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Gymnastic rings exercises - simple instructions (2024)

Gymnastic Rings Exercises Simple Instructions

Gymnastic Rings Exercises Simple Instructions

Gymnastic rings exercises - some tips and tricks from practice

For anyone who likes strength training and is looking for a flexible and versatile training device, the gymnastics rings are just the thing. You can do indoor and outdoor exercises with them and the whole body is challenged. Originally, the rings were used almost exclusively by gymnasts, but more and more strength athletes, rowers and climbers are discovering this device for themselves.

What are gymnastic rings?

Most know gymnastic rings from physical education at school. The two rings are made of wood or hard plastic and are each mounted on a loop on the ceiling of the gym or on a bracket. Not only professional gymnasts or other athletes train on the rings, but also amateur athletes, bodybuilders or people who want to get as efficient as possible through fitness.

Who Should Train on Gymnastic Rings?

Training on rings is suitable for both beginners and professionals. Both beginners and moderately advanced fitness athletes will feel their limits in ring gymnastics after just a few minutes. If you are well trained, the rings can be an interesting challenge.

As a beginner, on the other hand, you have to have a good deal of stamina and go through many preliminary exercises before you can finally do difficult forms of exercise such as handstands on the tires or vigorous holding exercises. Only if you keep at it continuously and for weeks will you be rewarded with progress.

This simple-looking form of training is one of the most demanding in the premier class. In addition to the arms, shoulders and back, the core muscles of the torso must also be trained so that they can safely hold the body weight.

What sounds supposedly easy is made more difficult by every tilting, swinging and wobbling that the special positioning in the ring entails. The gymnastics rings also enable well-trained strength athletes or ambitious crossfitters to challenge their performance with new training stimuli. Therefore, high-quality gymnastics rings are an absolute must in the gym.

Why train on gymnastic rings?

Training on gymnastic rings differs from training on fixed equipment in several ways. The special features include:

  • The rings are a mobile device, which gives the training a high proprioceptive component. It takes a lot of strength and coordination skills to balance the ring movements and keep the body stable during the exercises. Nothing works without the deep muscles.
  • Gymnastic rings are portable and can be installed indoors or outdoors, depending on the weather.
  • The variety of possible exercises is unparalleled. The whole body is effortlessly trained on gymnastics rings with pressure, traction and holding exercises. In addition to upper body and arm muscles, the abdomen, back, buttocks and legs are also addressed. More variety in one and the same training device is hardly possible.
  • Because the straps are adjustable, you can vary the suspension height of the rings. The longer the straps, the more the rings vibrate and the more strenuous your exercises become.

What advantages does the training offer?

Most people have become accustomed to training with machines and fixed equipment. The movements of these workouts are often very one-sided and rigid. This becomes clear using the example of the popular chest exercise dips – also known as parallel bars.

If you perform this exercise on fixed bars, parallel bars or a machine, the respective training device understandably always remains firmly anchored to the ground. Dips on gymnastic rings, on the other hand, force you to balance your body, otherwise the two rings will break out forwards, backwards, or to the sides.

What should you pay attention to when training?

The most important thing is the length of the loops. These can be adjusted individually. The longer the tapes, the more stability has to be applied. Some exercises like dips or push-ups become much more difficult with the length of the loops because the leverage is greater. The training is also more effective and success is visible more quickly. Conversely, the shorter the loops are, the easier the exercises are.

What exercises are there?

There are many exercises that are suitable for both beginners, depending on the length of the loops, the difficulty of the exercise increases accordingly.

  • Backward Rowing: This exercise builds arm strength and back muscles. The gymnastics rings should hang on straps that are as long as possible, at about waist height. Now you have to hang yourself under the rings on your back – your feet are a few steps in front of your shoulders, your knees are bent. From this hanging supine position, pull yourself up several times on the tires until your arms are on your chest.
  • Push-ups on gymnastics rings: The straps of the rings should be extended so that they hang just above the ground. Then grab the hoops and put your feet into the push-up position. Now it's time to do push-ups. As a tip: the slower you move, the better you have the rings under control.
  • dips: Dips on rings can be easily varied in difficulty, depending on the training level. If you want the dips to be easier, the rings need to be at hip height and then you go into armrests.
    The feet are placed a few steps behind you so that the body forms a diagonal to the floor. Then you have to let yourself sink forward and then push yourself back up. The arms should remain close to the body.
    The more difficult variant of the dip works the same way, except that the rings are shoulder-high.
  • L seat: The L-sit is a holding exercise. It demands holding power in the shoulders, torso and abdomen. The rings should hang at shoulder height and then you have to jump into the vertical slope. Then bend your knees and hold this position.
  • reel: This is an exercise that can be really fun. The gymnastics rings are hung at forehead height and then you have to hang on with long arms so that your bent knees hover just above the floor. Then the legs are slowly brought into the so-called fall slope, in which one hangs stretched out upside down in the rings.
  • pull-ups: Pull-ups are particularly difficult due to the free movement of the rings. When training, you can support yourself with so-called resistance bands, which take part of your body weight. The rings must be hung high enough, that is far above the head, so that one can just reach them with bent arms. When hanging, the knees hover just above the ground. From this position you have to pull yourself up several times. The wrists are allowed to rotate, which ensures maximum joint protection and an advantage over pull-ups on a bar.

