What can I use instead of a Roman chair at the gym?

In rough order of similarity: a 45-degree back-extension bench (nearly every gym has one), a GHD machine used for hip extensions with a neutral spine, or a high bench with a partner or strap anchoring the ankles. Machines like the seated back extension train the same muscles with even finer load control. General education, not medical advice.

Is a GHD the same as a back extension bench?

No. The GHD holds the body horizontal, so the load at the top position is much higher than on a 45-degree bench. It runs the same hip-hinge pattern but starts harder, making it a later-stage tool rather than a substitute for a staged rebuild.

Can I do back extensions on the floor instead?

The floor version is the Superman: useful for the first weeks, limited after that because you cannot add meaningful load. It works as a stopgap while you arrange bench access, not as the long-term program.

Home / Guides

Roman Chair Alternatives at the Gym, Ranked by Similarity

Updated August 11, 2026 · 3 min read

You know the program calls for a back-extension bench, and the gym you are standing in does not seem to have one. Before improvising, walk the floor once: the bench hides in stretching areas and behind cable stations, and nearly every commercial gym owns one. If it truly is not there, here is what substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the movement, and what to avoid.

This is general education for people already cleared to exercise. It is not medical advice, and it is not written for acute, severe, or unexplained back pain. If that describes yours, see a clinician first.

1. The 45-degree bench, by any name

The equipment this program is written for is often labeled something other than Roman chair: hyperextension bench, back raise, 45-degree extension. A diagonal pad with ankle rollers below is the thing itself, whatever the placard says. Every cue in the progression guide applies unchanged.

2. GHD (glute-ham developer)

CrossFit-style gyms usually have a GHD even when they lack a 45. It runs the same hip hinge, with one important difference: the body sits horizontal, so the top position carries far more load than a 45's diagonal. Treat it as one stage harder than wherever you are: holds become short and partial reps become holds. Keep the spine neutral and skip the full GHD sit-up variations while your back is rebuilding; the hip-extension movement is the part you want.

3. Seated back-extension machine

The selectorized machine with a pad behind your shoulders trains the same extensors with the finest load control in the building, and the research tradition behind this program used machines much like it. The movement pattern differs (seated, spine moves against resistance rather than hinging at the hip), so pair it with hip hinges elsewhere in your week. As a stand-in while traveling, it is excellent.

4. A flat bench and an anchor

Lie face-down on a high flat bench with your hips at the edge and ankles held by a partner, a loaded barbell across them, or a strap. That is a functional 90-degree extension, which starts at the hardest point in the arc, so cut your usual volume in half the first time. It works in a pinch; it is not a program home.

5. The floor, briefly

The Superman is the no-equipment stopgap: it keeps the extensors awake for a week or two of travel and plateaus soon after, since you cannot add load. The full comparison covers where it fits.

What not to substitute

Good mornings and stiff-leg deadlifts train the same muscles but put a barbell on a currently sensitive back with a real cost for form errors; save them for after the rebuild, as the deadlift guide lays out. And no machine substitutes for the pacing rule: whatever tool you use today, log the next morning against your baseline and let that number set the next session.

The app

I built Low Back Pain Coach because this method lives or dies on pacing, and pacing is the part people quit. The app reads your pain logs, sets the exact holds and reps for each session, counts them out loud so your phone stays on the floor, and switches you to a recovery protocol when a flare needs rest instead of work. You can run the whole method from a notebook; the app is for making sure you still run it in week nine. The first week is free.