One of these models belongs in your home gym.
A roman chair is an incredibly valuable addition to your home gym. Exercising on one is a straightforward and effective way to build strength in your abs, upper and lower back, glutes, and even shoulders. Roman chair exercises are simple, yet pack a punch. And the chairs themselves have a wonderfully small footprint: even the tiniest home gym can find a sliver of space for this powerful fitness tool.
In this article, we’re going to review five popular roman chairs that fit right into a home gym. We’ll analyze the chairs based on aspects like comfort, stability, capacity, price and quality. We’ll compare the models based on the things we like about them and the things we don’t, to help you pick the roman chair that’s the perfect fit for incorporating into your exercise routine.
Best Roman Chairs – Our Review
Here are the five chairs we’re going to analyze and compare in this article.
- Sunny Health & Fitness SF-BH6629 Roman Chair
- Goplus Roman Chair
- Henf Roman Chair
- Valor Fitness CB-13 Roman Chair
- ComMax Roman Chair
Each of these chairs promises to be a reliable weapon in your home gym arsenal. But do they all make the grade in terms of durability and functionality? We’re going to find out.
Sunny Health & Fitness SF-BH6629 Roman Chair
This popular chair may be lighter than the other models in this article… but it’s still wildly popular, and we can see why.
The Sunny SF-BH6629 doesn’t boast a tripod like the Valor Fitness and Henf models here do, so if you’re a beginner and are still trying to perfect your form, you may find it rocks or wobbles a little. However, this is nothing to be concerned about. The back feet feature levelers for extra stability, and there are zero reports of accidents happening while users are on this machine.
It also has the lowest weight capacity on this list. You won’t be able to use it safely if you’re heavier than 250 pounds. However, if you’re light enough, you’ll find that it will pretty much suit your length no matter what that is. Petite female users are just as happy with this machine’s length as users who stoop to walk through a door.
There are tons of other advantages to this chair. The upper pad is a generous size: it may not be as thick as the padding on the Valor Fitness chair below, but it might just be the largest. There are a couple of handlebars next to the upper pad so that you can safely and easily move around on the machine, and the foam rollers at the bottom are thick enough to be genuinely comfortable. Best of all, you can fold it up and stash it against a wall, or in a large cupboard. It’s the only machine here that’s actually easy to pack away.
There are some additional things to note about this chair. The angle doesn’t adjust; only one of the machines in this article boasts an adjustable angle, and that’s the ComMax right at the bottom of the list. It’s fixed at 45 degrees, which means that if you’re taller you may not get to enjoy full range of motion on the machine, but will be able to pick up weights easily when you’re in position. There are also no dedicated footrests, but the back strut is fixed with a couple of ridged plates and acts as a footrest instead.
The Sunny Health & Fitness SF-BH6629 is in the middle of the road when it comes to price. It’s a tiny bit more expensive than the Henf and Goplus and a little cheaper than the ConMax. There are no bells and whistles here, but it’s a reliable chair at an excellent price.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Fully foldable for convenient storage
Can take most heights Still ideal for petite people Has handlebars Large upper pad |
No tripod
Angle can’t adjust Can only take up to 250 lb – the lowest weight capacity here |
Goplus Roman Chair
This machine is surprisingly sturdy quality for its ridiculously low price.
It has a weight capacity of 330 pounds… the second highest in this article, just 20 pounds less than the Valor Fitness. The frame is heavy-duty steel, and any pipes are crafted from thickened steel.
There is a major drawback here, though. The length of the chair extends from 39 to 45.5 inches. The top of the height range – 45.5 inches – makes this the longest machine in this article, but essentially, it won’t work for anyone under 5.4 feet. It’s a great pick for taller, heavier people.
Because of the high weight capacity, a broad tripod foot would have been ideal on this machine. However, it simply has two horizontal struts. While one strut does offer leveler knobs, these feet simply aren’t as wide as you would like on a chair with this capacity. If you’re big, you may find that this machine wobbles when you’re using it. This is also the only machine here that doesn’t feature handlebars. This can be inconvenient when you’re switching up your poses.
The top pad is a little short, but it’s comfortably wide. Once again, there’s no dedicated footrests: the back strut has ridged plates for giving your feet some grip.
The Goplus may be less than perfect when it comes to build. However, it’s genuinely still comfortable to use, even if it does occasionally wobble. Like the Valor Fitness chair below, it’s an excellent pick for larger users, but it has a smaller footprint and comes with a wonderfully affordable price tag.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Inexpensive
Works well for tall people Heavy-duty steel frame High weight capacity at 330 pounds Has a small footprint for a large machine |
Won’t work for petite people
No handles Sometimes wobbles No tripod Angle can’t adjust Can’t fold up for convenient |
Henf Roman Chair
This chair packs a punch.
It’s inexpensive: right down there with the Goplus. However, it boasts a powerfully user-friendly design.
Firstly, there’s a tripod. Like the Valor Fitness below, it has a tripod foot: there’s hardly any rock on this baby. The frame is coated heavy-duty steel, which adds to the stability.
This chair also features a split upper pad, which is lacking in the Goplus and Sunny Health & Fitness models. Some users find this much more comfortable to rest on when doing back extensions. And unlike the ComMax below, the split between the pads is quite narrow: even if you’re petite, there’s little chance your torso will slip through to the hard frame underneath when you’re doing exercises on your side. The pads themselves are thick, and although they are somewhat short compared to the Sunny chair padding and the pads below, they are comfortable to use. For extra support, there’s a couple of handlebars beside the pad.
The foam rollers at the bottom are thick and cushy. And there are a couple of generously-sized, dedicated footrests, which are a comfortable angle – they are fixed at around 90 degrees to the chair’s upper bar.
