Gymnastic Rings are one of the most efficient pieces of bodyweight exercise equipment currently available to fitness enthusiasts. Despite having a simple design, these rings work essential muscle groups and joints in a way that is impossible to do with other types of strenuous exercises. Gymnastic rings are the perfect addition to your home gym as they do everything that a pull-up bar does and provide additional benefits.
This article will cover the benefits of gymnastic rings, some unique exercises you can do with them, and why you should include them in your daily workout routine.
Benefits of Gymnastic Rings
Gym rings are probably the best exercise equipment for working out with nothing but your body weight. They are simple and target various muscle groups and joints, including the ones that other exercises often neglect.
Gymnastic Rings are a piece of gear you absolutely cannot ignore if you are more interested in training for athletic fitness. They are the most versatile, easy-to-use, and cost-effective strength training products. They are great for strengthening the upper body and getting the core in shape, which is important for keeping the body stable.
The following are some reasons why incorporating gym rings into your exercise routine will cause a shift in the overall dynamics of your workout:
Increased Joint Stability
The gymnastic rings provide more joint movement than any other piece of equipment. When using stationary bars, you will experience some degree of restriction in the movement of your joints. Gym rings, on the other hand, encourage you to move your joints to their full range of motion.
This helps your body adapt to carrying more weight and keeps your tendons and ligaments from being overworked. Joint pain is a common complaint among people who lift weights and using the gym rings to exercise can help alleviate some of this discomfort.
You can even prepare your joints for extra load when you’re planning on increasing the stress your joints will face.
Better Muscular Coordination and Balance
The use of gym rings can assist in the development of better muscle coordination. Isolation exercises at the gym help a specific muscle group by strengthening only those muscles used in the exercise. But if you consider the applications in everyday life, you'll see that you need more coordinated movements rather than isolated ones.
Training on a gymnastic ring can help improve your overall strength by teaching your body to coordinate its muscles more effectively.
Another advantage of using gym rings for strength training is that they assist in transferring strength gained from the workout. This not only helps you improve your athletic performance, but it also helps you excel in various other sports, as well as regular weighted training.
Increased Range of Motion
The vast majority of ring workouts consist of compound movements, which involve the use of multiple muscle groups as well as multiple joints. The exercises you perform on rings put your body through a challenge by requiring it to maintain control while it is under tension and move through its range of motion.
A better range of motion helps prevent injury in weighted exercises and creates better mind-body relations, which helps with better muscle building.
Increased Gymnastics Skill and Strength
All exercises performed on gym rings are done while they are suspended in midair from a bar or some other secure support. The workouts will be more challenging as a result of this change.
When exercising on stable equipment, you won't need to worry about whether or not the equipment is balanced. On the other hand, when working out with gym rings, you need to perform exercises while keeping the necessary level of body balance.
Due to the instability, the exercises will be significantly more challenging. You must move your body while simultaneously attempting to stabilize it during the workout. Because of this, you end up with a group of highly functional and stronger muscles.
Full Body Workout
The suspension straps that come with the gym rings allow you to adjust the height of the rings to either a lower or higher setting. You can perform many different pull exercises, such as chin-ups, pull-ups, inclined pulls, and so on when they are hung at a higher level.
You could also hang them lower and begin doing push-ups as an additional exercise. The use of gym rings makes the push ups more difficult. This helps engage all of the major muscles in the upper body, including the chest, biceps, back, and core, and it also helps strengthen the muscles.
The gymnastic rings offer a wide variety of uses, which is why they are so popular. In addition to upper-body exercises, you can also perform core and lower-body exercises with gym rings.
You can strengthen your core and leg muscles by performing exercises such as pistol squats, ring leg curls, and L-sit Holds. These exercises help you work on both your legs and your core simultaneously.
Related Article: Workout Plan to Build Stronger Core & Strength
Drawbacks of Gymnastic Rings
While gymnastic rings are excellent home gym equipment, they come up with some challenges.
Following are some of the caveats of gymnastic rings:
Harder Exercises
Gymnastic rings are not beginner-friendly and require more training to get the hang of the exercises. While there are easy variants, the sheer core strength required to balance yourself in gymnastic rings can be a lot to ask for beginners.
Finding a Suitable Hanging Place
Gymnastic rings need a tall place to hang from; finding that place can be hard. Moreover, because gymnastic rings come in a pair, adjusting both of them to the same height can be quite difficult at times.
Both rings must be leveled before your exercise, and well, it can be done but requires some patience and a lot of adjusting.
Gymnastic Ring Exercises
So what exercises can you do with gymnastic rings? Well, there’s a lot to choose from, everything you can do with a pull-up bar with these rings; moreover, you can do push-ups and some advanced upper body exercises.
Following are some of the beginner-friendly exercises you can do with gymnastic rings:
Ring Push-Ups
The push-up is one of the most common exercises you can do with your body. When you add gymnastic rings to the mix, your hands are suspended above the ground, and the independent movement of the rings makes it harder to control the exercise. Because of this, you use more stabilizing muscles and get the most out of the exercise.
Ring push-ups are a great way to build up your chest and shoulder muscles. You can change how hard the exercise is by changing the height of the rings.
- Depending on how fit you are, you can change the height of the rings (the lower the rings, the more difficult the exercise).
- Grab the rings, keep your body straight, and spread your legs out behind you as far as you can.
