Sit-To-Stand Desk Pros & Cons: Is It Worth Buying One?

Unlike regular desks, standing desks (aka sit-to-stand desks) are height-adjustable. With the push of a button, users can set the height to support sitting or standing deskwork. In theory, transitions between sitting and standing is healthier than only sitting. But that’s only with proper usage. In fact, studies show that many users forget about the sit-stand functions after a while. Then, it’s just a regular desk with a higher price. So is it really worth buying a sit-to-stand desk? This article explores the real-world pros and cons.

WOman working her hips while sitting and standing at a computer desk — Work your hips, legs, and spinal muscles every time you switch from sitting to standing.

Sit-to-stand desks make it easy to shift between sitting and standing computing positions. They have motorized legs and control panels. With the push of a button, users can toggle their desktop height in seconds.

Standing desk control panel closeup — Shifting from sitting to standing modes using a Secretlab Magnus Pro desk.

But what’s the point? Standing instead of sitting for 3 hours burns just 24 calories more than if seated. That’s the equivalent of a carrot⁽¹⁾.

Standing desk calorie-burning benefits — Three hours of standing only burns 24 more calories (one carrot) than three hours of sitting.

Standing instead of sitting will also slightly lower blood pressure. Beyond these minor gains, the health benefits are mild.⁽²⁾ Furthermore, standing too much is bad for you!

Plantar fasciitis from excessive standing — Excessive standing can swell limbs, fatigue muscles, and cause plantar fasciitis.

Standing for too long causes discomfort, muscle fatigue, and lower limb swelling. That strain deteriorates reaction times and mental states⁽³⁾.

Standing Desk 1:1 Golden Ratio

Professor Jack P. Callaghan (University of Waterloo, Canada Research Chair in Spine Biomechanics and Injury Prevention) cites a 1:1 standing to sitting ratio⁽⁴⁾ as the sit-stand desk ideal:

The optimal target ratio is likely centered around a 1:1 ratio… in an 8-hour day, there would be a total of 4 hours of sitting time and a total of 4 hours of standing time… What is certain, is that movement throughout the workday is key . Jack P. Callaghan

Used with a 1:1 ratio, standing desks mitigate sedentary behaviors by encouraging movement. Then, sit-stand desks can also support the back and neck while multi-device computing (desktop or mobile).

Healthy texting postures using a sit-stand desk for support — Standing desks can support healthy texting postures while sitting or standing.

But in practice, mental hurdles prevent the majority of users from reaching a 1:1 ratio. These are worth keeping in mind for potential standing desk buyers.

Standing Desk Cons: Mental Barriers

Here at ChairsFX, I use a Secretlab Magnus Pro sit-to-stand desk. It took me around eight months before I hit a nice balance between sitting and standing.

Most of the hurdles I encountered are, in fact, well-documented. Are you willing to battle these? If not, a sit-to-stand desk might not be for you!

Standing Desk Users Need Training

After spending your whole life sitting, reprogramming your mind to maintain a 1:1 sit-stand ratio is difficult. A study among 4 Swedish companies found that without training, only 20% of employees bothered using their desk’s standing functions.

But with or without training, sit-stand transitions taper off over time. Eventually, most revert back to their old seated ways. For example, the Stand Up To Work project tracked employee standing desk usage at 3 and 6-month intervals:

After 3 months: 17% reduction in sitting times.
After 6 months: 15% reduction in sitting times.

New Standing Desk Training Tool: Movably Smart Chair

To address the need for standing desk training, a new ‘smart chair’ concept has emerged. The Movably Smart Chair was developed by a pair of Ukrainian engineers and then verified through a study done by the University of Waterloo.

Core Movably Pro Smart Chair features — This chair promotes movement while working at a standing desk.

This chair has buttons on both sides of the seat. A 2-second press activates auto-mode. Then, each seat half sends silent vibro-motor signals at timed intervals. These signal the user to change their position.

Movably Pro standing and sitting modes — The Movably Pro maintains a consistent desk height to preserve mental focus at all times.

Interestingly, the sitting portion keeps the desk at a standing height. That is based on studies which found that changing work surface heights delays work by necessitating a mental reset. Learn more:

Movably Smart Chair Might Skyrocket Standing Desk Adoption

Old Habits Are Hard To Break

A recent qualitative evaluation⁽⁵⁾ highlighted two main reasons why many sit-stand desk users stop using the standing functions:

Rigid habits: some people are so used to sitting that they ‘forget’ to stand. As sit-stand transitions taper off, many lack the motivation to change.
Mental disruptions: many need to ‘mentally reset’ after a transition. That breaks focus on a task.

In my own sit-stand desk usage, I found the mental resets the most challenging. For the first few months, I was only comfortable doing casual work (like web browsing) while standing.

