Apartment gym layout: how do you choose a bench or Roman chair?

How much floor does each Roman chair and bench take up? The three chairs list depths of 38.2"D to 43.4"D, while the Relispo bench is the long piece at 66.9"D.

Will a bench still fit at full incline? Not always: the CAP bench is listed at 19 H flat but 50 H at full incline, so size your spot for the tall setting.

Every one of the five pieces lists its own depth, width and height, and the Relispo bench runs far longer than the three Roman chairs. Hold the table against the spot you have in mind.

Pick a spot, measure its depth, width and height, then check those numbers against the row of the piece you are eyeing. The SUCXDZQ listing also suggests leaving extra floor space for movement around the chair.

Not always. The CAP Economy Adjustable Utility Bench lists 19 H inches in the flat position and 50 H inches at full incline, both with a 57.5 L x 23 W footprint, so size your spot for the taller setting.

Measured flat, the bench looks easy to place, and that is the trap. Measure the tallest setting you plan to use, then check the ceiling and the wall at the steepest angle you will really set. The folded size of this bench is not stated.

For the CAP bench, plan around its recommended maximum of 500 lbs. The 1000 lbs figure is what it was tested to hold, not the working limit.

• Sunny Roman chair: weight capacity 250 pounds.

• Lifepro SculptTrainer: weight capacity 330 pounds.

• SUCXDZQ Roman chair: weight capacity 245 pounds.

• CAP bench: recommended maximum 500 lbs, tested to 1000 lbs.

• Relispo bench: weight capacity 1200 pounds.

The chairs list lower limits than the benches. As a general guideline, not a listed figure, a limit should comfortably exceed your body weight plus the load you add. If you are a heavier user, read this number before anything else.

• Sunny: listed as adjustable height, with no count given.

• Lifepro: the listing names both ten and six height positions, so its count is left out here; confirm it on the product page.

• CAP: the multi-position backrest has 6 different positions.

The Sunny and Lifepro chairs and the CAP and Relispo benches are all described as foldable. The Relispo listing adds that it stores in corners, and the CAP listing says to fold and store it after use.

A fold claim doesn't tell you how small the piece gets, and folded dimensions are not stated for these pieces. Settle on your storage spot first, then compare the in-use size above with it.

Begin with the room, not the gear. What follows is general planning advice built on listed figures, not a room size from any listing, so measure your own corner.

1. Decide where the gear will sit when you are not training.

2. Measure that spot's depth, width and height.

3. Run the longest piece along the longest clear wall: the Relispo bench lists 66.9"D.

4. Test the tallest setting against the ceiling: the CAP bench lists 50 H inches at full incline.

5. Keep open floor around the piece, as the SUCXDZQ listing advises.

Four criteria decide it: listed footprint, tallest setting, weight limit and number of settings. The adjustable weight benches page lets you compare more options. Below, each piece gets one strength and one catch.

• Sizing the spot for the CAP bench flat (19 H) when you will use it at full incline (50 H).

• Trusting a fold claim without checking the folded size.

• Reading the CAP tested figure of 1000 lbs as your working limit instead of 500 lbs.

• Squeezing a 66.9"D bench into a room with no long clear wall.

Want more choices? Browse the full weight benches category and compare footprints before you claim a corner.