Power Towers and Roman Chairs: The Multi-Function Bodyweight Station

The power tower, also called a roman chair, is one of the highest-value square metres on a strength floor. A single vertical frame delivers pull-ups, dips, leg raises and push-up work, it needs no weight stack, and it is used by members who would never touch a selectorised machine. This guide is for facility operators: what the station trains, how the single and multi-function versions differ, where each belongs, and what a professional unit actually costs.

What a power tower is

A power tower is a self-supporting steel frame built for bodyweight training. It carries a pull-up bar at the top, parallel dip handles at mid height, and usually a back pad with forearm supports for hanging or supported leg raises. Some models add push-up handles at floor level and anchor points for resistance bands.

There is no weight stack and no linkage. Resistance is the user’s own bodyweight, adjusted by adding a weight belt or by changing the leverage of the movement. That simplicity is exactly what makes the station valuable in a commercial setting: nothing to select, nothing to reset, and very little to go wrong.

Single-function and multi-function models

Single-function towers

The basic configuration is a robust frame with a pull-up bar and dip handles. It covers the two movements that most members cannot get anywhere else on the floor, it takes up very little space, and it is the right answer for a hotel fitness room, a residential gym or a compact studio where a single station has to do a lot of work.

Multi-function towers

Multi-function units add a vertical knee-raise station, push-up handles, band anchor points and, on some models, additional grip positions on the pull-up bar. They suit clubs and cross-training facilities where several members use the frame in rotation and where programming genuinely varies from session to session.

The full range of frames sits in our racks and cages category.

What the station trains

• Pull-ups and chin-ups. Latissimus dorsi and the rest of the back musculature, with substantial biceps and grip involvement. Grip position changes the emphasis.
• Dips. Triceps and the sternal fibres of the pectoralis major, with the anterior deltoid contributing. Torso lean shifts the balance between chest and triceps.
• Hanging and supported leg raises. The abdominal wall and the hip flexors, with grip and shoulder position loaded throughout on the hanging version.
• Push-up variations. Horizontal pressing at a load the member can manage, useful as an entry point and as a finisher.

None of these require an instructor to set up, which is a real operational advantage at hours when floor coverage is thin.

Coaching the movements

• Pull-ups. Start from a controlled hang rather than a swing. The trunk stays braced, the shoulders set, and the movement stops where the member can still control the descent.
• Dips. Lower until the elbows reach roughly a right angle, then press back up under control. Going deeper than the shoulder can hold position is where dip injuries come from.
• Leg raises. The abdominal wall does the work. A member who swings from the hips is training momentum, not muscle.
• Progression. Members who cannot yet perform a repetition should work with assistance, with slower lowering phases, or with a reduced range before adding load. Members who find the movement easy add load with a weight belt.

Standards, indoor and outdoor

This is where specification most often goes wrong. An indoor power tower is indoor stationary training equipment and falls under EN ISO 20957-1, class S. An outdoor unit installed in a public space, a campsite, a residential development or a municipal fitness area is a different product covered by EN 16630, the standard for permanently installed outdoor fitness equipment. The two are not interchangeable, and an indoor frame placed outside is neither compliant nor durable.

If the station is going outdoors, specify stainless steel construction and EN 16630 from the start. Our stainless steel outdoor chin-up and dip tower is built for exactly that context, at 3,999.00 EUR excluding VAT.

What a professional unit costs

Catalogue prices, excluding VAT:

Two things are worth noting from that table. First, a multi-function frame is not automatically more expensive than a single-function one: what drives price is construction, steel section and finish, not the number of stations printed on the specification. Second, the outdoor unit costs more than either indoor model, because stainless steel construction and outdoor-rated finishing are what make it survive.

The indoor models are the Bodytone FBC15 power tower and the O’Live multifunctional power tower.

Specifying and siting the station

• Stability and anchoring. A frame that a member hangs from and swings on has to be either heavy enough or anchored. Follow the manufacturer’s instruction for the model, and never assume that floor weight alone is enough.
• Ceiling height. A tall member pulling up on a tall frame needs headroom above the bar. Measure before you order; this is the constraint that eliminates otherwise suitable models.
• Clear space around it. Users swing, drop off the bar and step back from dips. Allow the working envelope, not the base area.
• Grip options. Multiple grip widths and a neutral grip position widen the range of members who can use the station comfortably.
• Floor beneath. A member dropping off a pull-up bar lands with force. Specify the flooring accordingly.

Frequently asked questions

Which muscles does a power tower train?

Back and biceps through pull-ups, triceps and chest through dips, the abdominal wall through leg raises, and horizontal pressing through push-up variations. It covers a large part of upper-body training on one frame.

Is a power tower suitable for a small facility?

It is one of the best purchases a small facility can make. The footprint is small, no weight stack is required, and it covers movements that a compact selectorised set-up cannot.

Can an indoor model be installed outdoors?

No. Outdoor installation requires equipment built and certified for it under EN 16630, in a corrosion-resistant construction. An indoor frame outdoors is a safety and durability problem.

How do members progress if there is no weight stack?

Through assistance and reduced range at the start, then repetitions and controlled tempo, then added load with a weight belt. The absence of a stack is not a limit on progression, only a change in how it is managed.

What does a professional power tower cost?

Indoor models in our range start at 1,850.00 EUR excluding VAT. Outdoor stainless steel construction costs more. Prices are ex VAT and exclude installation.

Specifying for your facility

A power tower is a small line on an equipment schedule that reaches members other equipment does not, at a cost that compares well with almost anything else on the floor. Get the standard right for the location, check your ceiling height, and allow the working space around it.