep practice to times when a helper is there. Wear flat shoes that fit well and grip the floor, not socks, tights or bare feet. Sit back down at once if you start to lose your balance.

A sudden loss of balance is different. Call emergency services straight away for any sign of a stroke, even if it goes away: sudden dizziness with unsteadiness or falling over, a face that droops on one side, an arm you cannot lift or keep up, slurred or muddled speech, weakness or numbness on one side of your body or face, sudden blurred vision, double vision or loss of sight, or a sudden severe headache. If one side is already weak or numb from an earlier stroke, new or suddenly worse weakness or numbness is a sign, and every other sign in this list still counts.

If one side is weaker after a stroke or another brain or nerve condition, ask your physio first whether this exercise suits you. Take care when the reaching arm is the weak one. Reach only as high as you can control, and never force the arm up with your other hand. A helper can support the arm under the elbow and forearm, but should never lift or pull it by the hand. If that shoulder hurts, or your physio has told you it has partly slipped out of its socket (subluxation), ask them how high you may reach before you start.

If you have had a hip replacement, get the go-ahead from your surgeon or physio before you try sit to stand with a side reach. The forward bend as you come up from the stool can take the hip past a right angle if the seat is not high enough, and many surgeons ask you to avoid that for the first months after some operations. After a knee fracture or knee surgery, including a knee replacement, follow your surgeon's or physio's plan, and start this exercise only when they have cleared you.

For another way to get the weaker leg working, try sit to stand with staggered feet.

If chest pain, pressure or tightness does not ease quickly when you rest, spreads to your arm, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or comes with sweating, feeling sick, feeling light-headed or being short of breath, call emergency services straight away, as this can be a heart attack. If it eases quickly and none of these happen, get medical advice the same day, and do not exercise again until you have been checked.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-26.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Sit to stand with a side reach