What is the correct way to hang gymnastic rings?

When hanging up gymnastic rings, you should play it safe. A carrier should be chosen that you can be sure can carry significantly more than your own body weight. Because during training, the forces that act on the carrier and material add up. If the rings are to be attached with hooks and dowels, it is advisable to first find out which ones are suitable at the hardware store.

The instructions should also be read carefully. A suspension height of 2,70 meters is usually recommended. This gives you enough leeway to either set a short strap length or choose a long strap. Basically, the longer the straps, the greater the inherent movement of the rings. This creates more instability and a higher level of difficulty in the exercises.

It is important to ensure that the straps are routed through the metal quick releases from behind. Otherwise hanging may be at risk.

What should you consider when buying?

Some things should be clarified before buying gymnastic rings.

  • Material: Decide before you buy what material the gymnastics rings should be made of. wood, metal or plastic.
  • Outdoor or indoor use: The area of ​​use of your rings also determines the material from which they should be made. Gymnastic rings that you use outside and leave hanging in all weathers should ideally be made of plastic. If you use the rings indoors or take them back to the house after every outdoor training session, you can use wooden rings without any problems.
  • Strap length: The common belts are made of nylon and have a length of 4 - 4,5m.
  • Diameter of the gymnastics rings: Calculate an average of approx. 180 mm for the inner diameter and an outer diameter of approx. 240 mm. A thick material diameter of approx. 3 cm ensures good grip and conveys a feeling of stability and control.
  • Length markings on the straps: In order to be able to change the hanging height of your rings quickly and precisely, buy straps with length markings. These markings ensure that you can set both gymnastic rings at exactly the same height. In addition, you can note the respective suspension height for your exercises and make your progression in training more conscious.

Gymnastic rings made of wood, plastic or metal?

Which material the articles are made of is ultimately a matter of taste. However, each material has its advantages.

Classic wooden gymnastics rings:

  • It is aesthetic and blends beautifully into your living environment.
  • The grip of wooden gymnastics rings is unsurpassed.
  • Wood heats up when touched and adapts to your body temperature.
  • Hand sweat will be absorbed as long as you use unvarnished wooden rings.
  • Well-made wooden rings are stable and very durable.
  • They are priced between 50 and 80€.

Plastic gymnastic rings:

  • Gymnastic rings made of plastic are insensitive and durable.
  • They are weather resistant, meaning you can leave them hanging outside as they don't mind rain and snow.
  • They do not absorb hand perspiration but are washable.
  • Plastic rings are even cheaper than rings made of wood.
  • The price is between 35 and 45€.

Metal Gymnastic Rings:

  • Metal rings are not very grippy. That is why they are covered with rubber at the gripping point.
  • Good metal rings do not rust, but they can oxidize or corrode. If you can leave them hanging outside, please refer to the product information.
  • Compared to other tires, metal rings are usually thin in material diameter. This can make it uncomfortable to touch and you may not find the right strength for your hands.
  • They are priced at around €100.

Conclusion

You train all muscle groups in the shoulders, arms and back as well as the deep core muscles with demanding exercises. These include classic dips, ring support or pull-ups.

In addition, the versatile rings for gymnastics are able to support numerous other important areas in terms of fitness, such as learning new movement patterns.

Stretching and various mobility drills can also be effectively intensified with the creative use of gymnast rings. Whether beginner, advanced or professional: all enthusiastic athletes benefit from ring training in their own way. Even children and rehabilitation patients can achieve success with the help of the innovative training tools. Because of all these unqualified benefits, sport rings are a must-have for any modern gym.

 

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