Push-ups in the gravitron: technique, what muscles work

Have you already bought a gym membership and now you want to learn all the new equipment? Then you definitely need to know about the Gravitron. We will tell you not only about what this exercise machine is, but we will also analyze one of the ways to use it – push-ups.

FitStars fitness trainer

“Breaking down the benefits, features, and pitfalls of push-ups in the gravitron.”

Table of Contents

What is a gravitron?

Gravitron is an exercise machine that has several ways of use – pull-ups and vertical push-ups. This is due to the presence of two handles on the sides and one bar on top.

Unlike conventional bars and crossbars, on the gravitron a counterweight is selected, which facilitates the performance of the exercise. This option is suitable for those who are not yet ready to work with their own weight and only begins to develop arm muscles. And here it is important to take into account the following dependence – the bigger the weight, the easier it is to perform the exercise.

What muscles work?

Push-ups on the bars is an exercise that mainly loads the muscles of the upper body: shoulder girdle (deltoids), chest (large pectoral muscles), elbow extensors (triceps). Also work the broadest muscles of the back. The development of the above body parts will not only create relief, but also make it easier to perform household tasks.

Of course, not all muscle groups are engaged evenly, the greatest load is received by the chest, triceps and anterior bundles of deltoids. The broadest muscles get the least impact.

It is also worth mentioning that push-ups on the bars is a basic, multi-joint exercise, which involves two major joints – shoulder and elbow. Therefore, it is worth stretching well before the exercise, it will help to avoid injuries.

Push-ups in the gravitron work more on strengthening muscles, but you can also develop strength. In the process, the muscles get stronger and slightly increase in volume. This is a normal muscle reaction, it’s how you adapt to any strength training exercise.

If your goal is to increase muscle mass, you can achieve it under certain conditions (diet and proper technique). However, over time, you will need to increase the load, move to push-ups without a counterweight, and then even add a weighting device.

Contraindications

Contraindications to performance will be various types of injuries to the shoulder and elbow joints. If a person has never been injured, but during the exercise feels some discomfort or even slight pain sensations (most often in the shoulder joints, because the movement is atypical, is not performed in life, and there may be limited mobility in the shoulder joints), it is better to limit the exercise or perform it with a light weight or do not perform it at all. In such a case, it is better to start working on shoulder joint mobility, flexibility, including pectoral muscles and shoulders, and only then try to return to the exercise again.

How to perform?

To feel the effect, we recommend doing four to five approaches in the repetition range of 10 to 15 with a rest of one to two minutes. This is the standard training protocol. How to perform the movement correctly, we will tell you below.

Technique

Set the weight on the equipment less than your own, so that there is a load. The more you want to load the muscles, the smaller the counterweight should be.
Depending on the design of the machine, place either your feet or knees on a special cushion/platform and press down on it. The counterweight will rise.
Take the starting position – rest your hands on the bars and stand on the platform, which is attached to the counterweight. Elbows slightly bent. Keep your back straight.
As you inhale, lower yourself down, bending your arms at the elbows, with your elbows about 45 degrees apart. Tilt your pelvis slightly and tilt your body slightly forward.
Lower yourself down to a right angle at the elbows, with your shoulder horizontal to the floor.
As you exhale, push off the bars with your hands and return to the starting position.
At the top point of the movement, you can not straighten your arms to the end, so as not to overload the joints, and focus on the work of the muscles.

Mistakes when performing

If you are a beginner and practicing without a trainer, the risk of violating the technique of execution increases. To prevent this from happening, you should pay as much attention as possible to the movements and take into account the peculiarities of a particular exercise. Let’s analyze three popular mistakes in push-ups in the gravitron.

Performing the exercise with a straight body. This leads to a large amplitude in the shoulder joint and increases the risk of injury or discomfort. To avoid this, the body should be tilted slightly forward and focus more on working the pectoral muscles.
Taking the elbows back behind the back. The angles “break”, that is, become incorrect in the joints. Remember – at the lowest point, the forearms should be vertical, that is, perpendicular to the floor, and the shoulders should be parallel to the floor, that is, the angle at the elbow is 90 degrees.
Large amplitude. When too far down during the exercise (below shoulder parallel to the floor), the angle at the elbow becomes acute. This also increases the risk of micro-injuries, joint and ligament discomfort.

Head to the gym and test your strength on the gravitron. Track your movements and pay attention to your technique. Only in this way you will be able to achieve results.