Roman Chair for Abs

Roman Chair For Abs

The Roman Chair exercise is performed to strengthen the lower back. This is accomplished by the chair holding the person in place as he/she bends at the waist and then extends their body upwards, often to a hyperextention (further than normal).

Enter into the 'chair', with the pad supporting the front of your upper thighs and locking the lower leg (typically at the ankle or heel) and bend forward at the waist. As you bend forward, your upper body will become closer to the ground. When you have bent as far as comfortable, use the muscles of your lower back to straighten your body, extending your upper body upwards. Many people at this point extend to the point of a hyperextention curving their backs beyond typical straightness. Great care must be used during this exercise as the lower back can easily be injured. People new to the roman chair exercise should consult a fitness professional.

The roman chair exercise, that works the lower back, is a complimentary exercise to the captains chair exercise that works the lower abdominals. The abdominal exercise using the captain's chair is performed as follows: Stand in the 'chair', place the forearms on the rests and grab the handles. Supporting the body on the arms, lift the knees towards the chest, keeping the upper body straight, without using momentum. The desired action is similar to a crunch Watch the video below for a demonstration