For focused work, I only felt comfortable while sitting. Until I learned to overcome that barrier, my sit-to-stand ratios were beyond my control.

Case Study: 8 Month Habit Conversion

I use a Secretlab Magnus Pro sit-stand desk. It took me eight months of trial and error before I managed to achieve something close to a 1:1 sit-stand ratio. Summary:

Month	Sit-Stand Ratio	Reason
1	90% standing vs 10% sitting	The novelty of the standing function was like a ‘honeymoon’ period. I overdid it.
2	0% standing vs 100% sitting	Excessive standing with bare feet on tile floors destroyed my feet. Standing then became too painful.
3	20% standing vs 80% sitting	With foot support, I started standing a bit more. But the habit was so weak I soon forgot about it.
4-7	10% standing vs 90% sitting	I mostly forgot about using the standing functions.
8	70% standing vs 30% sitting	After a 1-week break away from my desk, I reset. With supported feet, standing became my preferred working mode.

Now in month 9, I’m still standing 70% of the time. When I start to feel tired, I switch to sitting. For my particular needs, this 70% standing + 30% mix works well.

Standing Desk Pros: Movement + Mobile

If you can get over the mental barriers, standing desks yield two major benefits. First, the World Economic Forum (WEF) hypes the Fourth Industrial Revolution as a shift to a full-blown information-driven society.

Information-era multi-device workstation — Humans of the future will exist in a ubiquitous computing state of near-virtual reality.

It foresees an Internet of Things (IoT) connecting billions (via mobile devices) “with unprecedented processing power, storage capacity, and access to knowledge…”

Then, humans will exist in a ubiquitous computing state of near-virtual reality. The problem: people are not designed to exist as perpetual computing cyborgs. Technostress caused by excessive computing yields both physical and mental stresses.

Technology addict — Techno-addict checking out what’s up on Twitter.

These factors brought major ergonomic updates from the very top. The Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics documents the latest standards in institutional design. In late 2021, the 5th edition Handbook came out with a major shift in priorities.

Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics 5th edition — The (2021) 5th edition Handbook frames multi-device computing as the greatest ergonomic challenge of our time.

First, the average person now uses mobile devices around 3 hours per day. Most do so with a severe forward head tilt. To address the severe musculoskeletal stresses caused by Text Neck Syndrome, modern ergonomic workstations must now support the back and neck.

Text neck examples — Text neck causes problems in the neck, shoulders, and lower back.

Second, a natural byproduct of a ubiquitous computing society is an excess of sedentary behaviors. In fact, data collected since 1965 and projected to 2030 shows clear trends. As technology becomes more prevalent, active hours decline while sedentary behaviors surge.

China sedentary vs active trends through history — Active vs sedentary trends in China from 1965; projected to 2030.

Because of these recent WEF and ergonomic updates, sit-to-stand desks have become very relevant.

Multi-Device Support For Back AND Neck

In response to an emerging Internet of Things, sit-stand desks have become relevant in two major ways.

Multi-Device Posture Support For The Back AND Neck

When stacked with a good ergonomic chair, a sit-to-stand desk can provide healthy, multi-device computing support for the back and neck.

Magnus Pro desk providing multi-device computing support — Near-perfect neutral postures while sitting, mobile computing, and standing.

A healthy standing posture comes with two biomechanical benchmarks. A 0° neck tilt and a 25-45° lower back curve define a healthy neutral posture. All ergonomic chairs are designed to help users maintain neutral postures while seated.

Magnus Pro mobile and standing ergonomic support examples — My mobile and standing posture therapy is a work in progress.

By adding a sit-to-stand desk, users can also enjoy neutral posture support while standing and mobile computing!

Mitigate Sedentary Stress With Movement

Standing for long periods yields inconsequential benefits. In contrast, the movement generated by moving from seated to standing positions yields several. The movement from a sitting to standing position is called a squat.

Sit to stand transition exercise — The sit to stand transition works core muscles while maintaining hip flexibility.

Every time you squat up or down, you work your hips, bones, muscles, and joints. Compared with stiff sitting in fixed positions for long hours, sit-to-stand transitions improve both cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health.

As a result, users enjoy improved learning, memory, and cognitive functions⁽⁶⁾. These benefits are so profound that they’ve become a cornerstone of elite pro esports optimization programs.

Evil Geniuses esports player doing neck exercises with Dr. Jordan Tsai — Dr. Tsai teaching motion exercises at Evil Geniuses headquarters. (Pic: @EvilGeniuses)

For example, Dr. Jordan Tsai works with Evil Geniuses, Cloud9, 100 Thieves, and other top esports teams. He cites a good ergonomic chair as the least important performance optimization factor.

