Learn the benefits of the iconic Pilates tool and how to use the equipment to build your core and strengthen your mind-muscle connection.
Do More With is a series highlighting equipment around the Club that can help you reach your fitness goals. In this installment, we highlight the Pilates ring, available on the Club floor, in Mat Pilates classes, and in one-on-one Pilates sessions.
Based on looks alone, the no-frills Pilates ring may not seem to be that useful of a training tool.
Invented by Joseph Pilates, the creator of the workout method, the prop is essentially a 15-inch circle made of flexible, yet strong plastic. Also known as a magic circle, it’s equipped with two soft foam handles that sit on both the inside and outside of the ring, although it wasn’t always this comfy. “The first magic circle was actually formed out of the metal ring that goes around a beer barrel and had wooden handles,” says Jennifer DeLuccia, the Pilates manager at Equinox Summit.
Yet, its simplicity is what makes the Pilates ring such a versatile — and worthwhile — piece of workout equipment. You can use it in any position (think: lying on your back, side, or belly, standing up, kneeling) and while practicing the major principles of the Pilates method: breath, precision, control, center, concentration, and flow, says DeLuccia.
Plus, you can benefit from training with the Pilates ring even if you’re not practicing Pilates itself. Here, DeLuccia explains the value of the magic circle and shares advice on how to incorporate it into your fitness routine.
Why Train with the Pilates Ring
Pilates is a core-based method, says DeLuccia, so it’s no surprise that the ring helps you target the entire muscle group. Say you’re lying on your back with the Pilates ring between your inner thighs. While doing chest lifts (the Pilates version of crunches), you’ll squeeze the ring together with your legs. As you do so, “you're going to feel more of a connection in your core,” she says, “because it's helping you fire up your inner thighs and your pelvic floor, and that's translating all the way up through your abdominals.”
In building that core strength and endurance, “Pilates really does help you connect better when you're doing other things,” says DeLuccia. “It helps you with your golf game. It helps you run better, walk better, jump higher.”
Working with the Pilates ring can also enhance your mind-muscle connection, which can help you get the most out of your strength-training workout, says DeLuccia. Imagine you’re standing, holding the ring in between your hands with your arms extended out in front of your chest. If you squeeze the sides of the ring while keeping your arms straight, you’ll feel multiple muscles activating throughout your body — and not just your pecs. “You’ll feel a connection from the arches of your feet to your inner thighs to your pelvic floor to your abdominals,” she explains. “Because you're squeezing the ring out in front of you, you feel your shoulders connect to your back — your shoulder stabilizers.”
By making connections with these muscles during your Pilates session, you may be more likely to be able to activate them the next time you do a heavily loaded cable chest fly, for example, resulting in better technique. And that can help reduce the risk of injury, says DeLuccia. “I find that people who train a lot out in the weight room and then come to Pilates, they learn a lot that they can relate to in the weight room that keeps them safer,” she adds.
How to Use the Pilates Ring
To connect with your core, use the Pilates ring when doing any of the workout method’s Series of Five exercises: single-leg stretch, double-leg stretch, single straight-leg stretch, double straight-leg lower and lift, and criss-cross, suggests DeLuccia. As you perform any of the movements, hold the ring between your hands above your chest and squeeze it on every exhalation. Or, perform a forearm plank while squeezing the magic circle between your hands or your ankles, she adds.
You can also use the Pilates ring to amp up the challenge of non-core-focused exercises. Consider DeLuccia’s favorites:
• Thigh stretch with core activation: Kneel on the ground with your toes resting on the floor behind you, holding a Pilates ring out in front of your chest. As you lean back and squeeze the circle, you’ll feel your quads stretch and core fire up, says DeLuccia.
• Hip circles with abduction or adduction: Lie on your side on the floor with your legs fully extended and the Pilates ring placed in between your ankles (adduction). Or, loop your calves through the ring so it’s resting against the outsides of your ankles (abduction). Lift your feet off the floor and move your legs through the air as if you’re drawing a circle. Simultaneously, squeeze the ring together or pull it apart to improve both hip mobility and strength.
• Swimmer’s kicks with upper back activation: Lie flat on your stomach with your arms extended on the floor above your head and your hands resting on the top of a Pilates ring handle. Engage your core, lift your head, chest, and feet off the floor, and kick your feet as if you’re swimming. Simultaneously, press into the Pilates ring to further activate your back muscles.
Although the magic circle is often used to progress an exercise, it can help support you in your movement practice, too, says DeLuccia. Neck aching during a single-leg stretch? Place the Pilates ring under your head, with the foam pad resting against your skull, and hold it gently in place with both hands, she suggests. Or, lie on your back with both legs extended toward the ceiling, place your feet on the inside of the ring, and pull it toward you to stretch your hamstrings.
Similarly, consider using the Pilates ring in combination with other exercise equipment to ensure you’re activating all the muscles necessary to prevent injury. “I put the magic circle between my ankles as I’m working on the TRX,” says DeLuccia. “It gives me the extra emphasis on the core connection…If your core is not fully engaged and braced during a simple [TRX] biceps curl, you're gonna dump [the load] right into your low back.”
Regardless of how you incorporate the Pilates ring into your workouts, remember to stay connected to your breath and focus on engaging all those tiny muscles throughout your body, says DeLuccia. Over time, you’re sure to improve your technique in the weight room.