August 21, 2025

Understanding Zero-Gravity Chair Benefits for Exercise Recovery

You’ve probably seen videos or images of astronauts floating around in space stations. This is what we mean when we say zero gravity.

NASA studies show that zero gravity has multiple health benefits for humans.

In this blog post, we show you:

how the zero-gravity chair works
how the zero-gravity chair benefits your post-exercise recovery
how to integrate a zero-gravity chair into your recovery routine
and how to choose the right zero-gravity chair for your needs

Ready to push your exercise recovery to another level? Then let’s dive in!

What is a Zero-Gravity Chair?

A zero-gravity chair is a type of lounge chair with extra neck and leg support. The key feature is that it tilts back to recreate a zero-gravity environment for your body.

Zero-gravity chairs are perfectly suited to indoor and outdoor use. You can browse our entire range on our dedicated page.

How Does a Zero-Gravity Chair Work?

The zero-gravity chair works by tilting back to an angle of between 120° and 135°. With a leg rest to support your calves, this elevates your lower legs and feet above your heart. The result is a weightless sensation that takes all the pressure off your spine and joints.

Zero-gravity chairs are also upholstered with soft padding. This reinforces the sensation of weightlessness, giving you the ultimate relaxation as you feel yourself floating off the ground. For more background information about zero-gravity chairs, check out this explainer.

Zero-Gravity Chair Benefits For Recovery

Zero-gravity chairs are designed to recreate a neutral body position that minimizes the effect of gravity on the body. Let’s look at 3 specific benefits of the zero-gravity chair for post-exercise recovery.

Reducing Muscle Tension and Fatigue
If you regularly engage in intense sports or exercise activities, you know how tired and sore muscles can be after a workout. Minimizing muscle tension and fatigue after a workout is one way to reduce recover times.
Our zero-gravity chairs remove the effect of gravity on your body. This allows your muscles and joints to completely relax, helping you to recover faster than ever for your next session.
Enhancing Blood Circulation
Increased blood flow clears the waste products that build up in your tissues after exercise. It also brings fresh, oxygen-rich blood to your muscles to repair the tiny tears that develop when you push them to the limit.
A zero-gravity chair benefits your recovery by elevating your lower limbs above your heart. The heart can then pump blood more easily throughout the body to flush out waste products and repair damaged tissues.
Relieving Joint Pressure After Exercise
Exercise places stress on the body, compressing the joint spaces in the spine and limbs.
A zero-gravity chair removes the effect of gravity on the body. This allows the joint spaces in the spine, arms, and legs to open up, allowing fresh nutrients in to repair joint tissues. To find out more about different types of zero-gravity chair, go to our dedicated page.

The Science Behind the Zero-Gravity Chair

During space missions in the 1960s and 1970s, NASA noticed that when astronauts relaxed in zero gravity, their bodies assumed a particular posture. The spine relaxed into its natural curve, while the limbs extended with a slight bend at the elbows and knees. NASA researchers realized that this position — which they call “neutral body posture” — minimizes stress on the muscles and joints of the body.

In the early 2000s, Nissan built on NASA’s research by designing new seats that recreated the neutral body posture. In a 2007 study, these new seats showed better support for the spine and pelvis, better blood flow, and 50% less fatigue compared to conventional car seats.

What do NASA studies and Nissan seats have to do with post-exercise recovery? Well, if a zero-gravity chair benefits drivers, then it can benefit your exercise recovery too.

How to Integrate a Zero-Gravity Chair Into Your Recovery Routine

Now that we know how zero-gravity chairs work and how they benefit your exercise recovery, let’s look at some expert tips on how to integrate a zero-gravity chair into your post-exercise routine.

Best Practices For Usage After Exercise

There are a few methods you can use after exercise to boost recovery.

One is a cold plunge or a hot/cold shower to force the body to pump blood through your system.

A second is what sports experts call “active recovery.” An example is a brisk walk a few hours after an intense bout of exercise to get the blood flowing.

A third method to aid recovery is to ensure your get good sleep. Doing so allows your tissues to repair. It also takes the pressure off your muscles and joints, allowing tension and fatigue to dissipate.

Our zero-gravity chairs are just another way to boost blood flow and ease tension and fatigue in the muscles and joints. Combined with the methods above, a zero-gravity chair can shorten your recovery time and boost performance.

Choosing the Right Zero-Gravity Chair

Choosing the right zero-gravity chair isn’t complicated. You just need to know what to look out for. To our mind, there are 4 factors you want to consider when buying a zero-gravity chair for your exercise recovery. These are:

The material of the chair needs to be durable enough to last season after season of intensive training and recovery. It also needs to be sturdy enough to hold the weight of even the strongest athlete.
The portability of the chair also matters. If your sport or exercise regime takes you on the road, you also need a chair that is easy to fold and carry around.
The warranty comes in handy if you have any problems.
The repairability and return service are another factor to consider. Because no one wants to take time out from training to shop for a replacement for a worn-out or broken-down chair that doesn’t last and can’t be fixed.

At LAFUMA, our zero-gravity chairs offer exceptional comfort and a 5-year warranty. They are compact, foldable, lightweight, and durable. They are also
carefully designed with high-quality, UV-resistant materials, HLE steel frames, and replaceable fabrics.

Differences Between our Basic and Premium Models

The R Clip is our best option if you want a zero-gravity chair for post-exercise recovery but aren’t ready to invest in a more expensive model. It’s also lightweight and easy to fold up, making it ideal if your sport or workouts take you on the road.

The RSXA Clip provides more support than the R Clip, while the RSXA Clip XL accommodates larger body sizes.

Our Evolution and Bayanne chairs come with deluxe-level padding for added comfort and support. This is the chair for optimal recovery if you regularly push your body to the limit.

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