ROM Pad

Name: ROM Pad
Brand: AbMat
Rating: 4.27 (5 reviews)

The AbMat ROM Pad is a strap-on bench accessory designed to give your shoulder blades room to move during pressing exercises. Rather than tacking your scapulae down against a flat bench, the pad lets you retract and depress them further, aiming for a deeper chest stretch and a more natural scapulohumeral movement pattern on presses, flies, and similar pressing work.

It’s made of a molded, proprietary foam, developed in collaboration with fitness YouTuber Ryan Humiston as a dedicated alternative to improvised setups like a folded towel, foam roller half, or balance pad. It secures to a bench, chest-press station, or pec-deck pad with an elastic, Velcro-backed strap sized to fit benches up to about 12” wide.

An independent doctor of physical therapy who reviewed it confirmed the core claim — it does free up scapular range of motion versus a flat bench — and called it a sensible, reasonably-priced pickup for higher-rep, hypertrophy-style pressing. He was more mixed on execution: the foam is squishier and slicker than expected, which adds instability he wouldn’t want under a heavy press, and a “step-off” ledge in the pad leaves a gap under the lower back rather than a smooth taper.

Weight	1.65 lb
Made in	USA
Material	Molded foam (AbMat proprietary blend)
Attachment	Elastic strap with Velcro closure
Dimensions	18"L x 5.75"W x 2.875"H
Bench compatibility	Fits most benches up to 12" wide

What is a Miscellaneou?

What’s in Miscellaneous

This is the catch-all for the conditioning tools and accessories that don’t fit a single equipment class — weighted vests and plate carriers, medicine and slam balls, plyo boxes, ab mats, and the odds and ends that round out a garage gym. Items land here because their job (loaded carries, jumps, core work) cuts across the categories rather than sitting neatly inside one.

Who it’s for

Anyone filling in the gaps around the big pieces. If you already have a rack, bar, and plates, this is where you find the vest for rucking and weighted push-ups, the ball for slams and wall throws, or the box for step-ups and box jumps. Match the tool to the training you actually do — a plate carrier for conditioning and rucking, plyo boxes for explosive work — rather than buying the whole shelf.

How it compares

	ROM Pad	SYL Fitness Loading Pin for 2 inch Olympic Weight Plates	Rogue Deadlift Platform	Pivot Pad
GymRadar rating	4.27/5	4.27/5	4.27/5	4.27/5
Price	$40.00		$495.00
Weight	1.65 lb
Made in	USA
Material	Molded foam (AbMat proprietary blend)
Attachment	Elastic strap with Velcro closure
Dimensions	18"L x 5.75"W x 2.875"H
Bench compatibility	Fits most benches up to 12" wide

4.3/5 · 5 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert	4.27/5	5 reviews
Youtube	3.7/5	1 reviews

The ROM Pad delivers on its core claim: a doctor of physical therapy who reviewed it (Exercise Lab) confirmed it genuinely frees up scapular retraction during presses and flies compared to a flat bench, and called it a sensible, affordably-priced addition for hypertrophy-style pressing work. Functionality is the standout dimension. Build quality is the weakest — the same reviewer flagged a slick (not tacky) foam surface, stitching that didn’t look reinforced enough for confidence long-term, and a “step-off” ledge that leaves a gap under the lower back rather than a smooth taper. He was also explicit that the squishiness that enables the extra range of motion adds instability, so he wouldn’t use it for heavy pressing — better suited to lighter, higher-rep, feel-focused work.

+Functionality: independently confirmed to increase scapular retraction and stretch on presses/flies versus a flat bench (Exercise Lab, DPT review)
+Value: priced around $30-40, notably less than most other AbMat accessories, and cheaper than assembling a comparable half-foam-roller DIY setup (Exercise Lab)
+Versatility: works on a standard bench, chest press, or pec deck and fits most benches up to 12" wide (manufacturer)
+Build quality: made in the USA from a durable molded foam blend (manufacturer, Rogue Fitness)

−Build quality: foam surface is slicker than expected rather than tacky/grippy, so it can shift slightly under load (Exercise Lab)
−Durability: stitching didn't look reinforced enough to the reviewer, who suspected it could eventually come loose with repeated use (Exercise Lab)
−Functionality: the squishiness that enables extra range of motion also adds instability, so the reviewer avoided using it for heavy/max-effort pressing (Exercise Lab)
−Build quality: a "step-off" ledge in the pad leaves a gap under the lower back instead of full contact (Exercise Lab)

$40.00

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