All About the Roman Chair

Introducing… The Roman Chair

The Roman Chair was made popular by the Golden Era bodybuilders back in the day. The real Roman Chair requires a small bench, with your feet placed underneath. The seat is small, the hips are forward, and the back is arched. Properly executed, all tension will be sent to the lower abdomen.

There’s a bodybuilder named Zabo Koszewski that had some crazy abs. I used to ask Arnold about how his abs were so nasty. He told me that Zabo would be on this bench for like 30 minutes before they even began working out. His physique may not have been the greatest, but his abs were unreal. Arnold and the Golden Era guys would do plus or minus 500 reps while they were warming up and fucking around.

The Roman Chair exercise hasn’t been in my repertoire in quite some time. Grab a couple 40 or 50-lb. dumbbells to anchor your feet and give yourself a little room. Check out the photos and Knowledge Bomb below.