Pull-ups in the gravitron – a useful exercise for those who can’t use a bar yet

Just recently we told you about negative pull-ups – one of the varieties of a popular exercise. But did you know that, in addition to the many types of pull-ups, there are also special training machines where you can perform them. Today let’s find out in detail what a gravitron is and how to properly exercise on it.

Pasaules klases fitnesa treneris

“Gravitron is an exercise machine with a counterweight system, in which a person can independently set the required weight of the weight according to his physical capabilities and perform pull-ups with a weight less than your own weight.”

Who needs a Gravitron and why?

Gravitron can competently adjust to the physical level of any person. We are already used to it, because on almost any fitness equipment you can set the appropriate weight, but not with regard to pull-ups. A similar story can be repeated with fitness resistance bands. If you attach a rubber band to the bar, stand on it with your feet and start pulling up, the exercise will be easier or more difficult depending on the resistance of the projectile.

So the Gravitron can be considered as a preliminary, preparatory stage for the transition to pull-ups with your own weight on the bar or considered as a tool for more precise and controlled work for hypertrophy. It’s also great for girls, beginners, or people with excess body weight who are unable to do pull-ups on the bar on their own.

Most often, the gravitron looks like a symbiosis of a tourniquet and bars connected by an iron structure. Also, the simulator has a retractable platform, on which you become knees when performing the exercise. To make everything go accurately, first put one foot on the platform, then grab the bar or handles and only then put the second one, so as not to lose balance.

How to do a proper pull-up in the gravitron?

With the correct technique of execution, the right muscles are perfectly engaged, they get a better load and pump faster. Also, by learning all the movements, you will protect yourself from injury.

Pull-ups in the gravitron

Tehnika

• Starting position: hang on the bar, knees are on the platform of the simulator.
• Back straight, grip slightly wider than the shoulder joints (determined by the end point of the amplitude).
• As you exhale, lean back 10-15 degrees and pull up to the level of your chin.
• Ieelpojot atgriezieties sākuma pozīcijā.
• Start the movement by lowering and bringing the shoulder blades in.
• At the end point of the amplitude, the forearms should be perpendicular to the floor, elbow joints – in the plane of the sternum.
• Control the correct curves of the spine.

Don’t forget to warm up. It will activate your central nervous system, you will let your body know that now there will be a workout and it is necessary to connect the hidden reserves. You will not only improve your reaction, balance, but even your physical strength and heart rate. Your body temperature will increase, all tendons and ligaments will become more elastic, which means that you will be more flexible and the risk of injury will be reduced many times over.

Take at least 15 minutes to warm up and follow the rule: the longer the workout, the longer the warm-up should be. If the workload is heavy, you should be prepared accordingly.

Which muscles are working?

Pull-ups in the gravitron work the deltoid, triceps and biceps muscles of the shoulder, as well as the trapezius, rhomboid and broadest muscles of the back. Let’s talk a little bit about the machine itself, in which you have to perform the exercise.

Boris Ilyin: “There are two types of gravitrons: with knees placed on a stop cushion and with feet placed on full-length stops. There is no difference in terms of including the target muscles in the work”.

It’s up to the individual to choose the option they feel most comfortable with. First, set a weight that suits you. For beginners, this is usually 80% of your body weight. Then put your feet as you feel comfortable: on your knees or on your feet. Grasp the bar with your hands and straighten your back. And that’s it, you can start the exercise.

Progression and variations of the exercise

The emphasis of the load can be shifted with the help of different grips. To begin with, decide: supinated or pronated? The first is when the fists are turned towards you, it is a little easier than the second, because the load is mainly on the muscles of the hands. And the pronated grip is the most classic grip, it involves your back more, so it is more difficult to do pull-ups with it.

Don’t forget that the distance between the hands during the grip can also be adjusted. Narrow grip, shoulder width, wide – choose the one you prefer. The first one will help you pump your arm muscles, the second one – your back muscles and flexor muscles on your forearms. And the third, which is logical, emphasizes mainly on the back.

As for the progression, everything is obvious here. The very essence of pull-ups in the gravitron is that you can adjust the load, make the approaches easier or harder. Start with the minimum load, setting the appropriate weight, and gradually reduce it. Compensation plates level out your body weight and make pull-ups easier. If you reduce the compensation, you’ll get closer to pull-ups with your own body weight.

The progression is to gradually reduce the weight of the compensation plates, bringing us closer to classic pull-ups on the bar.

But remember that you always need to stop in time. Because your muscles are “hammered” gradually. You may not immediately feel how you have used up your resource. And the muscles will then be very sore. That is why it is so important to know your capabilities and assess them competently. Increase the load gradually, and it is better to coordinate your training plan with a fitness trainer so that he or she can tell you where to increase, where to decrease, and which exercises are better not to perform at all.