Pilates Ring Total Body Workout
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Today's workout uses the Go Sport-it pilates ring for a total body workout in about 30 minutes. The band itself is a durable yet lightweight piece of equipment that you can usually find around the gym or at a pilates/yoga studio. With today's workout, you'll tax all the major muscle groups using the ring in some capacity. My hope is that it not only makes you sweat, but also gives you some new and different ideas on how to use this often overlooked piece of exercise equipment to target specific muscle groups.
I'm trying something new with this workout post today and giving you all a how-to pictorial of the different exercises! It's my first workout image like this (with hopefully more to come)! I still have the descriptions of the exercises below for you too and hopefully the pictorial helps guide you through the moves. Ready to get started?
Pilates Ring Total Body Workout
What You'll Need: a pilates ring, a mat, and some floor space.
What You'll Do: go through each round of exercises 3 times with minimal breaks between moves. Repeat each round 3 times through before moving onto the next.
Round 1: Lower Body (x3)
Inside/Outside Squat Hops (1 minute) - start with the ring on the floor, standing inside it. From here, hop your feet out wide and squat down. Immediately push back up and hop back into the ring. Keep alternating squat hops for 1 minute. Trainer Tip: if the hops are too high-impact for you, simply step your feet outside the ring and squat down.
Adductor Ring Squeeze + Pulse + Hold (10/10/10) - lie back on you forearms with the ring between your ankles, bottom of the ring resting on the ground. From here, squeeze the ring together for 10 reps, then pulse for a count of 10, then hold it in for a count of 10.
Hamstring Press + Pulse + Hold (10/10/10 each leg) - stay seated propped up on your hands, with one leg out straight, bottom of your ankle on top of the ring and the other leg bent. From here, press the ring down, keeping that leg straight the whole time. Do 10 presses, 10 pulses, then a 10-second hold on each leg.
Round 2: Upper Body (x3)
Ring Burpees with Inside/Outside Hop (1 minute) - (see the video on Instagram) start standing inside the ring. Hop your feet outside and crouch down, placing your hands inside, and quickly jump your feet back into a plank. Immediately jump your feet back up to the outside of the ring and stand up, then hop your feet inside the ring again. Repeat quickly for 1 minute. Trainer Tip: if jumping back into a plank is too much, step your feet back and up instead.
10 Inside/Outside Push Ups - start in a push up position with your hands inside the ring. Keeping your elbows close to your sides, do a push up. Then walk your hands out to the outside of the ring and do another push up. Each pair of push ups counts as 1. Do 10 total. Trainer Tip: you can drop down to your knees here if the plank position is too much.
Lateral Chest Squeeze + Pulse + Hold (10/10/10) - stand up with your arms extended out straight holding the ring in your hands. Keep your arms out and squeeze the ring between your hands. Do 10 presses, 10 pulses, and a 10-second hold in.
Round 3: Abdominals (x3)
V-up Loop Throughs (30 seconds) - start in a V holding the ring in your hands, arms outstretched. From here, bring your knees in toward your chest slightly, reach the ring around your feet, and go back into a V position with the ring looped around your legs. Then reverse the movement. Keep going for 30 seconds, maintaining a V position as best you can throughout.
Ring Squeeze Crunch + Pulse + Hold (10/10/10) - lie on your back with your knees bent at 90˚, holding the ring between the tops of your knees and your hands. From here, squeeze the ring between your hands and knees, bringing your shoulder blades off the floor. Do 10 crunches, 10 pulses and a 10-second hold up.
10 Loop Through In & Outs - (see the video on Instagram) these are similar to the V-up loop throughs. Start lying down with your hands overhead holding the ring. Bring both your legs and upper body up off the floor to loop the ring around your feet. Slide the ring down your legs as you lower them both back down toward the floor. Reverse that move so you loop the ring off of your legs and end up back in the starting position. Do 10 total.
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Readers: chat with me! Have you ever used a pilates ring during your workouts? What have you done with them? What do you think of the funky legging trend - love it or leave it? Did the pictorial workout image help you understand the moves a bit more?
Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post, however I received the pilates ring at a discounted price for review here on the blog. All opinions and this workout are my own.
