Multifunctional benches, hyperextensions, Roman chairs

Roman chair crunches are a time-tested means of honing the shape and definition of your abdominal muscles, especially if you are faced with the task of “demonstrating” your middle and upper abs.

Your performance in javelin throwing, long jump, high jump, freestyle and butterfly swimming, volleyball, tennis and basketball largely depends on the strength and coordinated work of the muscles involved in the exercise (abs and hip flexors).

Roman chair crunch - abdominal exercise

Types of Roman chair exercise equipment

There are several types of Roman chair exercise equipment. They can be divided into two types:

1. horizontal;
2. inclined.

There are also hyperextension machines that have a fixed angle design. These simulators differ in the ability to perform hyperextension and crunches. For example, on a simulator that has a horizontal position, you can perform two versions of the exercise for the lumbar and abdominal regions at once. Machines with a downward angle do not allow hyperextension, and a hyperextension machine with an upward angle does not allow the abdominal muscles to be trained.

1. Roman chair for inclined abs 2. Roman chair horizontal for sit-ups and crunches 3. Roman chair for abs 4. Roman chair for hyperextensions

Roman chair: exercises and number of sets

Twisting the body on a machine is a great way to create definition in the abdominal muscle fibers, in particular the middle and lower parts. Using a Roman chair, the exercises should be performed in 4-5 approaches, each with at least 25 repetitions. The level of athletic training of a person to exercise on such a simulator must be average or above average.

Basic exercises:

• Sitting on a bench, raising the body.
• Twisting with turns.
• Lateral lift of the body.

Basic exercises aimed at working the abdominal muscles. The abs on the Roman chair can be worked out and strengthened in the best possible way. On simulators of more modern models, additional use of the muscles of the back, lower extremities and buttocks is possible.

How to do Roman chair crunches

1. Fixing your shins between the rollers, tensing your abdominal muscles, bend your torso and pull your torso towards your knees.
2. The exercise is performed while exhaling.
3. At the peak of the movement, you should linger for a while, after which you need to return to the starting position.
4. The reverse movement should be done slowly.
5. It is very important to shorten the pause in the lying position.

• The inclination of the bench should be 15-30 degrees.
• The athlete's hands can be either at the chest or behind the head.
• The tailbone should be pressed against the bench.
• The neck should be in a neutral position. It does not need to be bent in the direction of body movement (pull forward).
• The movement is performed solely by contracting the abdominal muscles. The chest should be straightened.
• During the return movement you need to inhale.

Read more about incline crunches →

Athletes with a higher level of physical fitness can perform weight training exercises. When performing crunches, do not use inertial force. Try to perform movements smoothly and concentrated.

Crunches

For hyperextension, a Roman chair with a seat is used. For other exercises, the Roman chair is equipped with a special bench tilted back. The legs are also provided with clamps in the form of soft cushions.

This Roman chair can be used to perform crunches, which are also beneficial for the abdominals and thighs. The technique for performing this exercise is extremely simple:

1. Adjust the tilt of the chair and take a comfortable position, fixing your legs in special bolsters. Hands should be placed behind your head.
2. As you exhale, gradually lift your torso, starting with your shoulder blades and ending with your lower back. Thus, the body twists, reaching the top point.
3. After reaching an angle of 90° between your legs and body, pause a little and, while inhaling, smoothly return to the starting position.

When performing exercises, beginners often make mistakes; by familiarizing yourself with them, you can protect yourself from making them in advance.

How to do a sit-up in a Roman chair

To perform hyperextension, horizontal type exercise machines and a Roman chair for hyperextension, which has an upward slope, are suitable.

1. To perform the exercise, you need to take a position in the machine face down.
2. The heels need to be rested under the bolsters.
3. Keeping your abdominal muscles tense, lower your body down while inhaling, exhale on the reverse movement and return to the starting position using the muscles of the lumbar region.
4. In the starting position, the body should form a straight line. At the top you need to take a short pause. There should be no bend in the lower back.

In this exercise, just like with crunches, you do not need to use the force of inertia. To increase results in the future, you can perform the exercise using weights, dumbbells, weights and discs.

Learn more about the hyperextension exercise →

Features of the exercises

The Roman chair is a simulator for creating a sculpted abdomen, which depends not only on a well-designed diet and systematic training, but also on the correct technique for performing the exercises.

Procedure and rules of execution:

• When sitting on a machine bench, the pelvis must be positioned so that the gluteal muscles do not protrude beyond the boundaries of the seat.
• Secure the lower limbs between the bolsters in the area of ​​the ankle joints. The legs are perfectly straight.
• After taking a deep breath and holding your breath, you should lower your body to a level slightly below your hip.
• Twisting the torso forward. The height of the head and shoulder girdle from the horizontal is no more than 60 degrees. If difficulties arise, it is possible to keep the torso perpendicular to the floor.
• We exhale immediately after we have completed the most difficult part of raising the body.
• After pausing, tensing your abdominal muscles at the top point of the amplitude, exhale and return to the starting position.
• Exercises are performed smoothly, without jerking, at a moderately slow or slow pace, depending on the person’s physical fitness.

