Have you considered doing ring workouts? You know, those things you walk by in the gym but never touch. Or maybe you’ve only seen them during gymnastics routines during the Olympics. Olympians make them look daunting, but I promise you you can use them, too.
Okay, the rings are no joke. I’ll get that out of the way. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t incorporate them into your training routine!
They’re highly versatile and are a fantastic tool for building strength. Plus, they don’t cause as much stress on your joints like traditional weight lifting does. You can perform pull-ups, dips, inverted rows, and push-ups, all with a single tool. Well, you’ll want two rings, but you get the idea.
What are climbing rings?
Climbing rings, gymnastic rings, still rings, training rings – they all mean the same thing – wooden rings suspended from above. You can change their height to high above you or drop them all the way down to the floor.
Climbing rings, traditionally, were primarily used in gymnastics events. Watching somebody hold an iron cross on the rings may seem pretty doable (at least I thought so) until I tried it for myself. No way, not yet.
Gymnasts are scored on their ring routines, consisting of swing, strength, and hold elements.
Think of a gymnast swinging into a handstand, then performing an aerial dismount. That sort of routine.
Don’t worry; I’m not here to talk you into taking up gymnastics and throwing your body through the air; you already do that with climbing.
I want to tell you about the benefits of training rings and how they can improve your climbing.
Are you looking for a workout routine that doesn’t require 15 different exercises and the subsequent amount of equipment?
You can use the most underrated tool in your climbing gym and become the strongest climber you’ve ever been, how does that sound?
Why use climbing rings?
A huge benefit ring workouts have is their ability to target stabilizer muscles. You know, those little muscles that hold tension and make sure everything works together smoothly.
By using a suspension method of training, your body is forced to stabilize in different positions, unlike traditional weightlifting.
Think of doing a traditional push up. You hold yourself in a position off the ground. Just you and the opposing force of the earth.
Now imagine holding yourself in a push-up position on a pair of rings.
Many more forces are acting at play, trying to make your body fall. Your arms could spread wide, in, forward, or down toward your feet.
To maintain an upright position using climbing rings requires more muscles, which makes ring workouts ideal for improving your strength.
Exercise rings workout plan
The rings are a fantastic core and upper body builder but lack the same application for your lower body.
Sure, you can do split squats by putting a foot in the ring, but you may want to find a leg-specific routine to complement this one.
This routine will consist of six workouts targeting your upper body and stabilizers. Aim to perform each exercise with 10-12 reps for 3-5 sets.
Ring workouts
Six workouts. That’s all I’m giving you to start. Like I said, you’ll need to figure something out for leg day, but we’ve got your upper body and core covered.
Each workout will require quite a bit of strength to master. Change your angle to make it easier if you can’t do more than 10 during your first set. Follow along and learn how exercise rings can improve your climbing.
Push-ups
Lower the rings until they’re hanging about 25 cm above the floor.
Performing push-ups on exercise rings allows you to engage further than you would with your hands on the ground.
Grab the rings in a push-up position, do your push-up, and then lower yourself. Easy, right? Try it and let me know.
To make this exercise easier, simply change the angle. Bring your feet closer to the rings and raise the rings to pick yourself off the ground more, standing up straighter.
The closer you are to perpendicular to the ground, the easier the exercise will be.
CrossFit’s push-up with training rings can be found here: The Ring Push-Up.
Flys
There are three exercises for this one. (I know I said there are only six, but do these anyway). I’s, Y’s, and T’s. Begin with the rings around torso height and choose your angle. Lean forward while holding the rings straight out in front of you.
I – Raise your arms straight over your head and stop when you’ve made yourself an ‘I.’
Y – Bring your arms up and out to make yourself into a ‘Y.’
T – Raise your arms out to the side until you’re a letter ‘T.’
Take a look at this video by Climbing Meta to further understand the I, Y, T on rings: Climbing Conditioning: Ring Fly T-Y-I Workout.
Inverted Rows
Rows will require some height adjustment, but you can play around with it to find where it feels good. Opt for starting the rings higher rather than super low. You’ll see why.
Grab the rings and lean back on your heels. Then, pull yourself in with your arms until your chest is parallel with your hands.
The farther you lean back, the harder the workout will be.
Here is a demonstration of an inverted row: Inverted Ring Row.
Dips
If you’re new to dips, rings may be too advanced; try them anyway. You can always start with your feet lightly on the ground!
Start by hanging the rings around your belly height to avoid falling further until you have this one down.
If you slip sideways, you can catch yourself by stepping onto the ground. Suspending the rings higher will result in a longer fall (we don’t want that).
Grab the rings palm down and hold yourself in the air. Bend your knees if your feet are too close to the ground.
Slightly lean forward and lower your body until your hands are near your armpits, then raise back up.
Once you master stabilizing yourself through the movement, dips become much easier.
If these are too hard and using your feet is too easy, consider using a dip bar until you’ve built enough strength to return to the rings.
CrossFit has a demonstration of a proper dip on exercise rings here: The Ring Dip.
Inverted pull-up
Sounds strange, right? Trust me, they look cool and are an excellent ring workout.
Start with the rings high enough off the ground to avoid hitting your head when you invert. Start with a crash pad or soft mat under you until you get a feel for this workout.
Grab the rings and invert your body, sticking your feet into the air like you’re doing an upside-down pencil dive.
Pull your upper body closer to the rings like you’re doing a row, pushing your feet further toward the ceiling.
This video demonstrates how to perform an inverted pull-up on the rings: Upside down ring pull-ups.
Skin the cat
Skin the cat is another strange-looking but beneficial exercise to perform on climbing rings. Raise the rings so they’re in an optimal pull-up position with your palms facing each other.
Instead of doing a pull-up, raise your legs over and behind your body, keeping your grip on the rings. Then, reverse the movement until you’re back where you started.
For an in-depth look at how to skin the cat on training rings, check out this video: HOW TO Skin The Cat Beginner to Advanced Ring Strength. Paul also shows how you can make the exercise harder as you progress.
Ring workouts will improve your climbing
Yes, exercising will make you stronger and pull harder, but the rings have a special place in climbing.
They’re so important that it’s worth mentioning why again: stabilizer muscles.
If you’re looking to improve your strength and stay injury-free, strengthen your stabilizers.
There is less to go wrong when the body works in harmony.
Keep your joints healthy, and you’ll have a long life of climbing ahead of you.
Have you tried any of these ring workouts?
Let us know which is your favourite in the comments!
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