Hula Hoop Exercises Basics

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Hula Hoop exercises can be a fun way of exercising, though you may feel a little silly at first! While some might wonder if it’s only a fad or gimmick, there are surprisingly many benefits of doing hula hoop exercises. Hula hoop exercises can help you tone and strengthen abdominal muscles – but they can also be done to give your entire body a workout.

Weighted hula hoops for exercises (heavier and larger than the standard hula hoop) are available at most sporting good stores or they can be ordered online. The weighted hula hoops are significantly heavier than the average plastic hula hoop, which makes you have to work a little bit harder to use it, which gives you the added workout benefit.

Once you have the hula hoop, it can be a little tricky at first to get it going around your waist. Not everyone is hula hoop natural, but it’s actually not too difficult if you practice this technique:  To get started with basic hula hoop exercises, stand straight with one foot in front of the other and with the hula hoop around your waist slightly above your hips. Move the hula hoop forward so it is touching your back and begin shifting your weight from one foot to the other.

Don’t give up if you have trouble keeping the hula hoop going for more than a few seconds or minutes at first. If you keep trying, soon you will be able to keep it around your waist for longer periods of time. Once you have the basics of balancing a hula hoop, you are ready to move on to more advanced exercises.

Here are Some Ideas for Hula Hoop Exercises:

1. Get Your Whole Body Involved: Hula hoop exercises are not just for you waist. They can be spun on your neck, arms, and legs. Start with lighter hula hoops before moving onto the weighted hula hoops to make sure you do not strain any of your muscles.

2. Try Multiple Hula Hoops: You can attempt to balance additional hoops once you have mastered using just one. This can give you an additional work out to raise your heart rate and strengthen and tone muscles.

3. Jumping Exercises: You can use hula hoops for jumping similarly to jumping rope. You can also set the hoops on the floor and practice jumping in and out of them and from one to another.

4. Hula Hoop Rolling: Many kids love taking a hula hoop and pushing it on its side and rolling it while chasing after it. You can also do this to make a jogging routine a little more interesting.

5. Watch a Hula Hoop Video: If you’re still looking for some ideas for hula hoop exercises, there are many exercise videos available to help give you some ideas for ways to use hula hoops in your exercise routine.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to use a hula hoop for exercising. It can help you tone your midsection and bring a little more excitement to your exercise routine. Be sure to check with your doctor before starting these or other exercise programs. If you have a history of back or neck problems, hula hoop exercising may not be right for you because it could cause extra strain on those muscles and joints.

Do you do hula hoop exercises, or would you be willing to try them if you haven’t? Share your thoughts in the comments below.