The Pilates ring, sometimes called a Magic Circle or Power Ring, is a piece of exercise equipment that is about the size of a large steering wheel. Fitness expert Mary Tedesco says, "Pilates rings are a great exercise tool because they're portable and give you a simple, balanced, and symmetrical workout. The toning ring helps to create a strong and toned body, and adds the benefit of resistance to a basic mat workout." Tedesco is a personal trainer, owner of Body Fit Personal Training in New York and a regular guest on the Martha Stewart Show.
For full-body Pilates workouts, do an hour Pilates class in person or with a DVD or do 30 minutes daily. Incorporate the Pilates ring into your mat Pilates workouts, or just do a few ring exercises to strengthen your core, arms and chest.
Inner Thigh Pulse Exercise
Step 1
Lie on your back and bend your knees. Put your feet flat on the floor and point them straight forward.
Step 2
Place the Pilates ring between your legs, about an inch above your knees. Put the black handles on the sides of the Ring against your thighs.
Step 3
Relax your neck and shoulders. Tighten your abs and press your lower back into the floor.
Step 4
Press your legs together evenly against the resistance of the ring. Relax again almost immediately.
Step 5
Continue squeezing at a quick pace, keeping your abs tight and your upper body relaxed, until your inner thighs, or adductor muscles, are fatigued. Work up to 150 pulses.
Chest Press Ring Exercise
Step 1
Lie face up on the floor and either 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 by the handles in front of your chest like a steering wheel. Place your palms against the outside of the handles with your fingers pointing toward the ceiling. Elbows are bent and out to the sides.
Step 3
Pulse the ring with your arms by pressing your palms toward each other. Keep your back flat on the floor and your hands open without gripping the handles at any time throughout the presses.
Step 4
Work up to between 100 and 150 presses with good form. Do not allow your back to arch or your neck or shoulders to come off the floor. Any of these compensations might allow you to do a few more reps, but at the cost of using muscles besides the ones of your arms and chest that you are supposed to be working with this exercise.
Tips and Warnings
- The Pilates ring comes in different resistance levels. Once you can do 150 reps of an exercise easily, or however many you are aiming more, start using a higher-resistance ring. Start with as many reps as you can do with the harder ring using good exercise form and then work up to 150.
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