8 Super-Effective Upper Body Ring Exercises by Daniel Vadnal

With growing awareness about the benefits of bodyweight training, many people are now opting out of exercising at gyms and switching over to calisthenics instead. These are workouts that can be done anywhere and anytime. All you really need to do is work against your own weight to improve your strength, endurance, balance and coordination. Besides offering more flexibility in terms of time and location, they’re also easy on the pocket and involve little to no equipment. Among the few training tools that exist, rings are the most versatile. You can target a range of muscle groups simply by changing the way they’re angled.

Daniel Vadnal is a well-known fitness YouTuber who recently released a video on his channel 'FitnessFAQs’ demonstrating the various ways you can use rings to build your upper body strength. It is a circuit of eight core-strengthening exercises, which he suggests should be done thrice over. Stick to 20 repetitions to begin with and slowly work your way up to 40.

AskMen India gives you a detailed view into Daniel Vadnal’s upper body ring workout:

Pull-ups

Pull-ups are an effective upper body exercise. They increase your arm strength and shoulder stability as your body is lifted off the floor with the support of the rings hanging overhead. Daniel Vadnal suggests maintaining an arched body bottom position for optimum results. Make sure you keep your back straight and shoulders relaxed before beginning to avoid injuries.

Follow these steps:

• Stand with your feet placed together.
• Extend your arms above your head.
• Hold the ring handles in your hands.
• Position your palms more than shoulder width apart.
• Keep your back straight and shoulders relaxed.
• Pull your body off the floor using the rings’ support.
• Release and return to the floor.
• Repeat in a slow and seamless motion.

Bulgarian dips

Bulgarian dips are a bodyweight exercise that involve lifting yourself off the floor using the support of rings extended at waist level. The catch here is that you need to switch between a supinated and pronated grip as you raise and lower your body in an alternate motion. Not only does this increase your arm strength, but also improve the mobility of your shoulder joints.

Follow these steps:

• Stand with your feet placed together.
• Hold the ring handles with your hands at waist level.
• Maintain a pronated grip with the elbows in line with your shoulders.
• Straighten your arms while lifting your body off the floor.
• Seamless switch to a supinated grip while doing this.
• Release and return to the starting position.
• Repeat in a slow and seamless motion.

Ring rows

Ring rows are a wonderful way to tone your torso against the weight of your own body. It involves lowering yourself into the horizontal plane using the support of the rings hanging overhead. As you bend and straighten your arms in an alternate motion, you work on multiple muscle groups in your upper body including your arms, chest, shoulders, abs and back.

Follow these steps:

• Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
• Hold the ring handles hanging overhead.
• Lower your body into the horizontal plane with the support of the rings.
• Plant your feet firmly on the floor.
• Straighten your arms.
• Bring your head, back, hips and knees in one straight line.
• Bend your arms at 90 degrees to pull your upper body up.
• Release and return to the starting position.
• Repeat in a slow and seamless motion.

Push-ups

Rings take your regular push ups a notch higher in terms of difficulty, as they require you to maintain good balance besides sharpening your core strength. As you bend and straighten your arms facing downwards, you work on multiple muscles in your upper body, including the abs, back, chest and arms, which create a wonderful compound effect.

Follow these steps:

• Stand with your feet placed together.
• Hold the ring handles hanging overhead with a supinated grip.
• Lower yourself into the horizontal plane facing downwards.
• Keep your arms straight.
• Bring your body in one straight line from head to toe.
• Bend your elbows at 90 degrees to go closer to the floor.
• Switch into a pronated grip while doing this.
• Straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
• Repeat in a slow and seamless motion.

Front raises

Front raises showcase the versatility of rings in calisthenics, as they work on a completely different set of muscles in the upper body. They require your body to be in the horizontal plane and lift yourself up without bending your elbows. This is done by swinging the arms above your head and subsequently bringing them back in line with your chest. This eliminates stiffness from the shoulder muscles and increases their range of motion.

Follow these steps:

• Stand with your feet placed together.
• Hold the ring handles hanging overhead.
• Lower your body into the horizontal plane.
• Keep your arms straight above your chest.
• Bring your body in one straight line from head to toe.
• Extend your arms overhead to lift your body forwards.
• Release and return to the starting position.
• Repeat in a slow and seamless motion.

Y & T

Y & T is yet another variation of front raises that are famous for strengthening, stabilising and mobilizing the shoulder muscles. However, what makes them different is the fact that you’ve to lift your body by switching your arms between a ‘Y’ and ‘T’ position’. This takes the flexibility of your arms a notch higher and stretches the surrounding muscles of the chest and back.

Follow these steps:

• Stand with your feet placed together.
• Hold the ring hands hanging overhead.
• Lower your body into the horizontal plane.
• Keep your arms straight above your chest.
• Bring your body in one straight line from head to toe.
• Extend your arms overhead to lift your body forwards.
• Release and return to the starting position.
• Extend your arms sideways to lift your body forwards.
• Release and return to the starting position.
• Repeat in a slow and seamless motion.

Bicep curls

Bicep curls are another variation of ring raises that open up the shoulder muscles, as they play a pivotal role in lifting and lowering your body in an alternate motion. However, the main benefit that bicep curls offer is that of toning your arms, as you’re supposed to bend and straighten your elbows while doing them. Additionally, they help boost your core strength and endurance.

Follow these steps:

• Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
• Hold the ring handles hanging overhead.
• Lower your body into a horizontal plane.
• Bring your body in one straight line from head to toe.
• Keep your arms straight above your chest.
• Bend your elbows at 90 degrees to lift your body forwards.
• Release and return to the starting position.
• Repeat in a slow and seamless motion.

Tricep extensions

Tricep extensions also require you to be in the horizontal plane, but this time, facing downwards. This strengthens your core against the weight of your own body. Besides, it also strengthens your arms and shoulder muscles, which play a pivotal role in helping your upper body hover above the ground. They accentuate your triceps and tone your torso as a whole.

Follow these steps:

• Stand with your feet placed together.
• Hold the ring handles hanging overhead.
• Lower yourself into the horizontal plane facing downwards.
• Bring your body in one straight line from head to toe.
• Keep your arms straight above your head.
• Bend your elbows at 90 degrees to go closer to the floor.
• Straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
• Repeat in a slow and seamless motion.

Incorporate these ring exercises into your calisthenics workout to bulk your upper body up!

Cover artwork by Dhaval Punatar/AskMen India

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