I swapped the gym for this £30 training tool for a year – the results changed my life

Your support helps us to tell the story

Support Now

Find out moreClose

As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.

Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.

Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election

Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Gym closures during lockdown forced people to find new ways of getting their fitness fix. And, as someone who’s been lifting weights most mornings since they were a teen, I struggled when my favourite pastime was taken away.

For me, exercise isn’t just about doing something that’s good for my body. I enjoy it, it makes me feel good physically, but it helps me out mentally too – both my mood and my ability to handle stressful situations are better if I’ve trained that day.

Fortunately, I stumbled on a cheap training tool which put my training routine firmly back on track, enabled me to build upper body muscle without weights, and helped me to enjoy my workouts more than ever before. The tool in question? Gymnastic rings.

Though I’m once again able to hit the gym and lift heavy weights whenever I like, I still use this inexpensive and versatile tool in my training. Here are three reasons why these small wooden hoops have become a staple for me, and why I’d recommend them to everyone.

I started bodybuilding at 17 because I wanted to change what I looked like. It’s not a particularly noble or profound reason, but it’s true – I had recently gone through an enormous growth spurt and I felt awkward in my new body.

What mattered most to me was what I looked like in the mirror, but I was never satisfied with my results. A few years later I tried powerlifting, working out with the primary goal of improving my squat, bench press and deadlift, and I loved having something else to focus on rather than what I looked like. My new obsession became how much weight I could lift.

Training with gymnastic rings developed this further. Not only could I perform exercises like the archer push-up, inverted row and pull-up to pump up my upper-body muscles, I could also learn new skills such as the ring muscle-up and “skin the cat”.

For me, this was immensely rewarding. Morning after morning I returned to the park at 6am sharp, excited to test my progress and see what my body was capable of.

When most people think of gymnastic rings, one of two things spring to mind: wholly unattainable Olympic gymnastics routines, or a two-move workout comprising loads of dips and pull-ups. But gymnastic rings are far more versatile than people give them credit for.

You can use them for rows, push-ups, biceps curls, face pulls, triceps extensions, pike push-ups, L-sits, hanging leg raises and more, as well as a whole host of variations of these moves.

If you want to work your core, set the straps low to the ground and place your feet in them for any number of plank variations (Copenhagen planks and mountain climbers are my personal favourites), or flip onto your back to perform hamstring curls. You can also hold the rings for support while your practise pistol squats.

Used effectively, you can enjoy a full-body workout with gymnastic rings, all while developing mobility, stability and balance. I also enjoyed weaving some of the easier moves into high-repetition circuits to challenge my heart and lungs, as well as my muscles.

These wooden hoops saved me from bedroom burpee boredom during lockdown, allowing me to escape my one-bed in Brighton and exercise in my local park.

Since lockdown, they’ve also transformed some of the UK’s most picturesque spots into makeshift gyms allowing me to train in the shadow of the Peak District’s eponymous summits and overlooking a Cornish beach at sunset. As long as there’s a tree with a sturdy, relatively parallel branch, you can use the hoops.

This won’t just benefit your Instagram grid either. Spending time in green spaces can improve your mood, reduce feelings of stress or anger and help you feel more relaxed, according to mental health charity Mind.

As a welcome bonus, training outdoors will also save you money on a gym membership, and can help you squeeze in a quick workout when you might otherwise not have had time to commute to the gym.

The hill I’m willing to die on is that a successful and sustainable exercise regime is one you find fun. The NHS recommends adults aged 19-64 should “do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week or 75-minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week”. This is a long time to spend doing something you can’t stand, but will pass by in the blink of an eye if you’re enjoying yourself.

For me, training with gymnastic rings made my workouts incredibly fun. If you enjoy trying new things, learning new skills and challenging yourself, chances are you’ll enjoy using them too.

Using gymnastic rings also proved to be a cheap and effective way for me to stay in shape, helping me build a strong, robust and mobile body sans-gym. And they’re a more accessible training tool than people give them credit for.

I believe everyone should at least try training with gymnastic rings – you never know, you might just love it.

I always opt for wooden gymnastic rings like these rather than their plastic counterparts, finding I prefer their look and lightly textured feel. These rings have black clam clasps so you can easily adjust the strap length to suit various exercises, and a robust design capable of supporting up to 150kg.

Before attaching them to anything, do a quick weight test to check that whatever you’re attaching them to can withstand your full weight and once that’s done, attach the rings using the easy-to-use straps and dive in.

Read more: What is interval training and is it right for everyone?