Danny Goff
15 Hula hoop workouts for the abs arms and legs Absolute beginners and experienced hula hoopers can benefit from these exercises. Legs: Planted firmly on the ground – work to get your feet together Planted firmly on the ground – work to get your feet together Arms: In neutral, hands by your chest – for more of a workout hold your hands in fists, strong biceps In neutral, hands by your chest – for more of a workout hold your hands in fists, strong biceps Action: Push from your belly button, back and fourth motion with your hips. Why you should do it: By focusing on rotating the hoop in a back and fourth motion from the belly you get a strong core workout.
The more momentum you give it at the beginning the easier it is to keep it up Tip: Make sure the hoop is flat at push-off. You can also bend your knees slightly, bringing your waist closer to the hoop.
Training out weaker side means that we develop even muscles across the core.
In particular we are protecting our backs from injury by ensuring an even distribution of muscle development.
Imagine you are the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Bring your arms out to the side, while maintaining your waist hooping.
Legs: Planted firmly on the ground – work to get your feet together Planted firmly on the ground – work to get your feet together Arms: Out to the side, fingers together, palms facing the wall – strong arms, like you’re pushing the air in front of you. Out to the side, fingers together, palms facing the wall – strong arms, like you’re pushing the air in front of you. Action: Push from your belly button, back and fourth motion with your hips. Why you should do it: By pulling our arms out to the side we start to elongate the abs as we work them. It makes it more of a challenge to keep the hoop up but also builds greater strength.
There is a tendency to lean forward when you start to lose control, this won’t help. There is a tendency to lean forward when you start to lose control, this won’t help. Tip: Get the hula hoop comfortably spinning around the waist before lifting your arms Continue waist hooping and raise your arms to to the sky – This one really challenges you makes an awesome workout! Legs: Planted firmly on the ground – work to get your feet together Planted firmly on the ground – work to get your feet together Arms: Up to the sky, fingers together, palms facing the wall – strong arms, like you’re pushing the air in front of you.
Shoulders down, we don’t want to create any extra tension in the neck. Up to the sky, fingers together, palms facing the wall – strong arms, like you’re pushing the air in front of you. Shoulders down, we don’t want to create any extra tension in the neck. Action: Push from your belly button, back and fourth motion with your hips.
Why you should do it: By lifting our arms even higher we lengthen the abdominal muscles even more. Tip: Really stretch up top the sky, this will help you to engage the abs in this position.
Really stretch up top the sky, this will help you to engage the abs in this position. Tip: In order to increase the challenging, you can put one hand in front of the other – really stretch up, shoulders down and push with force from your belly button. Action: Push from your belly button, back and fourth motion.
End with feet together – ready to take your left leg forward. By decreasing your stability you force the core muscles to work harder to keep the hoop spinning. The goal is to eventually lift it in the air, so get your standing leg used to taking all the weight.
The goal is to eventually lift it in the air, so get your standing leg used to taking all the weight. Tip: Make sure your hips are square, front leg is straight and toes are pointed.
Make sure your hips are square, front leg is straight and toes are pointed.
So if you need to, take a step back and keep your extended toe on the ground for stability. Now take to the left leg – Go back to hooping on your dominant side, phew! In neutral, hands by your chest – for more of a workout hold your hands in fists, strong biceps Action: Push from your belly button, back and fourth motion with your hips.
The goal is to eventually lift it in the air, so get your standing leg used to taking all the weight. The goal is to eventually lift it in the air, so get your standing leg used to taking all the weight. Tip: Make sure your hips are square, front leg is straight and toes are pointed. Make sure your hips are square, front leg is straight and toes are pointed. So if you need to, take a step back and keep your extended toe on the ground for stability. This waist hooping / Plié squats combo will work your glutes up a treat!
Take your legs slight wider than hip width apart and turn your feet out around 45 degrees. In neutral, hands by your chest – for more of a workout hold your hands in fists, strong biceps Action: Get the hoop comfortably spinning around the waist.
It won’t make you look You’re not necessarily going to look like Kim Kardashian over night but doing this exercise regularly will give your butt a noticeable lift.
It also works to open the hips and improve flexibility in this area.
Keep your back straight as you sink down – don’t lean forward. Tip: Press into your big toes and engage your inner thighs as you sink down.
Tip: Get the hoop spinning fast and strong before bending your knees. – It’s most challenging to keep the hoop spinning around the waist when you are at your lowest point. Legs: Put your weight into your inner foot, this one stays on the the ground. Can either be in neutral or for more of a challenge you can bring your arms out to the Christ the Redeemer position as your outer foot hits the ground. Tip: You can speed up the hoop by pumping harder and faster before the turn. In neutral, hands by your chest – for more of a workout hold your hands in fists, strong biceps Action: Get the hoop spinning comfortably and strong.
Why you should do it: Spinning the opposite direction as your hula hoop causes you to pump harder and faster. Getting your feet moving ins the first step to freedom of movement with the hoop.
Can either be in neutral or for more of a challenge you can bring your arms out to the Christ the Redeemer position as you step out.
