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Bodyweight Gymn Rings or Resistance Set?

Xcal

Level 5 Valued Member
Many of the threads here have convinced me to invest time, energy, $$$ into a pull-up regime and deadhangs. I don't go to the gymn and don't have anywhere convenient to practice this at home. I did try years and years ago but the trees hurt my hands, and the ledges above my door frames are too low for me to hang freely (I'm 1.84m).

I found these 2 items at my local online shop. do you recomend 1 over the other, or neither? if neither, please recomend something and I'll shop around.

I have a KB from the same brand.

the youtube video looks great:


thanks
 
I have a pretty-well outfitted garage gym at this point, but the first purchase was a pair of Rogue gymnastics rings and long enough nylon straps that I could hang them from....... pretty much anything (they're hanging from a pretty high tree branch). Second purchase was a set of resistance bands to scale pull-ups and ring dips. Were I to liquidate my gym equipment, the rings and bands would be the last items to go.
 
BJJ Shawn said:
For the benefits of both, I am going to say AbMat 1/4 rings: 1/4 RINGS

The feel of the gymnastic rings, but requires a lot less vertical height.
Click to expand...
If you have a bar to hang them from, such as the pullup bar on a power rack, for hangs/pullups, these are great. I use them for all my pullups.

If you need adjustable-length straps, to set them up for dips, inverted rows, or other drills where the rings hang lower and you need to adjust to different heights, then full rings or a suspension trainer are better
 
We have them both in my gym, which is a box gym, and the trx is out all the time. So i use that the most BUT if it were up to me and I’m the only one using them. I feel like i can get a lot done with the rings even though the can both do the same thing. On another note, you can can find rings For $40 bucks on amazon as opposed to $200 for a trx!
 
I've got a few suspension trainers and a few sets of gymnastic rings. For me, the suspension trainers win and it's not even a competition.

-better for my grip development (the curved surface of the rings plays directly into grip imbalances I used to have and I really need to stay on top of this to prevent them from coming back when I'm using the rings)
-more comfortable
-come with a variety of attachments so you can easily hang them from almost anywhere
-more versatile in terms of the exercises you can perform (suspension trainers come with a stirrup under the grip that you can put your feet in)
-easy to attach to weights/metal junk on the ground to create a makeshift prowler
-can get some specialized suspension trainers that let you perform isokinetic work or that come with pulleys so you can perform speed work + various forms of variable resistance

My only recommendation for a suspension trainer is (if you're not getting the pulley/isokinetic versions) to get a set-up that is two separate straps (one for each handle, attaching to the anchor point) and not one that has both handles connecting to a Y fork.

Two separate straps:

lifeline-jungle-gym-xt-review-feature2.jpg


Two straps connecting to a fork:

DSC05652_1_1200x.jpg
 
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3letterslong said:
I've got a few suspension trainers and a few sets of gymnastic rings. For me, the suspension trainers win and it's not even a competition.

-better for my grip development (the curved surface of the rings plays directly into grip imbalances I used to have and I really need to stay on top of this to prevent them from coming back when I'm using the rings)
-more comfortable
-come with a variety of attachments so you can easily hang them from almost anywhere
-more versatile in terms of the exercises you can perform (suspension trainers come with a stirrup under the grip that you can put your feet in)
-easy to attach to weights/metal junk on the ground to create a makeshift prowler
-can get some specialized suspension trainers that let you perform isokinetic work or that come with pulleys so you can perform speed work + various forms of variable resistance

My only recommendation for a suspension trainer is (if you're not getting the pulley/isokinetic versions) to get a set-up that is two separate straps (one for each handle, attaching to the anchor point) and not one that has both handles connecting to a Y fork.

Two separate straps:

57557fdb12000025008957c4.jpeg


Two straps connecting to a fork:

DSC05652_1_1200x.jpg
Click to expand...
Why two straps vs the fork? I’ve used TRX a lot as a trainer and they’re definitely useful, curious the benefits you see with two independent straps!
 
John K said:
Why two straps vs the fork? I’ve used TRX a lot as a trainer and they’re definitely useful, curious the benefits you see with two independent straps!
Click to expand...


Okay, bear with me as I try to explain, I'm not feeling very articulate today.

I've encountered two variations of the same problem:

-some suspension trainers have short straps connecting the handles to the fork

-sometimes I have to hang the trainer from low anchors, requiring me to cinch the handles closer to the fork.

Both of these situations interfere with me working between the straps (like in dips) and with wide-arm exercises (T pulls in the YWTL sequence; archer push-ups and rows).

I never have to worry about these two issues with a dual-strap trainer and can hang it anywhere, from things surprisingly low to the ground, without experiencing these problems.

Did I explain it in a way that makes sense?

EDIT: the one time this can be an asset, IME, is if you're going to attach them to an object to create a makeshift prowler (handles in front of you as you push forward, but the object is dragging behind you). If you cinch the handles close enough to the fork, you can almost eliminate the need to stabilize the handles as you push because it feels like a solid unit and not two separate strands.
 
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Without intending to in the first place, I ended up with a little collection of suspension training gear. Comments on each:

1. Plastic rings - Used these on a tree on top of the neighborhood hill. Just toss straps over the tree branch. But I was dependent on the weather. The rings got slippery when wet. Even if it wasn't raining, if my palms got sweaty, the rings also got slippery.

2. Rogue wooden rings - Got these when I got a quality doorway pullup bar so I could do pullups indoors regardless of the weather. Quickly discovered the wooden rings absorb the sweat from my hands. Even when sweating rivulets, the grip on these wooden rings always felt secure. What an upgrade over plastic rings!