Instead, he touts “a regular range of motion exercises, strengthening, and stretching” as the key. His opinion reflects a widespread trend in pro esports.

2022 Human Factor and Ergonomic priorities — 2022 human factor priorities from esports (left) and workplace design perspectives.

Physical fitness helps players perform better. Then, ergonomic seating supports good posture while they train. As a result, they perform better. Learn more:

Esports Performance Formula: Fitness + Posture

Sit-Stand Desk 2022 Fundamentals

Find beginner-friendly answers to these standing desk essentials below:

Are sit-to-stand desks good for the back?
Is it worth paying extra for fancy features, or is a plain, boring model good enough?
What aspects (size, cost, features, etc) should I focus on when shopping for a desk?

Are Standing Desks Good For The Back?

Excessive cell phone usage is the reason why ergonomic standards now call for back and neck support. A mature human head weighs around 12 pounds. These days, the average person uses a mobile device 3 hours per day. Most do so with a severe forward head tilt.

Text neck angles and head pressure — Excessive cell phone usage places severe strain on the neck and shoulders.

Text Neck Syndrome describes the ill effects caused by this strain. In the short term, the severe muscle strain causes chronic fatigue. Long-term, a severe upper back curvature leads to spinal disc degeneration.

How to use a gaming chair headrest — Terrible vs healthy postures in Titan Evo 2022 Series chairs.

A good-quality ergonomic chair can support seating neutral postures. Using a good chair with the proper technique will mitigate a forward head tilt — but only while desktop computing.

Recently, researchers found the perfect mobile computing posture. Elbows bent at 30° can prop a device high enough to ensure a 0° neck tilt. Based on muscle activity readings, this position causes the least amount of strain while texting.

Mobile computing positions with and without ergonomic support — L-R: unhealthy mobile computing; mobile use with standing desk support; best-case benchmarks.

As the image shows, mobile computing in a gaming chair without support promotes a forward neck tilt. In contrast, raising the height of a standing desk to support the elbows also supports good posture by preserving a straight neck.

But obviously, the process isn’t automatic. An ergonomic chair + standing desk gives you the tools to support good posture. However, you’ll need good posture habits and discipline to make use of them.

Bottom line: a standing desk paired with a good ergonomic chair is potentially good for the back. For best results, users should strive to maintain strict neutral sitting postures at all times (0° neck tilt and 25-45° lower back curve).

Physiological Vs Psychological Comfort

Ergonomists define ‘comfort’ as environmental factors which improve physical or psychological well-being⁽⁷⁾. Based on modern ergonomic standards, the point of the desk is to support movement + multi-device computing.

From a physical standpoint, sit-stand desks promote comfort by supporting good sitting, standing, and mobile computing postures. However, the psychological appeal that furniture provides can also yield a comforting impact.

Psychological comfort relates to unique human needs. Having the ability to personalize and prettify one’s workspace improves satisfaction and morale.

Herman Miller Leatherwrap Sit-to-Stand Desk — Herman Miller’s Leatherwrap packs $4000 worth of aesthetic luxury into a sit-stand desk.

This doesn’t directly impact productivity. However, many studies show that psychological comfort does improve mood, cognitive function, and commitment to a task.

Mid-back chair vs headrest chair — A headrest on a mid-back chair is a psychological gimmick that distorts good posture.

A similar concept applies to ergonomic seating. When a chair looks more comfortable (such as with fancy headrests of flashy colors), people will feel happier — and more comfortable — while using it. Learn more:

Comfort Psychology: Gaming Vs Office Chairs

How To Choose The Best Standing Desk

In my experience, the ideal desk specifications for your needs will include physiological, functional, and psychological aspects:

Physiological: look for a desk height that lets you keep your feet firmly planted.
Functional: monitor arms will help maintain a straight neck.
Psychological: cable management with a PC mount will streamline your build.

Physiological: Desk Height

The most important sit-stand desk spec to look out for is the minimum tabletop height. It should go low enough so that you can easily plant your feet firmly on the floor.

Woman sititng with planted feet while using a sit-to-stand desk — The ideal desk height should let you firmly plant your feet while sitting.

Here are recommended desk heights for various sizes:

User height	Desk height	Chair seat height	Armrest height
5’2″ (157 cm)	25″ (63.5 cm)	16.7″ (42.4 cm)	9.2″ (23.2 cm)
5’5″ (165 cm)	26.2″ (66.5 cm)	17.5″ (44.45 cm)	9.6″ (24.3 cm)
5’7″ (170 cm)	27″ (68.5 cm)	18″ (45.7 cm)	9.9″ (25 cm)
5’9″ (175 cm)	27.8″ (70.6 cm)	18.5″ (47 cm)	10.2″ (25.9 cm)
6’1″ (185 cm)	29.4″ (74.6 cm)	19.6″ (49.7 cm)	10.8″ (27.4 cm)
6’3″ (190 cm)	30.2″ (76.7 cm)	20.2″ (51.3 cm)	11.1″ (28 cm)
6’5″ (195 cm)	31″ (78.7 cm)	20.7″ (52.5 cm)	11.4″ (29 cm)

Functional: Monitor Arms

A good standing desk routine should prevent a forward head tilt while sitting or standing. While using a desktop PC, desk-mounted monitor arms are essential accessories to stack with your desk.

