Are Rings Better Than Bars For Calisthenics?
29,679
Published 2022-01-27
(I'll be making a review video about them very soon)
How's it goin', gang? My apologies for the subpar audio on this one. The battery died in my room mic and I had no idea until I was done filming! 🤷♂️ Anyway, I often get asked if rings are better than bars for calisthenics. My response is always, "Better for what?" Gymnastics rings are fantastic, but they're a totally different style of training compared to bars. For example, when you're above the rings, like in a dip or muscle up, you're engaging more stabilizers than ever (way more than bars!) due to the instability of the rings. This can be good and bad. It's good if you're already an intermediate in bodyweight training, but if you're a novice then this is going to be overwhelming! That's just one of the many advantages and disadvantages to rings compared to bars. I explain several more advantages for each in the video. So if you've been wondering if you should invest in bars or rings, or maybe you're at a point in your journey and feel you might be ready for rings, then I hope this video answers all your questions. Thanks for watching!
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All Comments (21)
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Rings or bars? What's your preference for training?
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After learning to love rings, I see bars as an option to hang rings
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Both have their place but I'd say anyone serious about progressing in Calisthenics should get a pair of rings after a few months of consistent bar work, it's a whole other level and most importantly, it's fun as hell!
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Both 🙂Bars allow you to go heavy or focus on one movement, muscle group etc. Rings are hard for anyone new to them, regardless of level, but soo much fun. Good for joint positioning too as they move with your body and you're not locked into place like with a bar.
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6'5 320lbs and hated rings... Now they are a shrine in my mancave I use most days. GREAT 👍 VIDEO 📸
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Enormous +1 on "a positive experience in fitness is the number 1 thing a client needs". I had an unreasonable belief that I was "just weak" for almost my whole life, that essentially got cured by a simple "yeah, that's a good enough attempt, and you'll get better the more you do it" statement during a pilates class! I am not super focused on fitness, but I've been slowly and consistently putting on muscle (2+ lean kg this year ^_^), fixing my horrendous posture (...I had chronic back pain by age 15...) and getting stronger for about two years now. I wish I could go back to little-kid me and say "you don't need to be good at sports or whatever, just treat learning about your body-- how it grows and how to move it--the same way you treat every other subject, with curiosity and openness!" I would have been a much healthier teen, lol. But yeah, family having 0 dietary/exercise knowledge + bullying at school can really mess a child's psyche up!
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Hmm might just get into some calisthenics🤷🏼♂️ thanks for the info💪🏼
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Useful topic. Thanks a lot.
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Love this channel, brother. I recently bought the Pull-Up & Dip ab wheel, literally after watching your video at like 3AM or something ahahah, and got out my rings for the first time in over a year, a few days ago. I got them during the first lockdown here in the UK, then stopped using them when I got a full home gym setup, but I'm really enjoying bodyweight movements again, thanks to channels like this, FitnessThrossel, Kram Kalisthenics, Joe Hotai, James Brews, people like that. Thanks for uploading great content, my friend.
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For those who have shoulders or elbows issues I'd recommend rings in a first place. If ROM of some of those joints is limited (even if a little bit), then high reps on solid bars can lead to bigger problems. I had a shoulder surgery and managed to return about 90% of ROM back. But the rest 10% are on the elbow now during each solid bar exercise. Tendonitis ang golfer's elbow became my "friends" for a while, but rings are really helping me out!!!
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Extra tip. Rings come in two sizes. 1.25" / 32mm (CrossFit/Standard) and 1.11" / 28mm (FIG/Gymnastic) diameters. I've not used the CrossFit style but from experience with the same sizes on pull-up bars and barbells, the FIG style is perfect if you have smaller hands (like me). Makes the most difference for pulling exercises, better grip, but even for pushing where the thicker base of the CrossFit style "might" be better, the FIG are still right for me.
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I just started working out after a very very long amount of time growing my dad bod. Tried to do my Marine Corps PFT but can barely do 3 pullups. Love the rings when I do inverted rows but cant do pushups/dips on them yet.
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Rings are the single most effective exercise equipment of all time….. Hands down 💯
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Love your channel's name.
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Tao physique is the go to channel I know of for ring related fitness.
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Thanks johnny!
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The only real drawbacks to rings are the added difficulty for beginners and the need for an overhead mounting point.
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Speaking of bars, any chance for us to see a review of the new B Bars Pro? I liked the idea of the B Bars but don't know if I like the pro over them, especially bc of the price gap and would love to see your take on it!
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Im a total and Heavy beginner with limited budget, would you go for a set of parallel bars or just a single bar? Greetings
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i think it goes down to one's current experience, and the best person is one who brilliantly blends them into training. Pull-up bar and parallel bars are more friendly for calisthenics starters since they are more stable, even more accessible when more and more public parks have them, not just in the gym. But rings are far better in exercise variations, and i think one with at least a year of serious experience should really get a pair of rings.
