Best Roman chairs buying guide

Roman chairs are needed for efficient full-body workout aimed to build muscles of the back, legs, arms, and chest. They are not common nowadays – recommended by many fitness experts. The best roman chair is one that enables you to perform exercises that target your upper or mid-back using both an overhand grip (pulling down-away from the body) and an underhand grip (pulling up-toward the body).

The primary muscles that will benefit from a roman chair workout are latissimus dorsi, trapezius, biceps, triceps, deltoids. This equipment is excellent for working out your back which is one of the most popular muscle groups.

What are the best Roman chairs?

Here we will look at our best Roman chairs from the hundreds of roman chairs reviews that we have researched and analyzed in detail.

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What are the types of Roman chairs?

You can find three types of Roman chairs:

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Floor Roman Chair with Ankle Strap

This type is the most basic one which has only a seat and two adjustable foot holders with a padded leather or plastic rest. It can be adjusted to 5 different angles.

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Roman Chair Stationary Combo with Ankle Strap

This type is very similar to the first one, but it has a back support that allows doing hamstring exercises. The support can be retracted almost flat making this chair ideal for many kinds of abdominal workouts (e.g., crunches, oblique crunches).

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Roman Chair Stationary Combo with Foot Bar

This type is very similar to the second one, but it has got a foot bar on which you can put your legs. It’s more expensive because of the additional handle behind the backrest that is mostly used in decline position for shoulder workouts – mainly upright rows and shoulder presses.

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What are the benefits of Roman chairs?

The main benefits of roman chairs are:

• developing upper and mid-back muscles
• great for rehab exercises
• good for warming up before working out with weights
• strengthening arms
• developing abdominal muscles (mainly by using the back support)
• increasing strength in arms, legs, chest, and back muscles
• shaping your body
• increase the intensity of the workout
• developing back muscles (lats, traps), arms (biceps, triceps), legs (quads, hamstrings)

All this helps to increase your power, strength and burn body fat. It’s especially useful for sports that require strong back muscles like tennis, baseball, swimming, etc.

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What exercises can you do with Roman chairs?

One of the most important exercises are the following:

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Pull-ups (underhand grip)

– With the support extended, kneel on the floor (or sit on the floor with your back against it). Place your feet on the foot bar. Hold onto both handles and extend your arms overhead. Pull up until you are at a taut diagonal

– With the support retracted, lie face down on the chair

and grasp the handles. Extend your arms and lift your chest off the pad

– With the bar, hold yourself in a prone (facedown) position on the apparatus with your hands grasping the bar. Your legs should be extended and resting on top of the base

– Kneel with one knee on either side of the chair. Extend your arms and grasp the handles

– Without using your feet, grab onto each handle. Pull yourself up so that your nose is between the bars. Your hips should be slightly above the chair

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Decline pushups

Lie on your back on top of the Roman chair with your hands holding onto each side of it. You can lift your legs or keep them straight out in front of you. Lower your chest to the pad and then push back up until your arms are fully extended.

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Upright rows

– Place your feet on the foot bar and hold onto both handles, extending your arms above you

– Sit facing forward on the seat with one knee over each armrest. Hold onto each handle. With your back straight, slowly lower yourself until your head is resting on the pad

– Sit facing forward on the seat with one knee over each arm rest. Hold onto each handle. With your back straight, slowly lower yourself until your arms are fully extended and perpendicular to the floor

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How to choose the best Roman chairs?

When choosing the best roman chairs, you should keep in mind your goals. If you want to increase strength and muscle size, then choose a chair that lets you do exercises with heavyweights. If your goal is fat burning and shaping your body, choose a chair that allows doing many kinds of different exercises involving balance and coordination.

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Features

– The seat should have firm padding, be comfortably cushioned, and fit your body so you can do exercises with correct form. It shouldn’t allow any part of the legs to protrude out from under it or hang off it either.

– Make sure that the armrests are sturdy enough that they won’t collapse when you set the weight down on them when doing exercises like upright rows.

– Check that the foot bar is adjustable and padded enough it won’t cause uncomfortable pressure on your ankles, knees, or hips.

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Weight

Choose a Roman chair that has a weight rating of at least 200 lbs. If you have heavier-than-average upper body strength, choose one tested to hold up to 300 lbs or more.

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Price

Roman chairs are inexpensive. You can find one that will meet your needs in the $80-$120 range.

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Size

You should consider how much space you must store the chair when not in use. It shouldn’t be so big that it’s difficult to fit under a bed, in a closet, or tucked away somewhere else.

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Safety

Make sure the chair’s construction is such that it won’t collapse, break, or injure you when doing exercises like upright rows.

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Construction and durability

Even if you don’t want to use heavyweights with your Roman chair (which is a good idea for home exercisers), make sure that its construction will allow you to do so safely.

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Accessories

Some Roman chairs come with useful extras such as a leg developer. If you’re interested, look for one that has an adjustable back pad.

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Conclusion

Roman chairs are perfect for people who have already developed their back muscles and want to focus on an upper or midsection workout rather than just the lower latissimus dorsi muscles. They are also very helpful for people with back pain because they don’t put pressure on the spine or require you to support yourself with your hands.

Happy training!