If you crave a bigger more defined chest then you’re in the right place. That’s because…
One of the most potent bits of gear you can use to shock your muscles into growing faster than they “intuitively” want to, is a set of gymnastics rings.
If you doubt the potency of gymnastic rings to enhance upper body muscles, I suggest you take a look at any Olympic gymnast and you’ll see they have jacked bodies.
Here’s the thing about the rings…
When you’re first starting out with gymnastic rings they aren’t easy, and most quit before they see results because the rings challenge them and they don’t like feeling like a beginner.
But get this:
If you’re persistent, and you understand the rings take a bit of time getting used to. In a few month’s time, your mirror reflects back a bigger more defined chest. And you’ll notice you fill-out your shirts more.
What Makes Gymnastic Rings So Effective For Muscle Growth?
When you get on the rings for the first time you’ll notice you shake and wobble around. A lot of men can do dips on the bars, but they can’t do ring dips.
The rings are unstable. The longer you have the straps the more unstable they feel. You wobble around trying to hold yourself up, and you struggle to keep the rings close to your body. What this means is more muscles must be engaged to stabilize and support you, and this is one of the things that make the rings so effective for muscle growth.
Another reason the rings are great for muscle growth is, you’re using your body weight in unique ways.
At first, you may find your body weight is too much for you to lift. The great thing about the rings is, all exercises can be progressed. Simply changing the height or lowering the rings makes the exercise easier.
What you’re about to discover here are 6 potent gymnastic ring exercises that target, stimulate and force your chest muscles to grow
Now let’s take a look…
1) Push-Up With Chest Squeeze (Bulgarian Push-Ups)
How To Do Ring Push-Ups:
- Set your rings up so the rings are close to the ground. Get down into the push-up position holding your rings. Feet on the ground
- Have your elbows flared out at 90 degrees, go down, then push-up. As you push-up, you want to bring your rings together and squeeze your chest
- If you find this position too difficult, lift your rings up higher so your body is on more of an angle. The increase in angle makes it easier for you.
2) Chest Fly
This is a challenging exercise to do. When first starting out you’ll want to have your rings set up higher so your body is on an angle. If you try to go from just above ground height when first starting out, you may injure yourself.
How To Do Chest Fly:
- Set your rings up at a height you can get reps of 8 out as a minimum. You need good control with this movement, otherwise, you’ll injure yourself
- The movement for this exercise is just like dumbbell flys, however with ring flys, you’re standing up to them. And as you get stronger, you’ll end up doing them right down near ground level
- Pull your shoulder blades together when you do the movement, this helps with shoulder support
- Only go out as far as you can which may not be far when first starting out.
3) Decline Push-Up
How To Do Decline Push-Ups
To do this exercise you’ll need to put your feet on a chair or some type of box. You want your feet higher than your hands so you’re in an incline position.
- Elbows in by your side
- Go down controlling the movement
- Then just like you do for push-ups drive up
- You can flex your chest at the top
4) Pelican Push-Up
This is a tough exercise do do. I suggest you start from a standing position with your body on a slight angle.
Lowering yourself is easy, it’s the getting back up part that’s hard.
How To Do Pelican Push-Ups:
- You want to use a fasle grip
- Elbows in by your side
- Arms externally rotated
- You want to control the negative part of the movement
- Fully stretch biceps by straightening elbows at bottom (This is also a bicep exercise) When starting out, go as far as you can
- Pull yourself back up
- If you can’t get back up just do the negative part of the exercise (Lowering)
5) Dips
Dips are freakin awesome for your chest and shoulders.
A word of warning, it’s easy to become obsessed with dips because they are super effective. If you go nuts like I once did daily your joints may become inflamed.
How To Do Ring Dips:
- Set your rings up so when your dip down your body is well above ground height
- Elbows in by your side
- Lower yourself down (get your biceps to touch the rings if possible)
- Then drive back up
- To make this movement harder you can wear a weighted vest or you can slow your reps down
- Example… down on a count of 3 seconds then drive back up, pause at the top for 1 second and repeat.
6) Archer Push-Ups
The Archer Push-up is a tough exercise, it’s an advanced unilateral pushing exercise which strengthens and develops your chest, shoulders, and arm muscles.
How To Do Archer Push-Ups:
- The working elbow is the one you’re driving up with gets tucked in beside your body
- The assisting are remains straight
- You want to keep the weight over the working arm until lockout
- Have your feet separated to because this helps your stability
- If your left arm is out straight, you’re driving up with your right arm which means your weight is over your right side.
Understand It’s About Progression With Your Ring Exercises
Gym strong doesn’t translate to ring strong and a lot of folks struggle with this.
Understand, progression is perfectly fine it’s how we learn to do anything in life. Drop your ego and be prepared to use progression with some of the exercises.
If you’ve never done ring fly’s, you’ll struggle to go from never having done them to setting up just above ground height and busting out quality reps with perfect form.
Instead, you might have to start with your rings set up much higher and your body on a slight angle. You’ll still get an effective workout, you’ll target and work your chest, you’ll get stronger and your muscles grow. As you get stronger you decrease the angle.
Why Do People Quit Using Rings?
The rings aren’t easy to use at first. You might be strong in the gym lifting weights however you’ll quickly realise a lot of gymnastic ring exercises are difficult.
You go from a super-star in the gym to a beginner on the rings. You’ll watch other men online who are super strong on the rings and compare yourself to them. They might be 3 years or more into ring training, so it’s a dumb comparison to make.
Fact is, a lot quit the rings because the challenge is too much, they don’t like increasing the angle of an exercise like a beginner so they can do it.
Or they hurt themselves because they believe they can do advanced exercises when really they aren’t strong enough yet for the advanced stuff.
Hey listen…
If you stick with the rings they reward you with a great physique.
I’m Strong How Do I Make The Ring Exercises Harder?
If you’re strong on the rings and a lot of bodyweight-only exercises are too easy for you.
You can make the movements harder by wearing a weighted vest, or you can hang weights off yourself using a belt and chain.
Another way to make the ring exercises harder for yourself is… Slow The Movement Down
This is called tempo. A lot of people bust out the reps as fast a possible. To make it harder you slow the reps down.
For example, with dips. You could lower yourself down on a count of 3 seconds, then drive yourself back up. Then down 1…2…3… then drive back up. You’ll find you don’t get as many reps out and after a set or two, your chest is on fire.
Over 40? Here’s What You Need To Understand About Your Training
As you age you’ve got to become smart about how you train. You can’t do at 40 what you could do at 25.
Professional athletes retire for a reason because their bodies can’t take the rigors of their sport any longer. What this shows you is our bodies change over time.
How Do You Train Smarter?
If certain exercises hurt you don’t do them. Maybe you’ve got old sporting injuries, or you’ve got injuries from the type of work you’ve done over the years. Maybe you’re stressed, and don’t get good sleep each night. You’ve got to take all this into consideration.
Just because some younger dude than you online says to train 4 days a week with the rings, doesn’t mean it’s the best thing for you.
4 days a week may enflame your elbow and shoulder joints. 4 days a week for your upper body may make feel weak, tired, and sore all the time. You need time to recover. Recovery is critical.
If you’re working out to improve your health, look and feel great, and take on fun, challenging adventures, then the last thing you want to do is destroy your body by following a program written by someone who’s under 40 and has no idea what life’s like for a 40+-year-old.
Now go workout, build your upper body, grow your muscles, and look and feel great.
Summary Training With Gymnastic Rings
Working out at home or in the park, all you need for your upper body is a set of gymnastic rings and you can work your entire upper body.
The rings are probably one of the most potent bits of workout equipment you can own.
