it doesn't matter how you look it matters how you function every person should know about the alignment of themselves and their health we've been conditioned under this belief that gym machines are a replacement for all movement in our day and then we wonder why a majority of people have lost their natural function forward head posture bad shoulders bad back no core stability no flexibility weak muscles the list goes on we need to go back to Our Roots what we did as a child and need back as an the seven movement patterns squatting lunging bending pushing pulling twisting and walking body weight training is incredible but body weight training on rings you will see progression like no other in your Mobility your strength your stabilization your core your back your posture everything it's no surprise that long hours spent sitting or even standing in one place is slowly eroding our health our bodies were designed to move to hang swing and adapt except most of us are bent over scrolling on a phone all day and if you're looking for a more functional training approach you really need to consider calisthenics Rings rings are superior for beginners just as they are for the most advanced athletes in the world anyone of any age and any level in calisthenics should be using them by the way one pair of rings will make up for the hundreds of different gym machines and Equipment you will ever need don't have a squat bar no problem what about bicep curls no problem don't have a lap pull down also no problem don't have a pull-up bar what about cables there is a body weight alternative for every single Gym machine out there and the body weight version will always be more functional rings are rarely spoken about for people who have lost their shoulder function or completely torn their rotator cuff shoulder injuries are extremely common because of the lack of mobility in our everyday routines with that being said Hanging feels like a lost skill that was and still is essential not only for a child's development but for adults too back to the seven movement patterns these same systems can show exactly where a person did not develop specific motor skills growing up because of environmental stresses such as hard flaws so they as a baby could not crawl or lack of outside play which they missed missing out on the hanging twisting and pulling systems and this negatively impacts the function of anyone as they grow but by adding these back into our routine we align a missing motor skill and regain G that movement and function back I've read many books on core conditioning movement the inner workings of the fascia and even Tai Chi and they all have one thing in common your skeletal muscle is only fully active when it's at a specific length and this has enormous impact on your health that's why it's so important to adopt a proper movement routine with functionality back into your everyday lives Dr John M kers world-renowned orthopedic surgeon stated 95% of shoulder pain or discomfort can be healed simply by hanging in his book he wrote hanging from an overhead support is an important normal human activity that modern man has neglected even looking at the choir study where 92 patients with shoulder problems two of which were scheduled for shoulder replacement surgery one 100% of them healed their problems just by hanging outside of any shoulder dislocations This truly helps alleviate pain coupled with rotational shoulder movements which can be performed using rings as well and it's not just shoulders but core conditioning and spinal Health that is far superior to gym machines I think by now many of us have seen countless ab workouts that are not helping by any means even exercising in the gym on machines you're moving your arms and legs but the core is fixed and doesn't pump so those forms of exercise are pretty ineffective to keeping your body healthy plus relying on machines to do the work for you can create imbalances in the body too Rings however are great for decompressing the spine counteracting the effects of gravity this helps alleviate back pain and improve overall spinal Health too when we use Rings gravity Works in our favor by promoting better blood flow to the upper body but it's the core conditioning that makes the biggest difference anytime you're doing abdominal exercises on a flat surface such as crunching will shorten the abdominal muscles and any repeated contraction at a shortened range in as little as 24 hours will pull your chest down and your head forward which aesthetically that's a terrible thing most people doing crunches don't realize that training less than half of the range of motion a crunch will only go 30° but your spine extends 35 to 70° so there's still so much more room to be worked to correctly train your core you need to prioritize balance and stabilization movements for anyone who is new to core training Superman variations are the perfect beginner exercise to see how stable your core really is start in a tabletop position then extend one arm forward with the opposite leg backwards keeping your core engaged if you find yourself unbalanced and rocking during this it's just your sign that you need more stabilization in your core training so start with baby steps don't be worried if you can't fully extend your arm and leg back gradually with more practice you will have that stabilization to fully extend your arm and leg out using the Rings to hold on to will also give you that extra support this next exercise is really important for core conditioning especially if you have no core strength whatsoever lie flat on your back and put one hand under your lower back you should feel a small Gap under your back when you lie in this position keep your hand in that place and control your core so you're flexing it down until you don't feel that Gap anymore keep your core in this position throughout the entire exercise with one leg bent slowly lift it up towards your chest while doing this make sure your spine does not curve off the floor this exercise will show you where your limit is before your spine wants to come off the floor again so only raise your leg within the range of movement where your spine doesn't lift once you have a good core Foundation already with balance bance and stabilization you can go into this next exercise Arch to Pike on the Rings have your feet in the Rings at a comfortable height starting in a pike fold position into a high plank then finish down into a cobra this exercise gives you full extension of the spine which will help your core strength and spine flexibility for your finishing exercise you will have both legs in the Rings again at a comfortable level tuck them both in towards your chest and go in a full circle rotation around your body bend your arms to make this easier for you remember your abdominals are not just there to be looked at they are the pumping mechanism that feeds your organs and pumps blood every time you're walking running or jumping so we want to keep the abdominal wall flexible and if it's not flexible it will completely disrupt your breathing mechanism the vessel that moves fluid through your body I've put these stabilizer exercises at the end of the workout because you never want to exhaust your stabilizer the muscles before you begin any workout program because your risk of injury will be through the roof why do I prefer Rings over a bar for beginners the bar is great you can do all your fundamentals and progress like crazy