The Best Exercises to Help You More Easily Get In and Out of the Bathtub

Nov 06, 2023

As we age, simple tasks can become more difficult, and nagging aches and pains can interfere with activities of daily living. For some older adults, getting out of bed, standing up from the floor — and even getting in and out of the bathtub can become challenging.

That's because getting in and out of the bathtub requires balance, strength and flexibility, which are skills that can dwindle as we get older if we don't take care of our bodies, says Bonnie Strati, yoga instructor and lead flexologist with StretchLab.

Video of the Day

"You must be able to stand from a sitting position which requires you to push yourself up from sitting to a half-kneeling position and then stand up from the split squat position. This requires mobility in the ankle, knee, hip joints, as well as strength in the lower and upper body," Strati says.

Not to mention, you might be contending with a wet and slippery surface, so you need to be able to balance on one leg while lifting your other leg out of the tub.

But by doing exercises that strengthen your legs, arms and core, you can improve your balance and overall strength. Here, Strati shares the best exercises to make getting in and out of the bathtub — and other daily movements — easier. Strati recommends doing these exercises two to three times per week.

This exercise is a modified version of a split squat, and it mimics the movement pattern you'll need to get to standing from a kneeling position. It'll help strengthen your quads, glutes, hamstring and calf muscles.

If this exercise starts to feel easy, try starting from the standing position and stop about one to two inches above the seat of the chair; pause for a second and stand back up.

The wall push-up is a modified version of the push-up in a high plank, but it is just as effective for targeting your pectoral muscles (chest), shoulders and triceps. Strengthening these muscles will be beneficial when pressing from a seated position in the bathtub to kneeling or standing, Strati says.

If you are new to exercise, begin with 1 set of 5 to 8 reps and work your way up to 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.

Getting in and out of the bathtub requires an element of flexibility in the hips and glutes. If you can't flex your hip to an adequate range of motion, it becomes quite precarious to step over the ledge of a bathtub.

This stretch helps increase flexibility and functional range of motion throughout your hip flexors, abductors (small glute muscles) and adductors (inner thigh muscles).

This balance exercise is the same movement pattern you use to get in and out of the bathtub and will train your legs and core to help you stabilize.