Most premium standing desk brands offer their own single, dual, and triple monitor arms — for premium prices. You can also use cheap third-party mounts from Amazon — most use clamp systems that easily attach to any desk.

North Bayou desk mount installation options — Most third-party monitor mounts will work with most standing desk models.

For example, I’ve had good experiences with a North Bayou dual mount. It’s cheap ($47.90 on Amazon), easy to install, well-built, and bundled with cable management routers. Learn more:

Intro To Desk-Mounted Monitor Arms

Psychological: Clean Cable Management

Most of the leading standing desks come with built-in cable management solutions. All top brands also offer monitor arms and PC mount accessories.

Uplift V2 desk and accessories — Uplift V2 Desk with recommended accessories.

The latter lets you hang your PC under the desk. That frees up desktop space. It also makes it easy to manage your cables like a professional.

Conclusion: Best Standing Desks 2022

Objectively, the best sit-stand desk is any that meets your sizing needs. Functionally, adding monitor arms will help prevent a forward neck tilt. Psychologically, clean cable management and nice aesthetics will boost happiness.

Uplift V2 sit to stand desk with accessories — An Uplift V2 desk with monitor arms, cable management, and a PC holder.

Compared with the industry’s top standing desks, my Secretlab Titan Magnus Pro offers similar functionality — and much nicer aesthetics. But it also costs more and comes with a much shorter warranty.

Magnus Pro Desk with dual monitors — My Magnus Pro setup stacked with dual monitor mounts and a Secretlab Titan Ash Leatherette chair.

Here’s a summary of the best options from four leading furniture brands. Each includes dual monitor arms and a few unique extras. The Herman Miller models don’t have any extras besides arms.

Feature	Magnus Pro	Uplift V2	Flexispot E7 Pro	Motia Gaming Desk
Best add-ons	RGB strip, mousepad, monitor arms, mag cable fasteners	Caster wheels	Desk mat	None (only monitor arms)
Dual monitor arm price	$249 from Secretlab	$179 from UpliftDesk.com	$89.99 from Flexispot.com	$575 from Herman Miller
Desk Warranty	5 years on parts; 2 years on electronic controller	15 years all-inclusive	15 years all-inclusive	12 years all-inclusive
Weight Capacity	265 pounds	355 pounds	355 pounds	250 pounds
Desk Price (click to buy)	$799 from Secretlab (with tabletop and cable tray)	$628.00 on Amazon (with fiberboard tabletop)	$799 from Flexispot.com (with bamboo tabletop)	$1345 from Herman Miller

For a deeper drilldown of each desk and recommended accessories, check out these updated standing desk reviews:

Best Standing Desks From The Top Brands 2022

Footnotes

Robert H. Shmerling, MD. ‘The truth behind standing desks’. Harvard Health Publishing, Stept. 23, 2016. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-truth-behind-standing-desks-2016092310264, (accessed 2 August 2022).
University of Pittsburgh. ‘The ups and downs of sit-stand desks’. Science News, March 12, 2019. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190312123635.htm (accessed 2 August 2022).
Richelle Baker, et al. ‘A detailed description of the short-term musculoskeletal and cognitive effects of prolonged standing for office computer work’. Ergonomics
Volume 61, 2018 – Issue 7. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2017.1420825 (accessed 2 August 2022).
Jack P. Callaghan, et al. ‘Sit-Stand Workstations – Are They Equal to the Hype?’ Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD), last updated in 2020. Read the paper (accessed 7 June 2023).
Lidewij R Renaud, et al. ‘Natural Patterns of Sitting, Standing and Stepping During and Outside Work-Differences between Habitual Users and Non-Users of Sit-Stand Workstations’. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 Jun 8;17(11):4075. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17114075 (accessed 7 June 2023).
Christopher Bergland. ‘Moving Your Body Is Good for Your Mind’. The Athlete’s Way Sept. 25, 2014. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201409/moving-your-body-is-good-your-mind (accessed 2 August 2022).
Martina Lorenzino, et al. ‘The Importance of Psychophysiological Factors in Comfort Studies’. Journal of Ergonomics, S1:001, February 15, 2021. DOI: 10.35248/2165-7556.21.s1.001 (accessed 2 August 2022).