IRON COMPANY BodyCraft Hyperextension-Roman Chair

UPDATE JULY 18. Been using this for over a week now. I love it . The downward tilt of the handle is non consequential. (See originsl review below) My frustration was a direct result of the discrepancy between the insistence in the instructions that the handle must be parallel to the floor, and the reality that it can't be a hundred percent parallel. I'm satisfied with the gentleman at bodycraft who communicated with me regarding this matter. He texted that he's going to try to have subsequent outgoing copies of the assembly manual altered to reflect that the handles cannot possibly really be parallel to the floor, there's a slight down with tilt. I was just frustrated because I was trying to follow the manual to the letter and the manual isn't currently exactly correct regarding the handles only, everything else about assembly is accurate. It was annoying, it was time-consuming, it was frustrating, but in the end it it really doesn't affect how much I am satisfied with this piece of equipment. I like it so much I'm eyeing more pieces from Bodycraft for my home gym. Hopefully the manual for this piece will be updated so in the future others don't go through the frustration that I did. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I like this a lot. I want to love it. But I cannot get the handles to remain parallel to the floor as the instructions clearly state they must be. I phoned Bodycraft customer support who were really polite and tried to be helpful. I sent several photographs of my issue. The end result is they think it's just fine and just like their display model. They texted me a picture of their display model and the handles indeed are NOT parallel to the floor as the instructions mandate. The handles on my unit slant a good 1.5 inches down as compared to the photo of this item here on Amazon and as depicted in the illustration instruction manual . I have pictures. If I can figure out how to upload them here I will. Aside from the handle issue I am very happy with this product and even the Bodycraft customer service were affable. This item arrived right on time, was not difficult to assemble (aside from the handles) and seems very solid. I am just grateful that I personally don't consider the handles an absolute necessity but more of a back up feature which I don't ever remember having to actually rely on when using a similar apparatus at the gym for several years.

I'm extremely pleased with this equipment. Shipment was timely. I was particularly impressed with the way it was packaged. Everything was wrapped and placed in the box so that it would not get scratched or damaged. All the parts were there. I did have some minor trouble assembling though. Carefully scrutinize the cross legs; they are difficult to tell apart and the only distinction are the number of longitudinal edges on end caps. If you get it, you'll see what I mean. Also, there are some plastic sleeves embedded into some of the bars; these do not have holes to accept the bolts that will go through them. They are supposed to be that way. A buddy of mine came over and helped me assemble the chair. It only took us 20 minutes. I wanted sturdy gear and this fits the bill. It easily handles my 250 pounds, it doesn't wobble at all, and it's extremely comfortable to sit on. I think it has already made a difference in easing my lower back pain. I recommend it to anyone who wants to strengthen their core. rjw

This is a great piece of equipment that adjust for people of all shape and sizes. Heavy duty construction and built solid. I'm 6'6" 180lbs and purchased this to strengthen my back, glutes and obliques. I would have rated this a 5 Star item except the price was a little steep. I feel that this Roman chair should be in the $250 range, but hey who doesn't like to save $$$. You can really only perform 4 exercises on this machine. Hyper Extensions at 90 deg which does about 70% lower back and 30% glutes or 45% hyper extension which is 90% lower back and 10% lower back, side bends for those obliques and also you can do modified sit-up-crunch. I found that in the 90 deg position I could do a modified decline sit-up that really torched my lower abs! I would not recommend for people over 225-240 lbs. It would probably hold just fine but don't attempt the sit-ups if over that weight range. Took about 45 minutes to put together( un-packaging, sorting parts and assembly with tool gathering). You will need a socket set or a set of wrenches and a crescent wrench. There are 3 different size bolts and one hex lug (included). I used a cordless drill with the hex bit to speed things up but not necessary. The directions and schematic kinda suck but are doable.

I think the main selling point is that the angle is adjustable; but I find that anything lower than 45 deg is going to feel super awkward and extremely stressful on your knees especially if you're someone above a 5' 9" frame. This is simply not built with enough freedom of adjustment that will work for lower angles.If you are a guy the discomfort doesn't end there, your boys are going to get squished preventing you from actually focussing on the exercise; its not fun at all my brethren!Putting this together from the box is a breeze, and build quality is good but like I said if you want to mainly use this for the back hyperextension exercise at the optimal 45 deg angle then you can spend less than half the price and get a more comfortable chair. I may just send this thing back :/

Very, Very high quality, (I am in manufacturing for a living for past 35 years) I have been bodybuilding most of my life, therefore I have used many different brands and styles of equipment over the past years. I had a back injury at work several years ago and it got re-injured again recently. I used a inversion table in conjunction with this hyper-extension/Roman chair to treat it myself successfully! The inversion table will help re-align spline and decompress discs and the hyper-extension/Roman chair will strengthen the muscles to help spine from going out of position and getting injured again. this device is very configurable to help many people in different sizes and to use many exercises. I am 6'0 tall, 250 lbs and it easily holds me rigidly.