Health guide
Inversion Table Exercises for Beginners: What the Makers Publish
Most lists of inversion table exercises for beginners jump straight to crunches and twists. That skips the part that matters most: getting comfortable upside down before you add movement. We have not tested these tables on people and we are not doctors, so every movement below is attributed to whoever published it.
Before the Exercises: Get Comfortable Inverting First
Every exercise on this page assumes a table that is set up for your height, an ankle lock you have checked, and a body that is already used to being upside down. If any of those is new to you, start with our step-by-step guide on how to use an inversion table, which covers the setup, the first session and coming back upright.
The Checks That Come First
Inversion raises blood pressure and eye pressure, and a fall lands you on your head. People with high blood pressure, heart disease, glaucoma, osteoporosis, a hernia or balance problems, among others, should not start without a doctor’s approval; the full list is on our page about who should not use an inversion table.
Both big makers ask for company in the room. Teeter’s guide describes finding your settings while “testing with a spotter until you have it just right for you” (Teeter, 2020), and Innova’s advice is to “have a friend or family member with you while you use your inversion table” (Innova).
Time and Angle in Brief
Teeter publishes a starting session of 1 to 2 minutes at 20 to 45 degrees, with frequency ahead of duration (Teeter, 2014). The fall-report authors advise keeping sessions under one minute (Jung, 2021). Both numbers, and the studies that timed people upside down, are set out in our section on how long to stay on an inversion table.
The setting that matters for this page is 60 degrees. Teeter advises against full inversion until you are completely comfortable at 60 degrees (Teeter, 2020), and nearly every exercise below is described for full inversion.
These are product settings, not a recommended progression. Follow the current manual and any restrictions given by your clinician.
What the Makers Publish Before the Exercises
This section collects the manufacturers’ published statements. It is not a recommended progression and not a medical protocol: duration and angle follow the manufacturer’s instructions and your clinician’s advice.
Equipment Settings and Starting Points
- Angle settings: a Teeter tether is marked at 20, 40 and 60 degrees, and Innova’s lowest pin positions are 15 and 30. Teeter says new users should limit the angle to somewhere between 20 and 45 degrees (Teeter, 2020).
- Session length: Teeter publishes 1 to 2 minutes as a starting point (Teeter, 2014). The fall-report authors advise under one minute (Jung, 2021).
- Company: a spotter in the room, as both Teeter and Innova advise.
- Settling in: Innova describes the early stage as letting “your body get used to laying horizontal or at a slight inversion” (Innova).
Teeter’s stretches and exercises are a separate matter. As the next sections show, it describes all of them for full inversion.
Full Inversion Is Optional
Teeter advises against full inversion until you are completely comfortable at 60 degrees, which on a Teeter is the same angle as the rear legs (Teeter, 2020). If you never want to go there, that is fine by Teeter’s own account.
The Published Statements at a Glance
| Topic | Setting | What the maker says | Who says so |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting angle | 20° mark or lowest pin | Limit the angle when starting out | Teeter, Innova |
| Session length | Not set by us | 1 to 2 min as a starting point (under 1 min per the fall report) | Teeter, Innova, Jung and colleagues |
| Frequency | Not set by us | Frequency ahead of duration | Teeter, Innova |
| Full inversion | Fully inverted | Optional; Teeter advises being comfortable at 60° first | Teeter |
Inversion Table Exercises for Beginners: Teeter’s Three Stages
Teeter is the manufacturer that publishes the most detailed instructions, and its guide opens its exercise section with a condition: “While fully inverted, your body hangs freely from the table bed, giving you freedom of movement for stretching and exercise” (Teeter, 2020). These are the inversion table exercises for beginners in the sense that they are the first ones to learn, but Teeter describes them for users already at ease on the table, not as a first step. Teeter lists twelve moves in three stages, in this order.
Stage 1: Basic Stretches
Teeter’s first stage is four stretches (Teeter, 2020):
- Neck tilt. “Tilt your neck from side to side.”
- Cross-body arm stretch. “Do cross-body stretches with your arms.”
- Spinal twist. “Use the frame to perform spinal twists.”
- Back extension. “Press your hands into the top of the table bed and arch away to do a back extension and elongate the abdominal muscles.”
These rely on the grips in Teeter’s FitSpine bed and frame. They are the maker’s instructions for its own equipment, not a clinical protocol. If your neck already hurts, read our page on neck pain and inversion tables before you add the neck tilt.
Stage 2: Gentle Movement
The second stage adds motion rather than holds (Teeter, 2020):
- Head and hip circles. “Circle your head and hips.”
- Pelvic tilt. “Tilt your pelvis front and back.”
- Side arch. “Arch your body from side to side.”
- Hip shake. “Grab onto the handhold in the frame and give your hips a gentle shake.”
Stage 3: Core and Leg Strengthening
The third stage is the only one that works muscles against gravity (Teeter, 2020):
- Crunch. “Crunch forward and tighten your abdominals.”
- Oblique crunch. “Engage your obliques by crunching to the sides.”
- Full-range sit-up. Teeter says to “work up to” these and calls them “the only kind that doesn’t load your lower back.”
- Reverse squat. “Bend the legs and lift your body for reverse squats.”
That claim about sit-ups is Teeter’s. We found no biomechanical study that measured it, so read it as the maker’s description.
Four Strengthening Exercises in Detail
A second Teeter guide describes four of the stage 3 moves step by step, with the muscles it says each one works (Teeter, 2015). The muscle lists are the manufacturer’s, not results from a study that measured muscle activity.
