Ring Training for Beginners: Where to Start

If you've just bought your first pair of gymnastic rings and don't know where to start, here's my honest advice based on 18 months of ring training.

Start with the ring support hold. Set the rings to about hip height, mount them, and hold a locked-out support position with rings turned out. This sounds easy and looks easy. It's neither. Your stabilizers will fire immediately and your shoulders will be working hard. Start with 3 sets of 10-20 seconds and build to a solid minute before progressing to other ring exercises.

Ring rows at a manageable angle are your horizontal pulling foundation. Set the rings higher for easier rows, lower your body for harder. The instability activates more shoulder stabilizers than a bar row.

Ring push-ups with the rings about 30cm off the ground are harder than they look — the instability demands significant pectoral and stabilizer involvement. Keep the rings close together for more tricep emphasis.

Do not rush to ring dips until you have a solid support hold and good ring push-up control. The dip on rings without base stability is a recipe for shoulder discomfort.