Hula-Hoop – Effective workout for home

Comeback of a fitness classic

What fun it was as a child to spin a hula hoop around your hips! Whoever could keep it up the longest was the winner. Wonderful memories of carefree hours. But even as an adult, there are good reasons to learn to hula hoop! Besides being fun, hula hooping is above all an effective workout. And you don't need much: workout clothes and the hoop. Then you can start training anywhere – even at home.

Hula hoops – From antiquity to California

Even in ancient times, hoops were known as toys and sports equipment. However, these were made of wood and quite heavy. Children in the 19th century found great pleasure in propelling iron rings with sticks. Of course, these weren't yet hula hoops. So let's jump forward in time to 1958 in California. This is where the plastic hoop, as we know it today as the hula hoop, was invented. The hula hoop craze of the 1950s likely originated in Australia. Children there are said to have played with homemade hoops made of bamboo. This gave two resourceful Americans the idea of ​​developing hoops made of plastic. Richard Knerr and Arthur Melin, founders of the toy company Wham-O, launched these hoops in 1958 and named them hula hoops, inspired by the Hawaiian hula dance. These hula hoops quickly became a true phenomenon. In the summer of 1958, at least 100 million hula hoops were sold worldwide. However, the cult faded away again and the tires became something only for children.
But in recent years, and probably also fueled by the Corona crisis, the hula hoop has made a comeback. This time primarily as a fitness exercise for adults .

We have summarized the most important information about hula hoops and training for you:

Choosing the right hula hoop

It all starts with choosing the right tire.

Relatively large hoops are particularly suitable for beginners . When standing upright, the hoop should reach your navel. It's best to buy a smooth hoop weighing between 400 and 800 grams. Due to their size and weight, these hoops are easier to rotate and are therefore especially suitable as exercise equipment for beginners. However, the hoop shouldn't weigh more than one kilogram. Otherwise, the forces exerted on the abdominal area will be too great. Beginners should choose hoops without bumps, weights, or similar features for their workout, as these can lead to injuries.

More advanced users can also opt for smaller and lighter hula hoops. These are particularly well-suited for tricks and acrobatic moves. Those looking to improve their connective tissue can find hoops with massage nubs . These increase blood circulation and can therefore tighten the skin.

These days, there are also smart hula hoops . These have features like integrated calorie counters and workout trackers that record your workout duration and provide training recommendations or progress indicators for your next session. Other smart hula hoops allow you to connect with other users via an app for even more motivation.

Hula hoop fitness for beginners

Hooping , as it's also known among enthusiasts, is an effective workout , especially for the core and lower back muscles . Hula-hooping is also recommended for those suffering from back pain, for example, due to poor posture while working from home. With the right exercises, hula-hooping is also a great full-body and cardio workout . The basic movements are easy to explain, although it might take a little longer until the workout runs smoothly.

• Stand with your legs straight and hip-width apart, next to each other.
• Place the tire above your navel .
• For the movement, one should not try to circle, but only move back and forth.
• Give the hoop a spin with your hands and move your hips and stomach back and forth. Interestingly, right-handed people tend to hoop counter-clockwise, and left-handed people clockwise. Which way feels most comfortable for you?
• You should also try tensing your stomach muscles , i.e., pushing in and out.
• If possible, you should avoid tapping your feet .
• It's best to keep your arms in front of your torso. It becomes more difficult if you put them up top.
• Generally, it's important to always rotate in both directions over time so that you don't only work one side of the muscle. Although, of course, you can initially favor the direction that feels easier to you.
• And most importantly of all: Be patient! No one becomes a hula world champion overnight.

For those who want to take it further, fitness hooping offers a full-body workout with specific exercises. Or you can learn tricks in hoop dancing , where different muscle groups are targeted depending on the trick.
You can find a wide variety of training programs, for example in online fitness studios or on YouTube.

Important: The training effect depends entirely on you personally! If you train every day but never increase the intensity, you'll eventually experience a loss of fitness. If you really want to get fit, you have to increase the intensity and the exercises!

Reference: LightFieldStudios