A Pilates ring, sometimes called a magic circle or power ring, is a piece of equipment that is about the size of a large steering wheel. The ring provides resistance to help tone the muscles in a simple, balanced and effective workout. Use the ring for your arms and upper body by squeezing it between both hands and strengthen your leg muscles by squeezing the ring between your ankles or thighs. The ring packs easily and can be used with a DVD workout program, for a quick break at the office, or as part of your little one's Pilates workouts.

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Inner thigh pulse exercise

Step 1

Lie on your back and bend your knees. Place your feet on the floor and point them straight ahead.

Step 2

Place the Pilates ring between your legs, about an inch above your knees. Place the black padded handles on the sides of the ring on your hips.

Step 3

Relax your neck and shoulders. Tighten your abs and press your lower back into the floor.

Step 4

Press your feet firmly against the resistance of the ring. Relax again almost immediately.

Step 5

Keep squeezing at a fast pace while holding your abs and your upper body will relax until your inner thighs or fatiguing muscles get tired. Operate up to 150 pulses.

chest hammer exercise

Step 1

Lie face up on the floor and bend your knees with your feet on the floor, or straighten your legs and relax them on the ground.

Step 2

Hold the ring in your hands with the handles in front of your chest, like a steering wheel. Place your palms against the outside of the handles with your fingers pointing towards the ceiling. Elbows are bent and out to the sides.

Step 3

Pulse the ring with your hands, pressing your palms together. Keep your back flat on the floor and your arms open without grabbing the handles at all times on all presses.

Step 4

Work up to 100-150 presses in good shape. Don't let your back arch, or your neck or shoulders should be off the floor. Any of these compensations can allow you to do a few more reps, but at the expense of using additional muscles to help the arm and chest muscles you are targeting.

• The Pilates ring has different levels of resistance. Once you can do 150 reps of the exercise, try using a higher resistance ring. Start with as many reps as you can with a more difficult ring, using good exercise form, and then up to 150.

If you have a Pilates ring, the exercises offered by experienced fitness trainers will help you get your body in perfect shape in a short time. The main condition is regularity and high-quality performance.

What are we dealing with?

Pilates is a sports exercise that combines breathing exercises, the power of thought and physical training. Only the concentration of the mind and its connection with the body can lead to visible results.

The Pilates ring (also known as the isotonic ring) is an inexpensive modern exercise machine with which you can change your body. Knowing the exercises for certain muscles, girls say goodbye to their problem areas in a short time. After all, a beautiful silhouette is the key to success in men, a guarantee of self-esteem and a reason for the envy of girlfriends.

The uniqueness of the simulator is that it can be used by men and women of different ages without harm to health. It gently trains the muscles and tones them. But sports trainers recommend using the ring as an addition to other physical activities.

The standard size of the Pilates ring is 38 cm. Thanks to the special grips, it is easy to hold and position in different forms for exercise. The material for the manufacture of inventory manufacturers choose plastic. It is characterized by strength and lightness.

The advantage of the simulator is also in its compactness and affordable cost. After exercise, the fat mass burns out, but the muscles do not build up, excluding extra volumes.

Pilates leg exercises

Every girl dreams of beautiful slender legs. To develop endurance and physical strength, you need to pay special attention to the buttocks, thighs and calves. The Pilates ring in this case is the ideal solution, since it does not build up muscles, but strengthens them, stimulates them for long-term loads. Weight loss is a nice bonus.

The ring plié exercise aims to strengthen the buttocks and inner thighs. To perform it, you need to become in the Pilates position, draw in the stomach and fix the center of the body. The ring is set slightly above the knees between the legs. Elbows are spread to the sides, and the crown is pulled to the ceiling. You need to keep the ring in its original position, but at the same time squat. Make sure your lower back doesn't arch. To complicate the exercise and give the body an additional load, do spring squats several times.

You can experiment with a combination of exercises. For example, you can simultaneously work on the legs, buttocks and abs. Muscles tense, and the desired result is achieved. The body becomes fit and healthy. You can combine positions: standing, sitting, lying down.

Advice! You can independently develop a set of exercises with a Pilates ring for yourself in order to most effectively influence problem areas.

Exercises for the back and strengthening the spine

If your back often hurts after office work or vice versa, you work hard, getting a load on your back, you need to relax and strengthen it. The functioning of the body as a whole depends on the state of the spine. There are special exercises for these areas of the body, which are performed using a Pilates ring.

