Also known as a captain's chair, the Roman chair resembles an elevated chair frame with two arms but no seat. The chair back and arms are padded, and the arms have a pair of vertical handles and a pair of horizontal handles affixed at the far end from the chair back.
Dips
The Roman chair's horizontal handles double as dip bars. Dips primarily work your triceps, although your anterior deltoids, your pecs, your rhomboids and your lats help power the movement. Simply face the chair back, grasp a horizontal handle in each hand and step up onto the chair's supports so that your shoulders are above elbow height. Support all your weight on your hands, lowering your shoulders down to elbow height, then straightening your arms to push yourself back up again.
Assisted Pull-ups
Pull-ups primarily work your latissimus dorsi, although every major back muscle, plus your biceps, brachialias, brachioradialis and rear deltoid all work during this exercise. If you're not strong enough to do full pull-ups on your own yet and you don't have access to an assisted pull-up machine, the Roman chair is ideal for doing self-assisted pull-ups.
Position yourself between the Roman chair's arms, facing away from the chair back. Grasp one of the horizontal handles in each hand and squat down so that your hips are directly underneath your hands. Pull your body up, just as if you were doing a parallel grip pull-up. Use your legs to help push your body up, as necessary, to complete the pull-up and to slowly lower your body back down to the starting position.
Knee Ups
Also known as a Roman chair ab crunch or a reverse crunch, although performed differently than the classic floor-based reverse crunch, this exercise works your lower abdominal muscles.
To do knee-ups, place your forearms on the chair's arms and hold on to the vertical handles for leverage. Lift your knees up to hip level, then slowly lower them, straightening your legs so that your feet are slightly forward from your body line instead of hanging straight down. Repeat. Squeeze your abs tightly to keep your back from arching as you lower your legs.
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