How to Do Intermittent Stretching on an Inversion Table

Inversion tables are available in convenient, portable, lightweight units, perfect for your home gym or simply as a therapy tool for a bad back. Great for people of all ages and fitness levels, inversion tables work to reverse the damage that gravity takes on our bodies over the years. With a few tips you can learn to add intermittent stretching to your inversion session.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Rest your table on a level, solid surface before beginning. Decide how far you would like to invert and adjust your safety strap to the adequate length. Additionally, double check the height and weight settings on the metal rod which extends from the body support platform and lock it into place.
2. Step into your foot support, lifting the spring loaded bar and slipping your feet underneath. Push down on the support bar until it is firm against your ankles and clicks into place. Lean back gently as you lift your arms overhead, turning the table slowly back.
3. Extend your arms fully above your head and begin to breathe slowly and deeply in and out. Exhale and drop your arms down to your legs, allowing the table to come up to a horizontal position. Inhale and lift your arms again, inverting the table. Repeat these stretching exercises, lifting and lowering with each breath.
4. Use the intermittent stretching technique to increase the space between your vertebrae as well as your ribs. This exercise is particularly beneficial for those with limited breathing, as it helps to strengthen and increase flexibility of the ribcage, increasing the depth of breathing.