3. NOSSK Twin Pro suspension trainer - Got these after watching Red Delta Project's video review on Youtube. RDP has even more suspension equipment than I do. Anyway, it feels solidly constructed. The rubble handles show no signs of wear/tear after 2 years of use. The handles rotate easily, which is great for movements like RTO pushups, in which you rotate the thumbs out as you lower into the bottom of the movement for that nice chest stretch; or joint-friendly chinups with thumbs out at the top and thumbs in at the bottom.

4. Duonamic Eleviia - Originally got these for doing pullups while on travel. They attach to just about any doorframe but take up less space and weight than a doorway pullup bar. There are optional add-ons like wooden rings with straps, which replace the default pullup handles. The add-on rings feel great. It took me a while to get used to adjusting the lengths of the straps because unlike the Rogue straps, these straps are actually a series of numbered loops. Once I got the hang of it though, I found adjustment to be faster. The one downside is you can only do chinups/pullups with your knees tucked at the bottom of the movement, because of the shortest possible length of the straps.

For programs like Easy Muscle Schedule B or C, I can set up the NOSSK on my pullup bar, and the Duonamic rings on another doorframe, and go back and forth between them. which is convenient for using the rest time between sets to just walk and do Fast and Loose type shakes, instead of spending part of that rest time readjusting strap lengths between every set.
 
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BJJ Shawn said:
For the benefits of both, I am going to say AbMat 1/4 rings: 1/4 RINGS

The feel of the gymnastic rings, but requires a lot less vertical height.
Click to expand...
I made something like this all those years ago :) :) :) it sort of worked.

Thanks for all the great feedback. I bought the wooden rings but a differnt brand. The customer reviews are great, specifically around the quality of the rings and the buckles, and its easy to adjust the strap length.

The TRX really looks great and I have FOMO!!!!! I still want to get a 32kg Bell and I have FOMO!!! I'm doing S&S but want to get to Q&D FOMO!! gosh. story of my life = FOMO! I discovered many years ago that FOMO can only be beaten by OTaaT = One Thing at a TIME.
 
3letterslong said:
Okay, bear with me as I try to explain, I'm not feeling very articulate today.

I've encountered two variations of the same problem:

-some suspension trainers have short straps connecting the handles to the fork

-sometimes I have to hang the trainer from low anchors, requiring me to cinch the handles closer to the fork.

Both of these situations interfere with me working between the straps (like in dips) and with wide-arm exercises (T pulls in the YWTL sequence; archer push-ups and rows).

I never have to worry about these two issues with a dual-strap trainer and can hang it anywhere, from things surprisingly low to the ground, without experiencing these problems.

Did I explain it in a way that makes sense?

EDIT: the one time this can be an asset, IME, is if you're going to attach them to an object to create a makeshift prowler (handles in front of you as you push forward, but the object is dragging behind you). If you cinch the handles close enough to the fork, you can almost eliminate the need to stabilize the handles as you push because it feels like a solid unit and not two separate strands.
Click to expand...
Makes sense, thank you for taking the time to explain!
 
I forgot to mention the NOSSK comes with foot loops, which is nice for pike ups, hip extensions, hamstring curls, etc.
 
GovernorSilver said:
I forgot to mention the NOSSK comes with foot loops, which is nice for pike ups, hip extensions, hamstring curls, etc.
Click to expand...

I just don't bother with lower body work on rings / suspension trainers.

It just seems like an inferior modality for legs compared to even bodyweight (step ups, lunges, Nordic curls, reverse hypers), let alone barbells, carries, sleds, etc.
 
watchnerd said:
I just don't bother with lower body work on rings / suspension trainers.

It just seems like an inferior modality for legs compared to even bodyweight (step ups, lunges), let alone barbells.
Click to expand...

No, my post was not meant to be an argument against getting rings. I simply thought the foot loops were worth mentioning.

I got the NOSSK in anticipation of a hotel stay. My hotel room did not have anything that I could hang my Rogue wooden rings from. It did not have a barbell either. The hotel gym was closed during my entire stay.

I did try the lower body exercises taught on the Red Delta Project channel. Unfortunately I did not think of using sewing tape measure to gather before and after data. RDP also recommended using the foot loop instead of the handle for assisted pistol squat/shrimp squat. Hamstring curls can potentially be used to work up to Nordic curls, while being more scalable than the Nordic.
 
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I'd get rings. Wooden rings with the numbers sewn in as Mr Dave recommends & make sure the wood is unfinished.
They're great for all sorts of upper body strength training & total body stretches.

Rings are simple tools, and the more creative you are the more you will be able to to with them.
Because of this they can be extremely fun to play with.

As Ido Portal points out, rings are simpler & less expensive than a suspension trainer, which are almost always good things.

I've used rings for a zillion things not "ring related", e.g:
  • pulling/pressing a sled
  • putting them on a barbell for parallel grip rows
  • attaching dumbbells to them for overhead presses (hook the DB's in the straps)
  • as cable attachments for various exercises
Lastly, learning the false grip opens up a world of movement possibilities on the rings.
Not possible without them.
 
The rings should be at home this afternoon. One day I will be an aged gymnast ;) my vision since being kung-fu strong was to suspend myself like a handstand on the rings. I got close once when I happend on a gymn with the rings (2010 or so), but got fatigued before I managed it and never stumbled on a set of rings again.

my 14yr old son is a monkey, he just climbs everything he can, he will love it!

and my wife knows nothing about it yet. we need to negotiate my new use of the courage-corner ;)
 
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