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Pilates Ring

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Give Your Pilates some Tension with a Pilates Ring

Pilates is a fitness activity based on a set of light muscle movements that are joint-friendly and promotes muscle strength combined with slow, deep breathing. Exercises can be done without any equipment but can be more challenging when used with some Pilates accessories. One accessory that gives Pilates exercises a little bit of a kick is its very own Pilates ring. Pilates rings are designed to add resistance to fitness activity, enhancing muscle development and fat burns. If you’re already a Pilates practitioner or someone who wants to practice Pilates at home, then you wouldn’t want to miss buying a Pilates Ring. Best Home Gym Equipment has an array of Pilates rings that to your liking. You can even contact us for expert advice on the best Pilates ring that your needs.


Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is a Pilates Ring?
Pilates ring is one of the many Pilates accessories that create tension to the limbs and core muscles in your exercises. It is a 13-inch flexible metal or rubber ring that has small pads on each side to cushion your hands, thighs, or ankles. Since Pilates exercises are not a “power” workout, a Pilates ring is used to create tension to your limbs and core to aid muscle development, enhance posture, and increase the burn in your muscles. Unlike most workouts that use bulky equipment or machines to strengthen your body, Pilates encourages focusing your energy on your postural muscles, these are your abdomen, pelvis, and back, to make your body slipper and keep it in shape.

How is a Pilates Ring used for Pilates exercises?
Known as the Magic Circle for those who practice the discipline, the Pilates ring is invented by its founder, Joseph Pilates, to help practitioners find their centre during their fitness activity. Like most Pilates accessories, the Magic Circle is an application of one of Pilates’ principles of isometrics, where the body acts against itself or against a surface. The Pilates ring is squeezed gently inwards by the hands, arms, legs, or feet to exert a little bit of tension when doing Pilates exercises. Most of them are made of flexible metal, but there are also rubber models. It has two small pads on both the outer and inner rings that are placed opposite each other. You position the pads on both sides of your limbs and press the ring lightly causing tension on both your arms and legs while maintaining proper posture. The Pilates ring can be used for several Pilates exercises. You should be able to know them if you have practised Pilates at your gym or seen videos of Pilates exercises.

What are the Pilates exercises that I can use a Pilates Ring for?
Pilates exercises can be done without any equipment but can be challenging and rewarding if you use some of the available Pilates accessories to better enhance your physique. The Pilates ring can be used for these exercises.

  • Swan
  • Tricep Press
  • Shoulder Bridge
  • Side-Lying Leg Lifts
  • Roll-Up
  • Double Leg Lowers
  • Thigh Press
  • Glutes Bridge
  • Criss-Cross Single Leg Extension

These are just some of the Pilates exercises you can do with a Pilates ring. You can do your research on how to do these exercises or contact us for a Pilates expert that can guide you in your Pilates exercises.

How should I choose my Pilates Ring?
Pilates rings are versatile enough to accommodate all levels of Pilates students, from beginners to advanced practitioners. But some styles and sizes are best suited to a certain level than others.

Material

Pilates rings can be made of metal, plastic, or rubber. Metal rings are sturdier and heavier that’s why it suits the recommendation of advanced practitioners who have built up enough strength to give the right tension to the ring during Pilates exercises. But you could also use metal rings even if you’re a beginner provided that you are confident you could perform the exercise without having too much trouble manipulating the equipment. On the other hand, rubber and plastic rings are lighter but still have enough sturdiness to handle the pressures from your thighs or arms.

Sizes

The rings have sizes ranging from 13” to 16” in diameter. Smaller rings that have 13 to 12-inch sizes are often referred to as mini rings. They are suitable for upper-body and thigh workouts and are better suited to small or short students but can be a bit too small for the average person. On the other hand, larger rings work better for lower leg exercises. 14-inch rings are the most common size and suitable for most people. When choosing your Pilates ring size, some brands have a height and weight chart to find the Pilates ring size that suits your body structure. You can use that to give you an idea of your appropriate Pilates ring size. Some people though, purchase more than one size of Pilates ring to maximise Pilates exercises, or you can stick to one size and just modify them.

Pads

Pilates rings have pads on either side of the ring, usually only on the outer ring. Some have both outer and inner ring pads. Having inner ring pads are not necessary, but it will give your Pilates ring more versatility as it can open up an array of exercises that are only possible with inner pads in place.

Weight

Weight is also a big consideration when choosing the right Pilates ring. Heavy circles can wear you out fast and will result in not completing the exercises. But if you are confident that you can handle it or you are practising another fitness activity besides Pilates, then go ahead. For beginners and those who have not yet engaged in any workout training, you should choose lighter Pilates rings.

Why should I buy a Pilates Ring when I can practice Pilates without it?
Oftentimes, coined as the soul of Pilates, a Pilates ring can be incorporated with more than half of Pilates exercises. That’s why if you’re planning to practice Pilates, you should get one of these renowned Magic Circle of Pilates.

Increased strength

Although Pilates exercises themselves frim up your body to stay fit and trim, using the ring intensifies its effect giving you a little more challenge to push your body’s limits. This spring-like resistance from the Pilates ring assists your body to activate isolated muscles more effectively, thereby strengthening you. With repetitive movements and pressure exerted by the exercises and the ring, your body slims down faster and your muscles get stronger.

Increased Body Awareness

In Pilates, the Magic Circle is a tool to bring you to proper posture when executing an exercise. It guides you through the proper form and technique that results in a deeper stretch of your muscles. The flexibility it offers facilitates enhanced body awareness by giving you self-feedback during exercises. This is a great skill to have even in non-Pilates activities as you can do a self-correction when you think your body isn’t doing what it’s supposed to do.

Greater overall body tone

Muscle development is the key to having a perfectly toned body. Since Pilates rings can be used for exercises of your upper and lower body as well as your core, it enables you to enhance and shape all areas of your body. Whereas your other fitness activities will just allow you to develop one or two areas, then you move on to another set of workouts. What’s more, practising Pilates with a Pilates ring shapes your body faster and better.

Improved Balance and Core Strength

Depending on how the Pilates ring is used or positioned in exercises, putting pressure on the rings provides stability for your body. If you feel unstable while doing an exercise, squeezing the Pilates ring can get you more stabilised by reaching into your deeper core muscles. This is especially beneficial to users that are not able to activate their core muscles as it teaches you how to employ your core to do the exercises.

Versatility

Pilates rings have very diverse uses in practising Pilates exercises. It can be used to do upper and lower body exercise by simultaneously working on your core and oblique muscles. You would not need to throw it in the bin after a few workouts since it can be used for more than half of the Pilates exercises.

How Do I use my Pilates Ring safely?
Safety is of the utmost importance when doing any fitness activity. Keep in mind these safety tips to make your Pilates practice rewarding and stress-free.

Inspect your gadget before commencing

Make sure that your Pilates ring is in good condition. It has no cracks or breaks that could injure your or even break when exerted by pressure. You also need to check if the ring has any protruding metal around its circumference, both in its outer and inner rings. Be especially careful if you’re using your Pilates ring for the first time.

Don’t squeeze the Pilates ring excessively

Give enough tension to the ring that you can feel your body being stretched. Don’t overdo it, it’s not a stress ball. Squeezing too much would involve you giving more pressure to the equipment than you can carry. Remember, the more you grip it, the more pressure you feel. And also, the ring might accidentally slide off your body and be a dangerous projectile not just to you but to others who might be in the room.

 

 

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