How to choose a Roman chair for abs and hyperextension for home

• Pay attention to the possibility of changing the angle of the bench. Thanks to this, the simulator becomes accessible to people of any level of training. This nuance is very important for a home exercise machine.
• High-strength structures have radial bends and roundings on the frame.
• Advantage should be given to those simulators made entirely of metal, which have the least amount of plastic parts.
• The materials with which the frame is sheathed should not be slippery. An excellent option would be leather-covered seats. The strongest threads used to sew leather are reinforced threads.
• The bolsters for fixing the legs should be soft.
• It is also important to pay attention to the labeling of the simulator, which contains information about the maximum allowable weight of the user.

Recommendations to help you quickly achieve the desired result

There are several tricks and tips for performing exercises on the Roman Chair machine.

1. The level of the back tilt should be below the hip, with a slight arch in the lumbar region. This promotes maximum stretching of the abdominal muscle fibers.
2. It is strictly forbidden to lower your back too low, as this contributes to injury to the spine.
3. When going up, he recommends rounding your back.
4. Make sure your buttocks are positioned correctly on the bench. This not only improves your workout performance, but also prevents injuries.
5. It is prohibited to use heavy weights during exercises. Light weights in the negative phase of the movement increase the load on the abdominal muscle tissue. And with a lot of weight, the hip flexors come into play, relieving the load from the abs.
6. The Roman chair is designed for hyperextension, therefore the main movement is twisting at the hip joint.
7. It is recommended to choose the most comfortable equipment, depending on your weight and height. The ability to set the required angle of inclination of the bench will increase the effectiveness of training and protect against injuries in the lumbar region and knee joints.

How to make a simulator with your own hands

There are many options for making your own Roman chair. These can be structures based on steel pipes or wooden boards nailed to the frame.

Roman chair made of pipes:

• First you need to create a drawing of a homemade simulator and prepare the necessary materials and tools.
• Having measured and cut square steel pipes of the appropriate size, you need to connect them. To do this, it is possible to use welding or fasten all parts with screws.
• We cut out a bench from a wooden board, which, for convenience, can be upholstered with foam rubber and put a cover on it.
• For the leg bolsters, it is necessary to weld or screw a horizontal pipe perpendicular to the base, and for convenience, upholster it with leatherette and foam rubber.
• The ideal option would be to have a mechanism to adjust the inclination level of the bench.

This version of the simulator will be much more expensive than a wooden one. It can be done like this: cut out a bench of the required size, fix it on a support at an angle and stuff a crossbar on top to fix the legs. Such a simulator can be installed in the yard and exercised on it regularly.

Incline crunches

Execution options

• Note that this exercise, like all crunches, requires you to hunch your back to work your abs.
• Do not rise with a straight back.
• By holding the body in a horizontal position, the press is worked out faster and better.
• For advanced exercises, place a barbell plate on your chest. For the more advanced - behind the head.
• It is not recommended to lower yourself completely, because there will be a large rush of blood to the head, which will greatly strain the vessels of the head and increase the chance of a stroke.
• The exercise loads the back. It should not be performed with heavy weight and for people with back injuries, as lumbar lardosis increases.
• People who have had injuries or back diseases should carefully perform twisting exercises. It is even possible that a hernia may occur if the technique is incorrect.
• If it is difficult to curl up in the abdominal area, set the angle to less than 45 degrees.

1. Lower your back just below hip level so that it slightly arches at the lower back. This will allow you to better stretch your abdominal muscles so that you can tighten them more later.

2. At the same time, you should not lower your back too low. By arching your lower back too much, you dramatically increase the risk of injury.

3. As you rise up, be sure to round your back, and not just lift your torso using your lower back. The main movement here is flexion of the spine, not the hip joint.

4. The correct position of the pelvis on the bench is of great importance both for effectively working the abdominal muscles and for preventing possible injuries. The pelvis should rest completely on the seat. This will make it easier for you to round your back as you move up, and the load will be directed to the upper part of the rectus abdominis muscle.

5. We do not recommend using heavy additional weights in the form of barbell plates. The increased range of motion alone (compared to traditional crunches on the floor) turns the exercise into a serious test for the abdominal muscles. Of course, light additional weight won’t hurt - it will increase the load on the abdominal muscles, though only in the negative phase of the movement, when you lower your torso. But if you attach a heavy weight plate to your chest, then the hip flexors will work “to the fullest” and the load on the abs will drop.

6. The Roman chair is designed primarily for hyperextension, where the primary movement is flexion at the hip rather than at the waist. Additionally, the Roman chair generally cannot be adjusted to suit specific heights, and if you are taller than average, you may have difficulty with this exercise.

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Benefits for the body from training

Regular and systematic training on the Roman chair will only have a more positive effect on the body as a whole.

The main advantages of the simulator:

• Distributing physical activity only to the involved abdominal muscles.
• No load on the spine in the lumbar region.
• Gradual preparation of the musculoskeletal system to perform basic exercises.
• Formation of a straight posture.

And, of course, the muscles of the back and abdomen, which are constantly toned and tightened, are the ideal muscular framework for the entire spine. And the functioning of all internal human organs depends on its physiological state.