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Bodyweight No direct leg training on rings program

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Hello all

after much program hopping I decided on investing in the rings one program by GMB which is about 12 weeks long

It has leg work as optional and I wanted to know if upper body ring training really strengthens the lower body as much as they claim

I'm probably going to still add 50 swings on my off days as active recovery, along with some rucking

Does ring work strengthen the entire body without direct leg training?
 
Does ring work strengthen the entire body without direct leg training?
Even though I don't have some fancy studys at hand I have to say no.
If the routine doesn't involve some kind of split squats (elevated foot in the ring), ring supported pistols or something like that then it will do nothing to strengthen your lower body.
There probably are things like L-Sits and front levers where you have to hold the weight of your straight legs, but that's mostly hip flexor and not leg strength. If keeping your legs straight against gravity actually strengthens your leg muscles then I wonder how you were even able to walk.
 
What exactly are these claims of strengthening the lower body? Who are "they"? I did a quick check-up about the program and couldn't find either "lower" or "legs" in the advertisement text.

I do believe that heavy compound exercises can help the whole body to develop. The squat is the #1 exercise when it comes to that. I can also believe that some heavy gymnastics training can have the same effect. But I'm not sure how big the effect there is. It could be noticeable for an absolute beginner, but for anyone reasonably strong in their lower body I think pure upper body training would cause loss of that strength.
 
To add to my first response, I think there can be some strengthening effect.
For example you are on the verge of getting your first pistol squat without special training for it. You go on a pure upper body ring routine. Things like pullups tend to keep your bodyweight in check, so over the course of the routine you lose a couple of pounds.
The shaky rings involve a good amount of tension to stabilize properly.
The added tension you can generate now and the lower bodyweight might be all you needed to get that first pistol.
Other than that kind of WTH-effect I can't see something happening in terms of leg strength.
 
Hello,

I think that ring will not really strengthen your leg. They can teach you how to get them into a tight position and holding them that way: straight leg in back / front lever, LSit, etc... However, rings will not bring strength the way a pistol do for instance.

I use often use rings. I noticed that pistols, chair (isometrics hold against a wall), helped me a lot to get the proper tension while performing ring exercises such as FL / BL / LSit

If I were you, I'll add some leg work, such as swings (however, be careful of the core / arm / shoulder demand).

I'd like to add something though: building "too much leg mass" will make some moves harder, due to levers. "Heavy" legs are not necessarily an advantage in ring training.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
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It has leg work as optional and I wanted to know if upper body ring training really strengthens the lower body as much as they claim

Does ring work strengthen the entire body without direct leg training?

You get what you build. If you don't build it you don't get it. By that I mean: You have to move the body parts you want to build. I believe in the WTH effect but it has its limitations.

I recommend NAKED WARRIOR or GET STRONG (by Al Kavadlo) for lower body training. Even better: contact @Karen Smith for a lower body program

/Martin Joe :)
 
Thanks for the input everyone.

I contacted a GMB trainer and they said kettlebell swings on days that you are not doing rings is fine! Definitely going to do that for remainder of program, to at least maintain leg strength and conditioning

Would like to hear more about your ring experiences everyone

Also the Reehut rings from amazon are awesome! Thanks for the recommend @Steve Freides
 
What exactly are these claims of strengthening the lower body? Who are "they"? I did a quick check-up about the program and couldn't find either "lower" or "legs" in the advertisement text.

I do believe that heavy compound exercises can help the whole body to develop. The squat is the #1 exercise when it comes to that. I can also believe that some heavy gymnastics training can have the same effect. But I'm not sure how big the effect there is. It could be noticeable for an absolute beginner, but for anyone reasonably strong in their lower body I think pure upper body training would cause loss of that strength.

Trained the barbell squat as the center of my routine for about 3 years and totally agree
 
@Jak Nieuwenhuis I agree with the guys!
I think GMB is a great source and you cannot go wrong with them.
From your previous post I know that you can already perform the Pistol.
So my recommendation for leg work:
Do swings on your off days (as the GMB trainer recommended). In my experience swings build some decent leg strength. Before you perform swings, just do Pistols. I think this will take care of your "leg issues".
 
Also a note: quite a bit of DOMS in legs, glutes and hips after the first day

With no direct leg training that day
 
Thanks for the input everyone.

