The pilates ring (officially known as ‘the magic circle’) looks like a steering wheel for a reason, it’s here to steer your body in the right direction:
Lightweight and small enough to throw in your gym bag, a Pilates ring is a space-saving and affordable way of recreating equipment-based moves at home, or wherever you do your workouts. Because the ring can be used to either intensify the muscle burn or modify and assist your moves, it mimics the resistance and support of Reformer Pilates. (Because who has the space or spending money for a full on pilates Reformer at home?!) Not only does the Ring provide a full-body workout to tone and sculpts all your major muscle groups, incorporating the Ring into your usual workout moves helps to to perfect your form and maintain proper alignment.
Adding a Ring to your workouts will have you feeling sore in places you’ve never felt before. Say hello to muscles you don’t know the name of because the magic circle hits tiny but crucial muscles that often don’t get enough love.
Adding the Ring to exercises like roll-ups and seated twists challenges deep spinal and pelvic stabilisers to build deep core muscles that can be difficult to reach. Meanwhile, pressing your feet into the Ring builds intrinsic foot muscles, improving your overall balance and proprioception without even trying! Did we mention that gripping and squeezing the Ring engages your forearm extensors, flexors and intrinsic hand muscles – so you’ll have the dexterity and grip strength of Spider Woman in no time. Here’s Jenna showing us how it’s done:
You may have heard the magic circle referred to as the Ring of Fire – because the harder you squeeze, the harder your muscles BURN. But unlike heavy weights, the Ring is a low-impact way to build strength that’s much easier on the joints than barbells or dumbbells. This makes the Ring perfect for any level, from beginners to anyone recovering from an injury. It can also offer extra support during exercises like press ups, so whether you need to modify down, or majorly scale up the Ring has got your back (and thighs and arms and glutes!) Think of it like a giant stress ball for your whole body. You can use it to de-stress, or to increase the stress on your muscles for huge gains. Remember to breathe…
