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Sunny Health Roman Chair Setup for Back Extensions

The Sunny Health & Fitness SF-BH6629, sold as the 45 Degree Hyperextension Roman Chair, is a folding bench with an angled hip pad and foam ankle rollers near the floor. That 45-degree shape is the bench this program is written for. The buying guide covers what to check before you buy.

What Sunny lists

The maker's maximum user weight has to cover your body weight plus the plate you hold in Stage 4, which starts at 10 lb and goes up 5 lb at a time. On this bench, keep that total well under 250 lb.

Sunny sells two other chairs. The SF-BH625080 has a 45-degree position and a flat one; use the 45. The SF-BH620062 lists 3 incline positions without their angles, so check from the side which one puts you on a 45-degree diagonal, and that it locks there. The program is not written for the vertical 90-degree Roman chair.

Pad height

The top edge of the pad sits just below your hip crease, where your thighs meet your pelvis. Your hips rest on the pad, so your back can round on the way down and straighten on the way up. Too high and the pad presses into your stomach; too low and you slide forward.

Sunny lists a lock-and-pin adjustment with 5 settings. Move it with nobody on the bench, one hole at a time, and make sure the pin goes all the way through. Sunny gives no height range, so test the ends on your own body inside the return window. Short users need the lowest setting to keep the pad off the stomach, and tall users need the highest to reach the hip crease. Perching on the edge of a pad that does not fit will not make it fit.

Ankle rollers and foot plate

With no roller adjustment listed, the pad setting does the fitting. Stand with your feet flat on the plate and the rollers snug against the back of your lower calves, just above the heel. If your feet go numb during a hold, stop and recheck the setup.

Wobble check

• Every foot touches the floor and the frame does not rock. Sunny lists floor stabilizers for uneven floors.
• Every pin and knob is fully seated. Pull on each one.
• Frame bolts are tight, and tight again after the first week.
• Whatever holds the fold open is fully closed and stays closed when you press on the pad.
• A slow body-weight hold at the top, hands on the handles, moves nothing.

First session

Stage 1 is 3 holds of 15 seconds at the top, with 60 seconds of rest. Hips on the pad, arms crossed on your chest, hold still leaning slightly forward from the hips, neck neutral, no bouncing. If you start in the app on the bench, its setup questions may set your first session at 10, 15 or 20 seconds a hold. The first-week guide covers the morning log, and the progression guide covers all four stages.

If pain shows up in your legs, stop the extension work, do not add load, and read the red flags.

Low Back Pain Coach sets each next session from your pain log the morning after.

The app