Is ring training only a good idea?

All,

I have a pair of rings I bought when I was doing crossfit. To save money I'd like to use rings 3-4 times a week for conditioning, strength increases and to look better . I've always done a mix of weighted exercising but wondering if rings will give me what I'm looking for. Is there a video on basic ring progressions and good starting workouts? I see that this site offers something called the basic ring series but couldn't find links to videos on that.

Thanks,
Julian

In all probability you are not yet strong enough to profit from rings only workouts as these generally require at least an intermediate level in GST.  You will need to master Foundation first.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

I agree with Coach.

Re: saving money. F1 is an amazing investment. My gym is now my bedroom floor. I paid for years of programming what I used to pay for one month's gym membership.

Sad, but Coach Sommer is right. I went with a ton of ring training before and after his BtGB book, and it is only now after having his Foundation series, that I can see why I wasn't ready.

Thanks Guys,

So is ring only training a bad idea in general? I thought with pullups, dips, rows and some of the basic movements I could progress to use rings as a main "workout." 

I've looked into the F1 program. Looks interesting. One of the things it touts is it helps you build a gymnast body. However, is the F1 programming going to physically change my appearance or is it intended to develop strength in order to do that later in more advanced progressions. I wasn't really thinking I'd be working on gymnastics per say, but hoping to use rings as a main strength and conditioning tool. If F1 is that avenue then I'd appreciate the advice.

Thanks!

Julian

Hey,

my experience is the same, you need a foundation of strenght and condition. I noticed that when i was introducing some friends to my training on rings. No one could do a dip, or more than 2 Pull ups or hold long enough in support etc...means, they couldn't get deeper in any of the exercises, so the thing is, after the training none of them felt drained. They didn't got enough ROM, repetitions or TUT to fatigue, their body was just not able to show what it can, the limit was the central nervous system, to my mind. 

This happens just on rings 'cause the instability is new to everyone.

jvasqu01 said:

Thanks Guys,

 

So is ring only training a bad idea in general? I thought with pullups, dips, rows and some of the basic movements I could progress to use rings as a main "workout." 

 

I've looked into the F1 program. Looks interesting. One of the things it touts is it helps you build a gymnast body. However, is the F1 programming going to physically change my appearance or is it intended to develop strength in order to do that later in more advanced progressions. I wasn't really thinking I'd be working on gymnastics per say, but hoping to use rings as a main strength and conditioning tool. If F1 is that avenue then I'd appreciate the advice.

 

Training rings only is a bad idea for a beginner to Gymnastic Strength Training™, because of the strain it puts on your joints and tendons. As an athlete advances in strength, the rings can feature more and more prominently in their workout. 

Form follows function. Whenever a person makes significant gains in strength, their body is going to undergo significant changes in appearance. If you complete F1-4, you will look much different. That said, the focus of Foundation is building strength, not improving aesthetic appearance. 

Foundation is an excellent way to progress to an intermediate level of strength. Is uses some rings, but the majority of the exercises do not. 

I bought F1 after two years of full-time conventional weight-training. I immediately stopped all use of weight plates and have taken up F1 3x week.

I now use only my body and a 4kg ankle weight (for some mobility exercises). Despite only being up to the first exercise in F1 for most of the seven movements, I have gained definition in my lats, deltoids, forearms, abs, triceps, hamstrings, biceps, glutes and lower back; that I struggled to get with endless cable rows, dumbbell shrugs, cable woodchops, palms-down curls, barbell tricep extensions, preacher curls, leg curl machines and power-rack squats.

On top of that, I can move better after F1 sessions, as opposed to usually moving worse after bodybuilding sessions. Plus, no muscle soreness the next day.

And considering I am only 10-15% conditioned to even be ready to start using rings (as per Coach Sommer's approach), the form and function that will come in the next 5-6 years terrifies me.

To say that I am pretty jaded with traditional weight-training, and a zealous fan of bodyweight training, would be an understatement.

wheezer said:

(...) the form and function that will come in the next 5-6 years terrifies me. (...)

Wheezer's famous last words:

 "terrified and keeping moving forward" 

Thanks guys for the responses. It's daunting to think like wheezer, in 5-6 year intervals but the work has to begin sometime. The Foundation Series has a header "Strong and Ripped" which is why I asked about the physical changes during the program short term as there is also a 100% money back guarantee. I would assume the program is designed to provide some improvements quickly enough to be able to assess whether the program will eventually get your ripped... Not expecting any program to deliver in 30 days!

I appreciate the input to the ring only workout as I can now see why that may not be the best idea. I'll take the plunge and give the program a try. The testimonials sound great.

jvasqu01 said:

I appreciate the input to the ring only workout as I can now see why that may not be the best idea. I'll take the plunge and give the program a try.

You wont regret it.  I have noticed improvements in just the last couple of months, and I'm still on all the first progressions.

jvasqu01 said:

Thanks guys for the responses. It's daunting to think like wheezer, in 5-6 year intervals but the work has to begin sometime. 

 

Just to clarify jvasqu01. I picture myself 5-6 years down the track because I have raised the bar with my own functional goals. Compared to my weight-training days, this program has skyrocketed what I believe is physically possible for me to achieve. My long-term outlook is based on excitement more than patience. 

The next 5-6 years will occur no matter what I do. My only concern is to make the most of the time. Sometime within that 5-6 year outlook, I will reach a level of functional strength unheard of for most conventional weight-trainers. For instance, the front lever and side lever progressions in F1 alone surpasses anything I could conceive myself achieving using an ab machine or cable crunches.

Foundation is a lot of preparation conditioning, but you will still probably notice good visual changes in the first few months. Especially if you take diet on board as well as training.