You can develop the mobility of the spine if you lie on your back with arms outstretched along the body. The ring is placed slightly above the knees and slowly squeezed. The abdomen must be pulled in, fixing the center of the body. The buttocks slowly lift off the floor during exhalation. As you arch up, feel each vertebra and slowly lower yourself down. The shoulder blades should not come off the floor, and the main support should be the heels.

Strengthen the center of the body, relax the shoulders and improve the back can be from a standing position. The legs are placed in the Pilates position. The stomach needs to be pulled in and, fixing the center of the body, stretch the top of the head to the ceiling. The ring is placed on the right thigh so that it is possible to hold the ring with the base of the palm, turning the elbow to the side. It is necessary to compress the simulator while inhaling, bringing it as close as possible to the thigh. On exhalation, the pressure is weakened. Deviating to the side is not advisable. Watch your breath and keep your back straight.

Complex for a beautiful press and a slender waist

To see the effect of exercising with a Pilates ring, you need to do abdominal exercises daily. Then after three weeks you will notice a visible result. In addition to the regularity of execution, it is important to breathe correctly. At the end of the article you will find a video material that will help you properly handle the simulator.

Holding the Pilates ring in a prone position between the knees, the upper back is lifted. In this case, the arms are located along the body. This method can be called weighting the press. During the lesson, the body needs to linger at the highest point and freeze.

From a prone position, when the ring is fixed between the knees, you need to perform 5-15 twists of the spine up. In this case, the body rises, and the hands reach for the knees. Similar to a standard ab exercise, but with a complication.

Every girl dreams of beautiful oblique abdominal muscles and perfect abs. To achieve the desired result, you need to perform a simple exercise.

It is necessary to lie on the floor and fasten the ring between the palm of your right hand and the inside of your left thigh. During exhalation, the pelvis should be raised and gradually the neck and shoulders should be raised. The elbow of the right hand should touch the left knee. Then, from the starting position, repeat the action in the opposite direction. Enough 10-15 times.

The stomach is perfectly tightened after exercises that are performed lying on it. To do this, you need to stretch your arms in front of you, and squeezing the ring, raise the top of the body. If you are in good physical condition and the exercise seems too easy, raise your legs in sync as well. You can clamp the ring between the ankles.

Advice!Pilates is good for women. It helps to develop the perfect posture and find seductive body shapes. The ring speeds up the process and enhances the effect of classes.

Hip correction

Women's butt and thighs can drive a man crazy. But only tightened and embossed parts of the body really deserve attention. To get proper attention from the opposite sex, do exercises with a Pilates ring. It's easy, cheap and doesn't take long.

Fitness trainers highlight the three best exercises for the hips and buttocks:

• Lie on your back, bend your legs and spread them slightly wider than shoulder level. The arms are extended along the body, and the ring is clamped between the knees. The buttocks should be slowly raised during inhalation and lowered as you exhale. For the best effect, repeat the exercise 5-15 times.
• The inner thigh is excellently pulled up during exercises from the “lying on the side” position. With proper technique, the ring is clamped between the ankles. Next, you need to try to, overcoming the resistance of the ring and the upper leg, raise the lower one. You can repeat the exercise up to 10 times for a visible effect, and then change the leg. If the exercise is easy, also raise your arm while lifting the body.
• Strengthen the muscles of the pelvis and thighs with a simple exercise. To do this, lie on the floor, bend your legs at the knees and place a Pilates ring between them. On inspiration, it is necessary to raise the upper back without the help of hands, but only resting on the legs. To enhance the positive effect, stretch the elbow of your right hand to your left knee and vice versa. Alternate exercise 10-15 times.

In order for the butt and thighs to look seductive, do not forget about squats. But complicate the usual exercises with a Pilates ring. It can be clamped in the hands or between the knees. Work on different muscle groups at once.

Advice! The Pilates ring can be used at a convenient time, even without leaving the TV. The main thing is to feel how the muscles tense up during the exercises.

How to use a Pilates ring to tighten your chest muscles?

Tightening the pectoral muscles is especially important among women who have been breastfeeding. She loses her former shape and becomes slightly sagging. Miracle products for breast enlargement are not suitable. Only sports will help to correct the situation. With a Pilates ring, the exercises look like this:

• Get into a classic Pilates stance. That is, tighten the press, raise your hands to the level of the chest, spread your elbows to the sides and relax your shoulders as much as possible. At this time, the ring is sandwiched between the hands. Slowly squeeze it and stay at the maximum point of tension for several seconds. On inspiration, release the simulator. 5-15 repetitions are enough.
• Stand up straight, tighten your abs, raise your arms above your head. Try to keep your shoulders relaxed and slowly squeeze the ring. Repeat the exercise 5-15 times.