The only real downside to this machine is the fact that the height isn’t as highly adjustable as it is on the more expensive models. There are only four height levels, and they range from 23.5 to 28.7 inches: a top height that’s significantly less than the bigger models on this list. At the same time, its weight capacity is 300 pounds, which isn’t bad: it’s simply average compared to some of the other chairs on this list.
If you’re not exceptionally tall, you’ll love this chair. It’s sturdy, comfortable and surprisingly good quality, with a smallish footprint… at a ridiculously low price.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Inexpensive
Has a tripod Split upper pad Split in pad is narrow enough to be comfortable for sideways exercises Smallish footprint Heavy-duty steel frame Has handlebars |
Height can’t extend as far as more expensive models here
Angle can’t adjust Can’t fold up for convenient storage |
Valor Fitness CB-13 Roman Chair
This machine is by far the most expensive on this list. However, you get what you pay for.
It’s incredibly stable. This is partly because the large tripod foot provides extra grip and support, and partly because the machine’s frame is built out of heavy-duty, two by two, twelve-gauge steel. It can safely handle a weight of up to 350 pounds, so it has the highest weight capacity on this list.
It’s wonderfully comfortable, too. The upper pad is large, thick and tall – probably the comfiest here – and made out of high-quality vinyl that doesn’t tear as easily as some of the cheaper pad covers here. It’s split, too, which many users prefer. It has five levels of adjustment, which can effectively extend the machine by eight inches, taking it from around 34 inches to around 42 inches. The adjustability is average for a roman chair, and there are certainly not as many length options here as you’ll find on the ComMax below. However, the options that are there should work even for a very tall person. Like most of the chairs here, this model boasts a couple of well-covered handlbars to help you easily adjust your pose.
The round foam rollers on the bottom are thick and comfy. They’re the only calf pads here to boast a cover, which protects the foam and is way easier to clean. Unlike most of the other calf pads on this list, they’re adjustable, too: you can pick from three angles to find the one that suits your current workout the best. And there’s something wonderful here that none of the other roman chairs in this article feature: a large, sturdy steel foot plate that covers the whole base where your feet go and provide plenty of grip.
Overall, for a home machine, this chair is excellent quality. There are a few drawbacks, though. The machine’s angle isn’t adjustable, so you can’t fold it up to pack it away, and you also can’t change the angle you’re exercising at. While it’s smaller than a commercial chair, it’s a bit larger than some of the lighter models here… but a larger footprint is a small price to pay for the improved stability.
The Valor Fitness CB-13 has been designed for semi-professional or “light commercial” use. This means that while it’s still not as sturdy and reliable as a professional model, it’s ideal for people who see fitness as more than just a hobby. If your home gym needs to be able to stand up to heavy-duty use, this chair is perfect for you.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Excellent quality
Will work for tall people Adjustable calf pads Large steel footplate Tripod lends extra stability Heavy-duty steel frame Large, thick, split top pad Highest weight capacity here at 350 lb Covered calf pads Has handlebars |
Expensive
Angle can’t adjust Can’t fold up for convenient storage Larger footprint than the lighter models |
ComMax Roman Chair
This chair is slightly more expensive than most of the other ones on this list, but it’s unique in one significant aspect.
It’s the only chair here that’s able to adjust angles. It offers three angle options. The smallest is 30 degrees, which won’t work for back extensions (you probably won’t have enough space to drop your torso’s full length), but is perfect for abs crunches and twists. It also helps to make the chair smaller, so that it takes up less space if you need to stash it away. Then there are a 40 degree and a 50 degree angle. The adjustability adds some fun variety to your workout: you can experiment with angles and how they affect different exercises.
Another unique aspect about this chair is that it has a whole seven height settings – more than any other chair here. However, on the longest setting, it’s still only around 37 inches, which is less than the Valor Fitness and Goplus can offer. One would expect more from a chair with so many height options, and if your height is above average, you may be more comfortable on one of the longer chairs.
Like the Henf, this chair has a split upper pad. Again, some users find this more comfortable. The split is slightly larger than on the Henf, so if you’re very petite there’s a chance that the pads won’t be able to support you when you’re doing twists and other sideways exercises. The pads themselves are not as cushy as on the Valor Fitness, but they’re generously tall, and still thick enough for comfortable use. And there are a couple of convenient handlebars.
Despite the practical positives, there are a couple of drawbacks. Although this chair claims to handle up to 300 pounds, it has no tripod foot, and the strut supporting the upper bar is a little wobbly and flimsy. Some users report excellent stability from this chair, but some feel unsafe on it: they feel it has the potential to give way while they’re using it. The dedicated footrests are another potential problem: they are fixed at an angle which only really works when the chair is set to 50 degrees, and may cause strain to your calf muscles on the other two settings.
Overall, though, most users are highly satisfied with this product. There’s tons of adjustability and variety here, and the price is surprisingly reasonable.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Adjustable angle
Seven length options Split pad Has handlebars |
Split between upper pads may be too wide for very petite users
Longest length is only 37 inches Supporting strut may feel unstable Footrest angle may cause some calf muscle strain No tripod |
Which chair should you pick?
Each of these chairs is an excellent buy. They’re all comfortable, and sturdy enough to stand daily use from the right buyer. So how do you decide which one to purchase?
Here are our conclusions in a nutshell.
Best for Small Spaces:
Sunny Health & Fitness Roman Chair
Best for Bigger Users:
Goplus Roman Chair.
Best for Semi-professionals or Professionals Who Need an Inexpensive Roman Chair at Home:
Valor Fitness CB-13 Roman Chair.
Best for Those Who Enjoy Variety:
ComMax Roman Chair.
Best All-rounder But May Not Work for You if You’re Very Tall:
Henf Roman Chair.