Ring.

• By vishwa on Training

• January 20, 2011

We now have one more addition of a new training modality at our training facility.  As the adjoining video and the title of the blog entry suggests it is the ring.  You can see in the video that  I am working on a movement which is termed ring flys followed by roll-outs, which is similar to the ab wheel.  You can also see how the ring is trying to destabilise me.  In fact, the innate wobbly nature of the ring is what coerces our stabilizer muscles to work better.  Stabilizers are muscles which act to stabilize one joint so a desired movement can be performed in another joint. So stabilizers hold your parts in place and prevent you from being damaged.  In other words, muscles acting in a stabilizing role aren’t directly involved in lifting a weight, but instead keep certain parts of the body steady so that the primary working muscles (prime movers) can do the job properly.  So we see that working on the stabilizers is very helpful in preventing injuries for most of the injuries are caused when the stabilizers are weak.   Moreover, it should be known that training with machines not only weakens the stabilizers but also cause muscular strength imbalances, as machines act as the stabilizers forging the balancing act thereby strengthening the prime movers alone.

In addition, movements in the spinal or peripheral joints such as the hip or shoulder can cause pain because of degeneration and poor bio-mechanics.  Strengthening the stabilizer muscles help minimize these harmful joint translations and create a solid body framework.

Free weights like dumbbell, kettlebell, barbell, sandbag, ring, and body weight are the tools to be relied upon.  Training on machines is a big NO.   You will want the foundation of your body to be strong, and the foundation is strongly built by strengthening the stabilizers.

Lastly, various workouts can be performed on a ring:  Pushups, pullups, fly, roll outs, L hold, Iron cross( the best bicep builder), muscle ups and many more.