• Stay in a classic Pilates stance with tight abs and relaxed shoulders. Legs shoulder width apart. The hands that squeeze the ring are wound behind the back and lowered down.
• Effective strengthening of the core of the body, shoulders and chest comes from regular exercises with the Pilates ring. To perform the technique correctly, you need to stand straight, pull in your stomach and stretch your crown up. The legs are in the Pilates position. The bases of the palms need to hold the ring so that it is directly in front of the chest. In this case, the elbows are turned outward. During exhalation, you need to squeeze the ring as much as possible. It is enough to perform 5-8 times. The main thing is not to bend and control so that the hands always remain at the same level.

Advice!During pregnancy, use a low resistance ring. You do not need to apply a lot of force, so you will remain in excellent physical shape even after childbirth.

By tightening the chest muscles, you also strengthen the protection of the spine.

Reading time: 19 min

The Pilates ring (isotonic ring) is a ring-shaped machine with handles that creates additional resistance during exercise. The ring is used in Pilates and other low impact workouts to tone upper and lower body muscles.

We offer you detailed information on the use of the Pilates ring, as well as a selection of effective exercises and videos with the isotonic ring.

Read also:

What is a Pilates Ring (Isotonic Ring)

Pilates ring is also called isotonic ring or fitness ring (in English it is called Pilates Ring or Magic Circle). The ring provides additional resistance to the muscles, which means it helps you increase the effectiveness of your workout. Basically, the ring is used in Pilates and exercises for muscle tone in problem areas. The isotonic ring is compact and lightweight, so it does not take up much space in the room. Also, you can always take it with you on a trip or vacation.

The isotonic ring will help you strengthen all the muscles in your body without bulking them up. This inventory is especially useful for the pectoral muscles, gluteal muscles, arm muscles, back muscles, as well as for such problem areas as the outer and inner thighs. In addition, during Pilates, the abdominal muscles, including deep ones, are actively involved, which will help you not only strengthen your abs, but also improve your posture.

Pilates with a ring is useful not only for muscle tone, but also for developing flexibility, mobility, balance, and improving range of motion. The inventory is very accessible to use: you just need to compress and decompress the ring to create resistance and enable muscles, including deep ones, to work. In the upper body exercises, you will squeeze the ring with your hands, in the lower body exercises, the ring is compressed between the hips and ankles.

Benefits of training with a Pilates ring:

1. The Pilates ring is a very useful piece of equipment that will help you tone your muscles and improve the quality of your body.
2. The isotonic ring is effective for getting rid of "difficult" problem areas in the arms, pectoral muscles, and inner thighs.
3. Pilates ring exercises are low-impact exercises that are safe for your joints.
4. Regular exercise with a Pilates ring will help you improve your posture and get rid of back pain.
5. The Pilates ring includes stabilizing muscles that do not always work during classic strength training.
6. Thanks to the isotonic ring, you will diversify your Pilates workout very well and increase its effectiveness.
7. This is a very compact and lightweight fitness equipment that is convenient to take with you.
8. Suitable for the elderly and during rehabilitation after injuries.
9. Isotonic rings are suitable for young mothers who want to restore their figure after childbirth.
10. You can use the Pilates ring in combination with other fitness equipment, such as an elastic band:

Where to buy a Pilates ring?

The Pilates ring is made of an elastic plate that is covered with a rubberized embossed material to reduce slippage. The ring is soft, yet resilient enough that you can feel the strain as you squeeze it. For ease of use, the ring is equipped with two slip-on handles. The diameter of the isotonic ring is 35-38 cm.

Pilates rings are inexpensive in cost, so they are available to everyone who wants to diversify their workouts. Isotonic rings, optimal in terms of price and quality, are sold on Aliexpress. We have selected several options for inexpensive Pilates rings with good ratings and positive reviews. The advantages of shopping on Aliexpress are a large selection, affordable prices and free shipping.

We perform exercises for 10-15 repetitions on each side. If time permits, you can repeat each exercise in 2-3 sets. Divide your workout by muscle group on different days, or do all the exercises on the same day.

