5 Beginner Ring Exercises to Build Muscle
Gymnastic rings are an incredible tool for building upper body strength and muscle. They allow for a greater range of motion, improve stability, and engage more muscle fibers than standard bodyweight exercises. If you're new to ring training, here are five of the best beginner-friendly exercises to start with to enhance your Calisthenics journey.
1. Ring Push-Ups
Muscles Worked
Primary: Chest, triceps, shoulders
Secondary: Core
How to Do It
Start with an overhand grip and the straps in contact with shoulders
Get into a plank position with your glutes & core engaged.
Lower yourself down slowly doing a quarter turn on the rings brings them to a neutral grip.
Keep elbows tucked in, lower until the ring at least comes level with the top of your bicep.
Push back up to the starting position.
2. Inverted Rows
Muscles Worked
Primary: Upper back
Secondary: Biceps
How to Do It
Grab the rings with an overhand (or neutral) grip and straighten your body.
Keep hips up with glutes engaged and bend Knees to a 90 degree angle if slipping on the ground
Pull your chest up and through the rings, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
Lower yourself back down with control and don’t let your hips drop down
3. Ring Bicep Curl
Muscles Worked
Primary: Biceps
Secondary: Forearms
How to Do It
Start in a similar position to the inverted row but with your palms facing up and your torso more upright
Hinge at the elbow curling your hands towards your face until your little fingers are level with your temples.
Slowly lower back down to the starting position with full elbow extension.
4. Single Ring Overhead Tricep Extension
Muscles Worked
Primary: Triceps
Secondary: Core
How to Do It
Hold a single ring on the top edge, close grip with both hands above your head and biceps next to your temples.
Lean forward slightly and bend your elbows bring the ring close behind your head but keeping biceps level with temples.
Extend your arms back to the starting position maintaining a slight forward lean in top position to maintain tricep tension.
5. Leg-Assisted Chin-Up
Muscles Worked
Primary: Lats
Secondary: Biceps
How to Do It
Adjust the rings so they are level with the tips of your fingers when seated and arms stretched overhead.
Hang underneath with straight arms, overhand grip, a vertical torso and hips bent (see image below)
Pull your body up between the rings maintaining a relatively vertical torso and rotating rings to a supinated grip.
Use your legs just enough to help complete the movement while still focusing on your upper body.
Lower yourself down with control.
Try all of these exercises in my follow-along YouTube workout video here:
If you're looking for high-quality and great-value rings, I recommend Gravity Fitness Rings, which I use in the video.
