Gravity Boots Exercises - Abs & Back Training Workouts

Gravity boots were a thing of the 70s and died out during the 80s yet there are a few individuals who still use them and many more athletes incorporating them into this new age of training and conditioning. For those who train at home, this can open the doors to many other exercise options.

For a long time it has been theory that hanging up side down is an excellent treatment for back pain causing the spine to properly align since weight is removed by gravity, a form of traction. It is also used to move circulation to the upper body and brain believed to have many health purposes. Gravity boots can still be found sold with a bar or rack. For fewer than 200 dollars you can have the whole package and your set.

What I have been witnessing with gravity boots is the use of weighted exercises done during inversion. This is an excellent way to condition and gives the at home exerciser more options and exercises to do.

One of the exercises is inverted crunches. What a way to challenge your abdominal training and taking it to the next level. The inversion causes gravity to give you some intensity to the crunch. While inverted and performing this exercise your hamstrings, quads and calves have to support, stabilize and hold you in place in order to control the crunch. The last added benefit is that you can take things to an even higher level by holding weights during the crunch to intensify the exercise.

Lat pushes is another great exercise you can do while inverted. Pushing your palms upward (remember you are inverted so you are actually pushing them toward your body but it is upward toward the ceiling) will hit your lats, all of them, plus your serratus muscles which assist in posture. This is with palms at sides but if you do the same movement with palms out front of you it is more like a pushdown movement or pullover, so the chest and shoulders are hit with back and lats as stabilizers.

A tougher exercise is to arch the back, like a hyperextension and you have to have a symptom free back to do this without injury! Abs help with this movement and adding weight in your arms will intensify your efforts. The movement does not have to be large at all; it is a small movement but feels huge!

Inverted exercises can be a full workout like you have never tried before; taking your training to a new level but you must be advanced to try it. I would suggest starting with as many reps as you can if you are making only 1-2 reps, keeping it up to 10-20 max.
Sets can vary from 2-8. Be creative, because you can combine some of these exercises into different days of training during your regular home workouts.

While inverted I stress that you should keep movements slow and controlled, fast ballistic movements done inverted could cause back injury so make sure to move with caution. Avoid bouncing and make sure not to speed through or use weights that are too heavy. Ego has no place in this training and beginning with no weight is the best way to start.

By Linda Cusmano