Action: Get the hoop comfortable, then work in the side steps. Why: These side steps not only engage the core muscles but also improve balance and coordination. If you’re interested in dancing with your hoop then this is the fist step to getting moving.
So when the hoop is against your belly you push forward and step at the same time Tip: However also try not to think about it too much. Get a feeling for where the hoop is touching your body, closing your eyes could help with this
Now stop the hoop, reverse it and do the same on the other side: You may need to move a little slower and take longer to stabilise yourself yourself after reach step.
This is essentially an air crunch, while using the hoop to keep even spacing between arms and body.
Put your weight into your left leg, with your right foot pointed out to the side. Arms: Hold the hoop with both hands at the halfway point of the circle.
Action: Raise the hoop above your head and twist to the opposite side as your outstretched leg – With the right leg to the side, twist your upper body to the left. Raise the hoop above your head and twist to the opposite side as your outstretched leg – With the right leg to the side, twist your upper body to the left. Action:At the same time twist your upper body back to centre, bringing the hula hoop down as you go.
If you need to stabilise yourself you can let it touch the floor but don’t push off from that foot to raise your leg. If you need to stabilise yourself you can let it touch the floor but don’t push off from that foot to raise your leg. If balancing here is too much at the beginning, you can take the hula hoop to the side (or your hand to the wall) and use it to stabilise yourself.
This is an awesome warm-up / cool-down move – Try to time your twists to the beat. Legs: Feet begin planted to the ground, hip width apart.
Arms: Hold the hoop with both hands, with your wrists and forearms facing up.
Action: Twist your upper body to the left, holding the hoop in your outstretched arms. Why you should do it: Twisting exercises like this one are great for the digestive system and massaging the organs. They can be together (more challenging) or hip width apart (more stable), whichever you feel more comfortable with.
They can be together (more challenging) or hip width apart (more stable), whichever you feel more comfortable with. Arms: Hold the hoop with both hands at the half way point.
Then roll it around to the side, keeping only one point of contact with the hoop and imaginary surface.
Then roll it around to the side, keeping only one point of contact with the hoop and imaginary surface.
Depending on how big you make your movements, you can also work the abdominals and back muscles. For those of you out there who like to boogie and want to hoop dance, then close your eyes, listen to the music and try to do this action while moving your body to the beat.
Tip: Keep your elbows tucked in and your body at the centre of the hoop. Keep your elbows tucked in and your body at the centre of the hoop.
Tip: Experiment with keeping your body straight -the only thing that moves is the hoop and your arms – Like the left image
They can be together (more challenging) or hip width apart (more stable), whichever you feel more comfortable with.
They can be together (more challenging) or hip width apart (more stable), whichever you feel more comfortable with. However try to keep your back straight and engage your abdominal muscles to support you in this position.
However try to keep your back straight and engage your abdominal muscles to support you in this position. Action: Wind your hoop up and push with force – Bob on your knees to keep the momentum going Why you should do it: Simply holding your body in this position is enough to engage and strengthen the core muscles from front to back.
If you can only manage a couple of rotations before the hoop falls, then pick it up, start it again.
This one os a light workout for the arms bit also a great move to start dancing with. They can be together (more challenging) or hip width apart (more stable), whichever you feel more comfortable with.
They can be together (more challenging) or hip width apart (more stable), whichever you feel more comfortable with. Arms: Grip the hoop with your hand – try this exercise with your wrist facing up or down, try both!
Work to keep the hoop as flat as possible, the more you do this the greater the workout for the arm area. Arms: Hold the hoop in the vertical plane behind your back. Don’t collapse into the side, but keep your chest lifted and use your core strength to move with control. Breath in, on the exhale lift your upper body back to centre and then onto the right
Don’t collapse into the side, but keep your chest lifted and use your core strength to move with control. Breath in, on the exhale lift your upper body back to centre and then onto the right Action: For a deeper stretch you can bend your left knee in as you stretch to the left. Keep your body in a vertical plane – try not to lean too far forward and back. Tip: Engage your abs before stretching to the side – this will give you greater strength in your movement.
Engage your abs before stretching to the side – this will give you greater strength in your movement. Tip: Start off with a small amount of movement – Left image
If you really want to see results then you should drill these exercises for one minute in both your dominant and weak directions. Whether you’re a complete beginner or have been swinging your hoop for a while these exercises are suitable for you.
Beginners can benefit from the simplicity of the moves, while more experienced hoopers can work to neaten and perfect their body position.
A general rule of thumb is that the hoop should come somewhere between your crotch and belly button. For beginners large heavy hoops have more momentum and are easier to keep up. Try a large hula hoop (90-100mm dia) with thick tubing (25mm or 20mm) – This is great for getting started.
Hooping in just one direction can cause you to develop more muscles on one side of your body. It is the core of the hula hoop ab workout, so the first goal is to get this comfortable.
# Tip 1: Place the hoop around the waist – have contact with the small of your back.
Waist hooping is a fantastic way to get the blood pumping and strengthen the core! By following these 15 hula hoop workouts on a regular basis, I can guarantee that you will feel stronger in the core. You just need to keep at it… And once it clicks, it gives you such an extreme sense of satisfaction, that it can become addiction.
