Bodyweight Ring for pulls up and dips

[njrick1]

Hello all,

This week I bought myself a pair pair of gymnastics rings after thinking about it for years. I am blown away by how great they have been so far. Lifts like pull ups and dips are simultaneously easier and harder. This is because I can use more muscles (better range of motion, more stability needed) but don't feel any pain in the shoulders or elbows after (which has always been my limiting factor).

My question is, why do so many people perform these exercises on bars? Is it simply because ithey are "easier" that way or are there other advantages to using a bar instead of rings?

 

[mikhael]

I would say that not everyone have a place to attatched them. For instance, in my last flat there was a massive seal and the rings held my bodyweight with added weight easily. At my current flat this solution is not an option, thus I had to put them into a box. Second thing is that, an exercise like Ring Dips is much more harder on rings.

 

[Kenny Croxdale]

because they are "easier" that way or are there other advantages to using a bar instead of rings?

No Access

Many individual do not have access to right where they train.

As Mikhael stated, they don't have a place to attached them, etc.

Rings

Rings increase the loading on the Stabilizer Muscle , while decreasing the loading on the Primary Muscle involved in the movement.

Using A Bar

Performing exercises on a bar decrease the loading on the Stabilizer Muscle, while increasing the loading on the Primary Muscles.

Let's take it one step farther.

Weight Machines

Weight machines, like a Leg Press, completely eliminate the Stabilizer Muscles, placing the load on the Primary Muscles.

Objective

Your training objective determine which strength exercise (tool) you need use for the optimal training effect.

 

[njrick1]

No Access

Many individual do not have access to right where they train.

As Mikhael stated, they don't have a place to attached them, etc.

Rings

Rings increase the loading on the Stabilizer Muscle , while decreasing the loading on the Primary Muscle involved in the movement.

Using A Bar

Performing exercises on a bar decrease the loading on the Stabilizer Muscle, while increasing the loading on the Primary Muscles.

Let's take it one step farther.

Weight Machines

Weight machines, like a Leg Press, completely eliminate the Stabilizer Muscles, placing the load on the Primary Muscles.

Objective

Your training objective determine which strength exercise (tool) you need use for the optimal training effect.

Makes sense! I still hope to see them in gyms more in the future!

 

[AleksSalkin]

Kenny Croxdale is spot on. While ring dips and ring chinups are fantastic, they are not inherently around-the-board better due to the extra amount of stabilization required which - as the late, great Charles Poliquin pointed out - can "rob the prime movers" of doing their job.

This is one reason why specialized variety is so important: doing chinups and dips on both stable surfaces and unstable ones helps you to get the widest range of adaptations, whereas sticking to just one or the other will only get you so far.

 

[njrick1]

Kenny Croxdale is spot on. While ring dips and ring chinups are fantastic, they are not inherently around-the-board better due to the extra amount of stabilization required which - as the late, great Charles Poliquin pointed out - can "rob the prime movers" of doing their job.

This is one reason why specialized variety is so important: doing chinups and dips on both stable surfaces and unstable ones helps you to get the widest range of adaptations, whereas sticking to just one or the other will only get you so far.

This makes a ton of sense, I will do both!

This was not apparent to me initially as the prime movers were robbed of doing their job by sore elbows and shoulders when using a bar.

Thank you for your input!

 

[AleksSalkin]

This makes a ton of sense, I will do both!

This was not apparent to me initially as the prime movers were robbed of doing their job by sore elbows and shoulders when using a bar.

Thank you for your input!

I know the feeling of sore elbows and shoulders, believe me. It sounds to me like rings will be your best bet for a while - indeed, anything that allows you to continue training safely and effectively (particularly around an injury) is something worth sticking to.

Have fun and happy training, my man

 

[Kozushi]

I have rings and use them for dips, skin the cat,upside-down hangs, rows and chinups, but I also have a separate chinup bar (actually 2 others because I'm an exercise nut) for the same things and parallel bars for dips, L-sits, V-sits and I try for planks but can't quite do them.
Like the others (well informed folks!) have pointed out, bars and rings exercise you differently. It isn't a bad thing to use both. However, one or the other is fine depending on what you want to get out of it. Like what Mr. Croxdale pointed out above, I have felt that work on the bars made me stronger and work on the rings made me more in control of my movements.