Pilates ring exercises for arms, chest, back

2. Squeezing the ring for the muscles of the hands (biceps)

4. Abduction of arms for the back and triceps

5. Turns of the body for the back and lower back

Pilates ring exercises for the abdomen and back

3. Twisting with a ring

Pilates ring exercises for thighs and buttocks

8. Breeding legs lying down

Thank you youtube channels for the gifs: Linda Wooldridge, Live Fit Girl, Jessica Valant, Amanda Sides, Robin Long.

Top 7 Pilates Ring Videos

We offer you 7 effective videos with an isotonic ring for muscle tone and figure improvement. Classes last a different amount of time, so you can choose the most optimal duration of the program for yourself.

1. Pilates with a ring in Russian (55 minutes)

2. Training from problem areas with a ring (35 minutes)

3. Isotonic Leg Ring Workout (8 minutes)

4. Isotonic Leg Ring Workout (14 minutes)

5. Isotonic Leg Ring Workout (40 minutes)

6. Training with an isotonic ring (15 minutes)

7. Workout with a ring for the buttocks and abdomen (12 minutes)

Isotonic ring- one of the machines in the small equipment category most often used in Pilates training. This ring can be of different diameters: from 35 to 38 centimeters. It is based on a metal rod of a certain elasticity, covered on the outside with a flexible and soft plastic. On the sides of the ring there are double-sided handles that allow you to conveniently hold the ring in various positions from the outside and from the inside, not only with your hands, but also with your feet. The main working quality of the ring is its elasticity. By pressing or stretching it, we are trying to overcome the resistance of the rod.

Initially, the ring was created to "work out" problem areas: the pectoral muscles, adductor and abductor muscles of the thigh. But the possibilities of its use are much wider, the creation of new exercises is limited only by the imagination of the trainer, and the types of training can be any: group classes or personal training, Pilates classes, strength or functional training.

The isotonic ring is a great exercise machine for home use. Very inexpensive, takes up a minimum of space - you can even take it with you on vacation.

Isotonic Ring in Pilates

If the ring is used in Pilates training, then the principles of Pilates must be followed, namely:

Concentration - constant awareness of what is happening in the body, concentration on every movement.

Centering - creating a power belt in the abdominal area by retracting the abdomen. The difficulty is that when squeezing or unclenching the ring, it is quite difficult to simultaneously hold the retracted stomach and not use straining. Straining causes a significantly greater involvement in the stabilization of the lumbar spine of the abdominal muscles (rectus and oblique abdominal muscles), which reduce the priority participation of the transverse abdominal muscle. And this is an undesirable effect in Pilates exercises.

Breathing - the use of specific chest breathing without delay: inhale through the nose for 5 or more seconds (without moving the shoulders up), exhale through the relaxed mouth and lips for the same time as inhalation. Avoid straining caused by significant muscle tension when squeezing / unclenching the ring, leading to a stop in the respiratory cycle.

Control is the subordination of muscle activity to one's will.

Accuracy is the performance of a motor action in accordance with specific technical characteristics. The ring often distracts from control over the accuracy of the actions performed by those parts of the body that do not interact with the ring.

Smoothness - performing movements slowly and continuously.

Isolation - awareness of the participation in the exercise of certain muscles and the allocation of the weakest link for a predominant impact on it. The ring allows you to work more locally and selectively on muscle groups, giving more power emphasis to Pilates exercises. Especially on such as the pectoral muscles, the muscles of the inner thigh.

Isotonic ring in strength training

The ring is also an excellent trainer for strength training. If your task is to develop strength qualities, then the only difference will be that it is not necessary to adhere to breath control and choose starting positions that are difficult to stabilize the lumbar spine. It is unlikely to use the ring to affect fast muscle fibers due to insufficient elasticity (unless in poorly trained people). However, for slow muscle fibers, the isotonic ring is simply irreplaceable. The very name "isotonic" already suggests the use of the ring in isotonic strength training, in which isotonic, statodynamic and static exercises are used, i.e. those in which there is no phase of muscle relaxation.

Ways to use the isotonic ring

Regardless of whether you use the ring in Pilates, strength or functional training, variations of its use can be divided into 4 main types.

Ring as resistance- we resist the elasticity of the ring by pressing on it or unclenching it.

Example of exercise 1: dynamic contraction of the pectoral muscles and the latissimus dorsi in a stance on one leg, the other to the side. Additional load falls on the middle and small gluteal muscles of both halves of the body and the muscles of the lower leg of the supporting leg.

