Because it’s 2025 and every day is a descent deeper into madness, the internet just unlocked a new fear that has people exercising at their desks while they’re at work. Just when we thought we’d heard every possible workplace hazard like blue light, bad posture, carpal tunnel, TikTok has decided to enlighten us with a new one… office chair butt.
Apparently, this is the term for what happens when you sit in a chair for eight-plus hours a day, five days a week (otherwise known as having a job). Doctors call it gluteal atrophy, meaning your butt muscles slowly start to wave the white flag from lack of use.
TikTok calls it “the reason you’ll never wear jeans the same way again.” And we call it a crime against humanity. But never fear, America! TikTok is full of solutions.
OK, what is “office butt?”
Fitness creators are popping up everywhere, swearing that they’ve cracked the code to keeping perky, perfectly round glutes despite sitting on them all day.
One popular creator, @dan.paulaa, shared a routine she does at her desk. Every 45 minutes. In real work clothes. While coworkers are either truly unbothered or just pretending not to notice.
The title of the fitness creator’s video reads “Just found out about the office chair butt and I refuse to be a victim.” In the video, @dan.paulaa stands at an upright desk in her office and quickly goes through one set of her at-work, anti-office-butt workout which includes a series of squats, lunges, and leg lifts.
And the comments were full of encouragement.
One fan wrote, “Babe, you have nothing to worry about.”
Another chimed in with, “Discipline and perseverance help us to obtain good results.”
“Girl, I do chair sit ups when no one is looking,” commented another follower.
With 982,000 views and over 70,000 comments, the video piqued interest. And the praise is sweet and well-deserved, really. We would never question someone trying to stay in shape.
But here’s the thing… not everyone is going to be on board with exercise in the office. People would be lunging to and from meetings, blurred in the background of your Zoom call with a client.
And we are definitely not doing standing leg lifts while Brenda from accounting microwaves her salmon and rice from last night.
Don’t get us wrong. We respect the dedication.
We wish we had that kind of energy. But when we’re working, the main goals are not falling asleep during staff meetings, and making it to 5 p.m. without accidentally rage-emailing someone.
Adding “randomly burst into a squat set” to our to-do list is simply not happening.
So what are we desk-bound people to do?
Honestly, we’re choosing denial. Okay, fine… partial denial. We’ll just take the stairs sometimes. We’ll stand up from a quick little stretch when no one’s looking.
Maybe we’ll even take a brisk walk around the block on a particularly nice day. But if the internet thinks we’re about to launch into a squat routine every 45 minutes like we’re training for the 2026 Tight Buns Olympics, they’re wrong. We’re not.
At the end of the day, yes, we want to keep our butts intact.
But we also want to keep what’s left of our dignity. And if that means risking a slightly flatter backside in exchange for getting paid to do my job which does not include doing lunges in front of my boss, so be it.
So here’s our official stance… office chair butt might be real but we refuse to stand up and squat about it.
