Roman Chair Sit Up

How to do it

1. Sit on the Roman chair facing up with the thighs on the pad and the feet hooked under the rollers.
2. Cross the arms over the chest and sit upright.
3. Lean back slowly until the torso is level with the floor.
4. Curl the torso back up to upright, leading with the chest.
5. Pause briefly at the top and repeat.

Tips

• Stop at parallel, you do not need to go lower for the abs to work hard.
• Keep the stomach braced so the lower back stays neutral at the bottom.

Common mistakes

• Letting the upper body drop below parallel with a loose stomach.
• Jerking up with the arms.
• Setting the pad so far back that the hips cannot move.

Muscles worked by the Roman Chair Sit Up

• Upper abs Primary34%
• Lower abs Primary22%
• Hip flexors Secondary20%
• Obliques Secondary17%
• Quads (rectus femoris) Minor7%

Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.

Sitting all the way up adds hip flexion (Escamilla 2006). Starting below parallel makes the hip flexors work hard. Curling the ribcage toward the pelvis is spinal flexion by rectus abdominis, with the obliques assisting; a full sit up adds the hip flexors.

Roman Chair Sit Up alternatives

Same equipment

• GHD Sit UpMachine

Different equipment

• Decline Weighted Sit UpOther equipment
• Decline Bench CrunchOther equipment

Easier

• Weighted Sit UpOther equipment
• Butterfly Sit UpBodyweight

No equipment

• Sit UpBodyweight

Make it harder

• Decline Weighted Sit UpOther equipment

Make it easier

• Jackknife Sit UpBodyweight
• Tuck UpBodyweight
• Decline Sit UpBodyweight
• Decline Bench CrunchOther equipment

Similar exercises

• Ab Crunch MachineMachine
• Seated Ab MachineMachine

Frequently asked questions

What muscles does the Roman Chair Sit Up work?

Mainly the upper abs and lower abs. The hip flexors and obliques assist.

Is the Roman Chair Sit Up good for beginners?

The Roman Chair Sit Up is rated advanced. If you are new, learn the Jackknife Sit Up first and build up from there.

What is a good alternative to the Roman Chair Sit Up?

For example the GHD Sit Up, Sit Up and Weighted Sit Up. They train mostly the same muscles, some with different equipment.

How do you make the Roman Chair Sit Up harder?

Add weight or reps, or move on to the Decline Weighted Sit Up.

Sources

• Escamilla et al. 2006, Phys Ther 86(5):656-671 (traditional and nontraditional abdominal exercises)

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