and if you don't have access to a gym there's almost always a pull-up bar at the park but they're always stuck in one place at one height and is limited in which you can only do pulling exercises this makes progression so much harder for beginners whereas Rings accommodate for everyone since you can do every single movement pushing pulling in legs flexibility you can adjust the height perfect for the exercise you're doing and change the intensity of a certain exercise based on the height and you don't need to be stuck in one place to do a workout plus the grip manipulation you will get insane grip strength with rings as you have total control over rotation with a bar you can't rotate your grip as freely and hit different muscle groups which is essential to progressing and training on rings will level up your calisthetics skills and strength so much quicker than using a bar as rings are not a fixed form of equipment and requires your own effort of stabilization when using them but not everyone has rings and if you don't want to buy a pair right now you can make this temporary pair of DIY rings with some string and a pipe I measured 20 cm to be the length of each pipe you can use any tool you have to cut them with make sure you use a sturdy rope that you know can hold your body weight and cut that in half thread each rope through each pipe and tie a double knot at the Top If you're young get someone it to help you with the knot to supervise you with this now you're finished they're so simple to make but definitely a great temporary solution as it takes longer to set them up and adjust the height as you need to tie multiple knots to get them at an even level other than that you can do just about anything on these rings from dips to inverted rows to holds to pull-ups as long as the Rope is strong enough to hold your body weight but while this is a great substitute you should be more careful when using these instead of wooden Rings since there's no Buckle the Buckle is specifically designed for all terrains and weights the constant un knotting and nodding can take some unnecessary work so wooden Rings will always be more efficient especially with the numbered measurements too to save you the time if you're looking for a pair of rings for yourself my Oak rings are available for a limited time which you can find down below now finally to the Rings full body workout made for anyone who has lost movement or function in the body before you begin choose which repetition range suits you most and use that for each exercise if you're someone who lacks one of those seven motor skills I mentioned before most new motor skills are best developed with sets of two using 12 to 30 reps operate on the form principle practice makes perfect when you prioritize your form if you're very young or mature stick to two sets of 12 or two sets of 10 Reps for everyone else who is confident in their ability to perform each exercise you should stay within four sets of 5 to eight reps with more intensity on each exercise starting with the warm up hold onto one of the Rings with one of your arms and lean all the way back fully extending your arm and rotate your shoulder blade back and forth as you stay in this position do this for as long as you like until you feel nice and loosened up next deep squat rocking back and forth loosening up your hip flexes if you're tight around your hips do this for as long as you feel comfortable next standing up holding onto both of the Rings go into a half body fold in and out out make sure you continue to Breathe In and Out deeply during each fold you should feel this opening up your entire back and shoulders from there step back so you're standing up taller do thoracic spine rotations having one arm extended out and rotating all the way up to the ceiling and back you should feel this opening up your lats and your entire back next go back into that half body fold and do light pulses now in that half Bend position bring both your arms all the way to the back of you or only as far as they can go until you feel comfortable now start the workout with a passive hang three sets of 5 to 10 second holds and you can have your feet on the ground to help support you if you can't hold your body weight just yet next is the German hang progression hold onto the Rings step forward while you rotate your shoulder blades Back start to step back slowly now until you can go onto your knees if you can't go on your knees that's still okay just hold that position to where it feels comfortable for you if you can go on your knees hold that position for as long as you like next is the dip hold you will go on the Rings into a ring hold working up to 30 seconds have your feet on the ground to support you if you need focus on keeping your shoulders depressed and your core engaged and relatively Hollow so don't don't have your body straight keep the Rings very close to your sides if you find the Rings are shaking have the straps shorter to the ceiling to avoid shaking for those who are strong enough twist your hands out during your hold like this for a harder progression next is the inverted row for a beginner variation fully extend your arms as you squat down and pull yourself all the way up squeezing your back at the top standing up very tall for this will make it easier for any beginner variation two you will slightly Lean Back lower to the ground and perform for rows without squatting at the bottom and variation three the lower you are to the ground the harder this will be so do your rows based on your level incline push-ups hold onto the Rings and lean forward as you perform a pushup do this for two sets of 8 to 10 reps the higher you stand up the easier this will feel so that's perfect for beginners if standing up tall makes this too easy you can lower the Rings so you're closer to the ground to perform your push CHS so adjust the height based on your level hip thrusts with a 3 second pause at the top of each rep have your feet on a platform in front of you or a chair and hold on to the Rings at waist level and go slow and controlled during each hip thrust and prioritize that pause upside down hang go into an upside down hang you can tuck your legs in to make you feel more comfortable during this or you can have your legs fully extended out hold this for as long as you like squats holding onto the Rings for support two sets of 10 reps and go into a deep squat having full range of motion chin up with stool support stand on a stool or a chair in front of you and hold on to one of the Rings with an underhand grip and go into a chin up and slowly go all the way down from the chin up as you do these make sure you prioritize going slow on the way down from the chin up single arm lateral raise hold on to one of the Rings while you lean vertically back raise your extended arm all the way up using your lats to pull yourself up next exercise is scapula pulls into activated hangs hang on the Rings while you rotate your scapula all the way back pulling your scapula as far back as you can you should face the ceiling as you pull yourself up and on your way down your shoulders should be in line with your ears single leg aial holding onto the rings with one arm go into a single leg aial the Rings will help you balance you should feel a nice stretch in your working hamstring finishing with a low plank hold have your feet in the Rings and hold a low plank this is a great core stabilizer to finish your workout with