For Pilates, the most important thing is not so much the load on the pectoral and latissimus dorsi, created by the pressure of the hand on the ring, but how to maintain balance with a properly “exposed” stabilized body. The force of the hand on the ring makes it difficult to maintain balance and correct posture. The stronger the hand squeezes the ring, the more difficult it is to maintain the correct position.

Ring as a burden- despite the relatively small weight of the ring itself, it can be very effectively used as a burden. It is possible to create a significant load on the working muscle group by changing the shoulder of the external load force.

Example of exercise 2: static contraction of the abdominal muscles using leg movements. In this example, the exercise itself is aimed primarily at the abdominal muscles. Holding the ring with straight hands behind the head, we increase the shoulder of external force, and hence the load on the abdominal muscles.

2.1

1. Lying on your back, legs bent at the width of the pelvis in weight, thighs are perpendicular to the body, shins are parallel to the floor, the upper part of the body (chest) is raised due to the flexion of the spine, straight arms above and behind the head, a ring in the hands

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2.2

2. Exhaling and keeping the position of the arms relative to the body, straighten the right leg forward and down, unbending at the hip and knee joints. At the same time, do not lower the foot below the iliac crest.

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3. Inhaling, return the right leg to its original position.

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2.4

4. Exhaling and keeping the position of the arms relative to the body, straighten the left leg forward and down, unbending at the hip and knee joints. At the same time, do not lower the foot below the iliac crest.

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5. Inhaling, return the left leg to its original position

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Additional load falls on the hip flexor muscles.

Ring for easier execution- variants in which the ring helps to reduce the load on the agonist muscles, i.e. the main muscles that produce a specific movement.

Example of exercise 3: dynamic contraction of the abdominal muscles. In this example, when moving the arms forward, the shoulder of force will decrease, which is facilitated not only by the weight of the arms themselves, but also by the weight of the ring, which will accordingly reduce the load on the abdominal muscles.

Ring as a movable support and limiter when doing the exercise. The ring as a movable support allows additional work on the balance.

Example of exercise 4: dynamic contraction of the adductors in the supine position. In this example, the left leg rests on a ring that is upright, has limited footprint, and is very unstable. This position of the body is extremely difficult to keep in balance. The right leg is limited in the height of the lift (adduction) by the size of the ring.

Additional load falls on the muscles that maintain the balance of the body.

Ring as a limiter- it is good to use in those exercises where it will help to keep the given correct trajectory of movement.

An example of an exercise: dynamic contraction of the rotator muscles of the spine in a sitting position with legs crossed: sitting turns (spine twist). In the proposed exercise, the rotation of the torso is often replaced by the displacement of the arms back. When fixing the ring with the sternum, you can avoid the movement of the hands when turning, i.e. the ring fixes the position of the hands.

5.1

1. Sitting legs crossed right in front, arms slightly bent at the elbows, clasp the ring and hold it against the chest parallel to the floor.

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5.2

Feet shoulder-width apart, torso straight, take the ring with both hands and straighten them forward. Your task: to compress the ring, keeping it in tension (not fully unclench). Exhale-effort, inhale-relaxation. We do 3 sets of 15 times.

2. We strengthen the back. Take the ring and raise your arms above your head (slightly bent). Squeeze on the exhale, unclench on the inhale. 3 sets of 15 reps.

3. We work out the hips. We lie down on the floor, wrap our legs around the ring (between the knees), arms parallel to the body, palms rest on the floor. Squeeze the ring on the exhale, respectively, unclench on the inhale. We perform 3 sets of 12-15 times.

4. We are working on the press. The starting position is as described above, the ring is sandwiched between the legs, your task is to raise the buttocks (pelvis) from the floor while exhaling, lowering while inhaling, while straining the abdominal muscles and feeling their work. We do 3 sets of 12-15 times.

5. We pump the press and buttocks. The exercise is difficult, so it must be performed correctly in order to engage the right muscles. We lie down on the floor face down, bend the left leg (right angle), place the ring there (between the thigh and heel). Your task is to squeeze and unclench the Pilates ring with your foot, then do the same with the other. We perform 3 sets of 12-15 times.

Exercises with the isotonic Pilates ring tighten the figure and give it a beautiful look. The combination of effect with safety makes this simulator universal for all people who lead a healthy and active lifestyle!