- Slowly lower yourself to the ground.
- Stop at the bottom of the exercise, then push yourself back up to the starting position. During the exercise, don't lock out your elbows to keep tension in all the muscles.
- Repeat.
- You can modify this exercise by lowering the rings as your strength increases.
Ring Dip
The standard ring dip is one of the most popular bodyweight exercises. It is a compound move that simultaneously works the triceps, chest, and shoulders.
Doing dips on gymnastic rings makes the exercise less stable because the rings can move around. This makes you use more muscles to help support your body, making ring dips harder and more rewarding than regular dips. It also makes them safer since the joints can move naturally as the rings turn.
- Change how high the rings are so your feet don't touch the ground between sets.
- Set the rings in place and move into the support position. You should stand on top of the rings with your arms straight and your body weight on them.
- Bend your elbows and keep your shoulders close to your sides as you lower your body. Keep the motion smooth and steady. If you can, keep going down until your shoulders almost touch your hands.
- Press your body back to the place where you started.
- You can keep your legs bent, crossed, or straight during the exercise.
- Make sure your body is straight up and down to work your triceps. When you lean over, the chest muscles will be used.
Ring Rows
The ring row, also known as the body row because of its other name, is a relatively straightforward ring training exercise that works the muscles in the arms and upper back.
It is a useful exercise for anyone who is not yet strong enough to perform pull-ups because it uses a similar muscle set but is much easier to do. It also resembles an upside-down push-up, which makes it a handy starter exercise.
- Place the rings at the right height (the lower the rings, the more difficult the exercise).
- Grab the rings and lean back until your arms are straight.
- Keep your back straight and pull your chest as high as possible towards the rings.
- Take a short break at the top of the exercise, and then slowly go back down to the starting position. That is one complete rep.
- You can move the rings down as you get stronger to make the exercise harder.
Ring Leg Curl
Ring leg curl or the hamstring curl is a form of calisthenics and an alternative exercise that focuses primarily on the hamstrings but also, to a lesser extent, targets the abdominal muscles, calves, glutes, hip flexors, and lower back.
It is a good leg exercise you can do with the rings, but it isn’t very effective as you will reach your threshold easily with rings.
- Set up the rings so your upper back is at the same level as your feet when you hang under them. You can also get the right height by lifting your feet off the ground.
- Under the rings, get into a bent-leg row position.
- Move your feet forward a few inches to give yourself more room to move.
- Curl your legs by using your hamstrings to bring your bottom to your feet.
- Allow gravity to move you back to where you started.
- The hamstring curl is done many times.
- During the curl's concentric part, focus on "pulling" with your legs; avoid letting any swinging motions bring your body into the curled position.
Related Article: 20 Highly Effective Ring Workouts for Bodyweight Strength and Conditioning
FAQs
1. Do I require grips or chalk for this?
Using chalk can improve traction and reduce the risk of slipping caused by sweat or other forms of moisture. You can buy a block of chalk for a few dollars, and it will serve you for the rest of your life.
It won't only help you get a better grip but will keep you safe from accidentally falling to your face.
2. Can I use rings every day?
It is possible, but you must be very good at regulating the effort and intensity you put into your exercises. You will also need to be aware of how your performance varies daily. You should save your best efforts when everything is running smoothly. Take note of the days you are struggling the most and do the bare minimum on those days.
It's a fast way to improve if you practice your skills every day, but don't get caught in the trap of trying to improve at your maximum every time. Teenagers and adolescents might be able to do it without getting hurt, but adults will have a much harder time.
3. What if I land on my head accidentally?
You can only fall on your head if you lose your grip on the object or let go of it completely. First and foremost, you must ensure that you never lose hold of the rings. Never. Hold off on releasing the rings until you have determined where you will land and are confident in your ability to handle the situation. If you feel your hands slipping, grab as tightly as you can and get your feet under you as quickly as possible.
4. Are there exercises that focus on the legs?
You could perform assisted squats and other exercises of a similar nature by using the rings like that of other suspension equipment, such as the TRX. However, that is not the most effective way to exercise your legs or use the rings. After you've finished with your ring workout, feel free to perform squats and run hills.
The Bottom Line
Gym rings are undoubtedly the most effective equipment for improving your fitness level. However, they call for extensive training before they can be mastered adequately. Despite this, they are useful for enhancing one's awareness while exercising and offer the body a compound exercise.
You can exercise your entire body, including the deep muscles in your body, which are typically neglected during other exercises. In addition to effectively building muscle, training with gym rings helps enhance muscle coordination, improve joint mobility and flexibility, and increase the range of motion in the joints.
Gym rings are not only good for you, but they can be a lot of fun to play with. Your workouts are a blank slate to fill in whatever you like. Functional gymnastic rings make it easy to switch from one exercise to another, making your workouts more enjoyable.
Reading List
12 Best Workouts With Ankle Straps: Booty Cable Exercises
6 Best Leg Exercises That Will Get You in Shape Fast
20 Highly Effective Ring Workouts for Bodyweight Strength and Conditioning
Finally! Gain The Most Muscle Mass And Strength Possible in Just 12 Weeks!
Get Our FREE GUIDE That Includes a 12-Week Muscle-Building Workout Program, Hidden Strategies and Meal Plans Including Shopping List & Recipes.
Your privacyis important to us