I contacted a GMB trainer and they said kettlebell swings on days that you are not doing rings is fine! Definitely going to do that for remainder of program, to at least maintain leg strength and conditioning

Would like to hear more about your ring experiences everyone

Also the Reehut rings from amazon are awesome! Thanks for the recommend @Steve Freides
What I have heard they offer a pretty decent programme!
I do not want to contradict the trainer, but somehow I need to:
In my experience rings are/ could be challenging for grip strength like swings are (depending on how heavy you go, of course). Because of this I would take rest days for forearms/hands/grip as rest days! Of course he says that their programme works legs - what else should he say when trying to sell sth?
I would do other exercises when you want to improve leg strength.
IMHO ;)
 
@Jak Nieuwenhuis I agree with the guys!
I think GMB is a great source and you cannot go wrong with them.
From your previous post I know that you can already perform the Pistol.
So my recommendation for leg work:
Do swings on your off days (as the GMB trainer recommended). In my experience swings build some decent leg strength. Before you perform swings, just do Pistols. I think this will take care of your "leg issues".
But can you give enough power to the swings if you pre-exhaust legs?
 
Pistols are usually done in low volume with relatively long rest. It should not exhaust the legs too much. Furthermore one will get used to it and the body will adapt
 
Honestly I might take a couple weeks or the entire program before running swings while my system gets used to the workouts. This is relatively hard training

I wonder what would happen with no direct leg training for 3 months :)

Still, I could ruck with the backpack a few Times a week without pushing myself
 
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Would like to hear more about your ring experiences everyone

I'll give you some injury thoughts to look into. You'll want to take the Dipping and support work carefully. If you develop costochondritis, it'll become easy to re-inflame over and over again.

On that note, support work (both Dip and Push-up) are fairly harsh on the elbow joint. Overdo it, and it'll take very long to heal (reminds me of Slizzardman's injury from GymnasticBodies back in the day). Do it slowly, and it'll build ridiculously strong elbows.

The shoulder is clearly what will take the brunt of the work. You'll want to be very careful with the German Hang and Skin the Cats. It's a very severe loaded stretch, especially when held for time. I'm sure Rings One talks plenty on this.

Finally, place close attention to scapula movement. Neutral during support, retract during Pull-ups, protract as you transition the Muscle-up, etc. I'm sure they wrote key points on it also.


That said, Ring work is so much fun, especially when you start to work on transitioning elements (inverted hangs, shoulderstand HS Presses, etc) and build the GMB "flows". Just trying to warn about the main areas of injury as they might not be obvious to those starting (they certainly weren't to me!). Let us know how it goes ! :)
 
Hello,

@Jak Nieuwenhuis
What is the program supposed to deliver ? Endurance ? Strength ?

Rucking sounds very good to me regarding conditioning maintenance and improvement. However, I am not sure it is the "best option" regarding pure strength - meaning the capacity of lifting something (you, you and a weight, a weight). Sure it build some kind of strength, but more a strength-endurance, IMO.

Regarding conditioning, I noticed that rucking transfers very well to swings (heart and cardio-respiratory system). However, it does not help "that much" regarding power generation.

Regarding strength, I noticed that swings transfer very well to rucking to get endurance. Swings also work on power of course. Plus, they also helped me a lot regarding the pistol strength and flexibility

To a certain extent, I think that swings are the right spot if we are looking for a compromise between strength, power and endurance.

As @Marc wisely said, body can adapt. Then, if you want to get some leg work, plenty of option are available:
- low pistol volume (basically, GTG), and you can progressively increase the volume
- swings: progressively, for instance on a feeling-based approach, you can build up volume and / or weight
- rucking: variation of duration and weight in function of if you are fresh

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Hello,

@Jak Nieuwenhuis
What is the program supposed to deliver ? Endurance ? Strength ?

Rucking sounds very good to me regarding conditioning maintenance and improvement. However, I am not sure it is the "best option" regarding pure strength - meaning the capacity of lifting something (you, you and a weight, a weight). Sure it build some kind of strength, but more a strength-endurance, IMO.

Regarding conditioning, I noticed that rucking transfers very well to swings (heart and cardio-respiratory system). However, it does not help "that much" regarding power generation.

Regarding strength, I noticed that swings transfer very well to rucking to get endurance. Swings also work on power of course. Plus, they also helped me a lot regarding the pistol strength and flexibility

To a certain extent, I think that swings are the right spot if we are looking for a compromise between strength, power and endurance.

As @Marc wisely said, body can adapt. Then, if you want to get some leg work, plenty of option are available:
- low pistol volume (basically, GTG), and you can progressively increase the volume
- swings: progressively, for instance on a feeling-based approach, you can build up volume and / or weight
- rucking: variation of duration and weight in function of if you are fresh

Kind regards,

Pet'

Strength and hypertrophy, with more focus on skill and strength during the other phases, eventually leads to a badass flow on them rings

I mainly want to ruck because I like it and want to work my heart at leasdt a couple times a week

Swings (done for 5 sets of 10, as style) seem to aid in my recovery, but I'll see how that goes as the program goes on
 
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