Roman chair
Encyclopedia
The Roman chair is a piece of exercise
equipment. The equipment is mainly used for the lower back, but can also target the gluteal muscles
and the abdominals. How the equipment is defined, and what the 'Roman chair exercise' is specifically, is an issue that is not clear.
performed to strengthen the lower back, especially the erector spinae
. This is accomplished by the chair holding a person in place laying supine as they bend at the waist and then extends their body upward.
It is characterized by the two right angle
s formed by the body, one at the hips and one at the knees. The person enters 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 hyperextension curving their backs beyond typical straightness. Great care must be used during this exercise as the lower back can easily be injured.
The power tower
is a piece of equipment including a "captain's chair" that is sometimes called a roman chair. It is used to perform leg and leg-hip raise exercises.
Another exercise called the "Romain chair squat" requires using the quadriceps dynamically. It similarly mimics a sitting motion without actually sitting down on something, and can be done on an apparatus similar to the aforementioned spinal exercises. This is very similar to a "sissy squat".
Physical exercise
Physical exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons including strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system, honing athletic skills, weight loss or maintenance, as well as for the purpose of...
equipment. The equipment is mainly used for the lower back, but can also target the gluteal muscles
Gluteal muscles
The gluteal muscles are the three muscles that make up the buttocks: the gluteus maximus muscle, gluteus medius muscle and gluteus minimus muscle.-The gluteal muscles:...
and the abdominals. How the equipment is defined, and what the 'Roman chair exercise' is specifically, is an issue that is not clear.
Exercises
Various different exercises have been called "Roman chair". The most common or earliest historical meaning for the movement is not clear. The bodyweight can provide significant challenge in all variations, and additional weight can be added to increase difficulty.Spinal extension
One type of exercise done on a Roman chair is a type of lower-back hyperextensionHyperextension (exercise)
A hyperextension is an exercise that works the lower back as well as the mid and upper back, specifically the erector spinae....
performed to strengthen the lower back, especially the erector spinae
Erector spinae
The Erector spinæ is a muscle group of the back in humans and animals. It is also known as sacrospinalis in older texts. A more modern term is extensor spinae, though this is not in widespread use. The name of the muscle is pronounced e-rec-tor speen-aye, or e-rec-tor spinae-ee.It is really not...
. This is accomplished by the chair holding a person in place laying supine as they bend at the waist and then extends their body upward.
It is characterized by the two right angle
Right angle
In geometry and trigonometry, a right angle is an angle that bisects the angle formed by two halves of a straight line. More precisely, if a ray is placed so that its endpoint is on a line and the adjacent angles are equal, then they are right angles...
s formed by the body, one at the hips and one at the knees. The person enters 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 hyperextension curving their backs beyond typical straightness. Great care must be used during this exercise as the lower back can easily be injured.
Spinal flexion
The roman chair is also used to perform exercises for the abdomen. An exerciser lies supine with their hips supported on the rear (weight on the gluteus maximus) as they bent backwards and lift themselves up with their rectus abdominis while stabilizing the pelvis with the hip flexors. If the pelvis moves during the exercise then the hip flexors will also by dynamic prime movers.The power tower
Power tower (exercise)
A power tower, also known as a knee raise machine or knee raise station, and sometimes referred to as a captain's chair, is a piece of exercise equipment that mostly works to build abdominal/core strength....
is a piece of equipment including a "captain's chair" that is sometimes called a roman chair. It is used to perform leg and leg-hip raise exercises.
Knee extension
An exercise more commonly referred to as the wall sit, an isometric movement to build strength in the quadriceps, may also be referred to as the Roman chair. It involves a person with their back against the wall, pushing into it using the action of knee extension. Even though it is called a "sit", the hips are actually not being held up by sitting on something. Rather, the body is held up via a combination of weight borne on the feet and friction created with the wall by exerting pressure against it.Another exercise called the "Romain chair squat" requires using the quadriceps dynamically. It similarly mimics a sitting motion without actually sitting down on something, and can be done on an apparatus similar to the aforementioned spinal exercises. This is very similar to a "sissy squat".