Inverted Back Extension
“Place both hands behind your head. Use your lower back muscles to slowly arch backward. Hold, release and repeat.” Teeter warns: “Be careful not to rely on momentum and risk hyper-extension.” It lists the erector spinae, multifidus, glutes and hamstrings, including the biceps femoris, among the muscles worked (Teeter, 2015).
Inverted Crunch and Oblique Crunch
“Cross both arms on your chest. Use your abdominals to crunch forward. Hold, release and repeat.” To bring in the obliques, Teeter says to bring “your right shoulder toward your left knee, then your left shoulder to your right knee” (Teeter, 2015).
Inverted Sit-Up
“Bend your knees slightly and contract your abs. Reach your arms toward your knees, lifting your entire torso upward.” If you cannot finish the motion, Teeter suggests placing “your hands behind your knees” for help. It repeats its claim that this is “the only form of full-range sit-up that does not place loads on your back” (Teeter, 2015), which remains the maker’s statement, not a tested finding.
Inverted Squat
“Hold onto the A-frame legs to stabilize your body. Bend your knees, bringing your buns towards your heels. Hold, release and repeat.” Teeter lists the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and core among the muscles worked (Teeter, 2015).
This one assumes you are already at ease fully inverted. It is not an exercise for a new user.
What About a Hamstring Stretch?
Many people search for an inversion table hamstring stretch. Teeter’s published exercises list the hamstrings among the muscles the inverted back extension and the inverted squat work (Teeter, 2015). We found no hamstring stretch described for an inversion table in Teeter’s guides or Innova’s instructions, and no study measuring hamstring flexibility after inversion. If hamstring flexibility is your goal, ask a physical therapist for a stretch you can do on the floor; we won’t invent one for the table.
If You Own an Innova: No Published Exercise Program
Innova’s instructions cover how to invert, not what to do once you are there.
Where the Innova Instructions Stop
The Innova FAQ we read describes how to invert and how long to start with. It does not publish a set of exercises or staged guidance like Teeter’s. If your table is an Innova, the pin settings take the place of the tether marks: Innova says new users “begin at a low setting (15 or 30)” (Innova). Ask your clinician before adding movement.
Teeter’s Moves on a Pin-Set Table
Whether Teeter’s fully inverted exercises suit a pin-set table is something Innova does not address, so we would not assume it. Teeter’s moves rely on grips in its FitSpine bed and frame, and several need a table that locks out at full inversion. For how the Innova range differs model by model, see our Innova buying guide.
Coming Back Up After Your Exercises
Every exercise ends with the return, and it is the moment to slow down rather than speed up.
Pause Just Short of Horizontal
Teeter’s instruction is to “STOP and rest at just short of horizontal,” because this “allows your body to ‘re-compress’ gently and helps avoid sudden compression to any injured areas” (Teeter, 2020). After a set of exercises, when your muscles are tired, that pause matters more, not less.
If You Get Stuck, Keep Your Head Down
If the table does not bring you upright with the weight of your arms alone, Teeter says to “remain relaxed and DO NOT lift your head” (Teeter, 2020). Lifting the head while hanging by the ankles is exactly the kind of struggle that leads to a slip. The full return, including what to do from full inversion, is in our guide on how to use an inversion table.
Where This Routine Fits
A careful routine makes inversion easier to control. It does not make inversion a proven treatment. What the trials found for back pain and disc problems, and where they disagree, is on our page about inversion table benefits. If you are still deciding on a table, look for marked angles and an ankle system you can close with confidence; the progression above is much easier to follow when the angle is printed on the strap.
Your questions, answered
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to use an inversion table in the morning or at night?
Either works, as far as anyone has published. Teeter describes inversion as a morning wake-up or an evening wind-down before sleep, and also suggests it after high-impact or twisting exercise. No study has compared the time of day. Choose the slot when you are alert, not rushed, and have someone nearby for your first sessions.
How to get the best results from an inversion table?
Rule out the conditions that make inversion unsafe before your first session, not after. Beyond that, no trial has defined best results. Teeter publishes a low starting angle, short sessions and a preference for frequency over duration, and advises caution before full inversion. Duration and angle follow the manufacturer's instructions and your clinician's advice.
What exercises can I do with an inversion table for lower back pain?
Teeter publishes three stages: basic stretches such as spinal twists, then gentle movement such as pelvic tilts, then crunches, sit-ups and squats. All are described for full inversion, which Teeter reserves for users already comfortable at 60 degrees. None of these moves has been tested as a back pain treatment, so check with your doctor or physical therapist first.
Is it good to use an inversion table every day?
Teeter recommends inverting several times a day, so daily use is what the maker intends. What nobody has published is a long-term study of daily inversion. The measured effects, higher blood pressure and eye pressure while upside down, are why daily use should come only after your doctor has ruled out the conditions those changes would worsen.
5 sources used for this guide
Each linked to the original. Citations in the text jump here.
View sources
Teeter. How to Use an Inversion Table. teeter.com blog, 2020 (updated 2022).
Teeter. FAQ: Invert How Long And How Often?. teeter.com blog, 2014 (updated 2025).
Jung SH, Hwang JM, Kim CH. Inversion Table Fall Injury, the Phantom Menace: Three Case Reports on Cervical Spinal Cord Injury. Healthcare (Basel) 2021;9(5):492.
Innova. Frequently Asked Questions. innovaproductsinc.com/faq/.
Teeter. How to Exercise on Your Teeter. teeter.com blog, 2015 (updated 2022).