Hanging Upsidedown

My weight training gym just got this strange bed thing that flips you and holds you upside-down (I’m sure it has an actual name).

Stuff like that generally strikes me a BS, mostly because it’s one of those things the people who don’t lift/lift give pound dumbbells spend a lot of time on (at this gym).

However, I’m open to the idea that it might do something helpful for the spine, especially after dead-lifts or squats.

This thing hold you by your ankles, and flips you over:

  1. Is this thing useful in any way.

  2. If I want it to be useful how long, and how often might I want to hang upside-down?

Thanks.

It’s called an inversion table. I sell them at my store. It feels great on your lower back to combat compression from squats and such. I hang upside down for 30 seconds at a time for about 5 sets.

[quote]dnlcdstn wrote:
It’s called an inversion table. I sell them at my store. It feels great on your lower back to combat compression from squats and such. I hang upside down for 30 seconds at a time for about 5 sets.[/quote]

So you recommend adding them to the routine then.

I was just thinking it might be one of those things that intuitively makes sense, but doesn’t actually pan out/have science to back-up that it does anything.

If I’m sitting on my ass all day selling retail I like to jump on the inversion table and just stretch out. They have their place and lots of customers swear by them so I think they are a nice piece.

Tom Platz used to use a pair of ‘gravity boots’ to hang upside down from a chinning bar after heavy squat sessions. I imagine you might be able to alleviate some of the general tightness you might feel after a rough training session with this approach. I know that every time I lay back on a decline bench, I feel great and just want to stay there and take a nap -lol.

S

Use it. Chinese Olympic weightlifters use it all the time. I think they know what they are doing.

Also another thing I’ve seen is what Polish weightlifters do. Hang from a pull-up bar with a dip-belt of 4 plates on, but instead of hanging with feet in the air, place your feet on a box in front of you so that your knee and hip angles are 90 degrees each. Then just let the weight of the dip-belt do it’s thing and decompress your spine.

that last tip seems great!
Thanks a lot- S.

[quote]PB Andy wrote:
Also another thing I’ve seen is what Polish weightlifters do. Hang from a pull-up bar with a dip-belt of 4 plates on, but instead of hanging with feet in the air, place your feet on a box in front of you so that your knee and hip angles are 90 degrees each. Then just let the weight of the dip-belt do it’s thing and decompress your spine.[/quote]

I’m gonna try it.