Hula-Hooping?

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  • demoiselle2014
    demoiselle2014 Posts: 474 Member
    I found it was good for relieving back soreness from my scoliosis, and I could see when my hips were getting more even because the hoop revolves closer to parallel to the floor. It's something I can hypothetically do while watching tv rather than be sedentary. I'm curious as to how much doing it consistently for a month could affect my core strength.
  • demoiselle2014
    demoiselle2014 Posts: 474 Member
    It certainly does work the muscles. I hooped for 30 minutes today, and my waist gained a full inch since this morning. I think it must be water being retained by the muscles, and I anticipate being sore tomorrow. It didn't seem particularly hard at the time, though . . .
  • MegaLoveBird
    MegaLoveBird Posts: 26 Member
    Hey yall, sorry I lag on the responses here. I'll still be hooping through July and so on. I've got so carried away in June I was hooping for hours!! I love it!! The initial group I set up still exists on Facebook but the name has been changed to "Hula Hoop Group" just for fun. Please feel free to join, post and invite your friends. It's a closed group so only members can see your posts.
  • demoiselle2014
    demoiselle2014 Posts: 474 Member
    Could you post a link please? For some reason, groups don't turn up when I search for them.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    MegaLoveBird wrote: »
    Just a safe space to have fun and be with like-minded hoopers!!

    https://m.facebook.com/groups/379422035580824

  • dizzieblondeuk
    dizzieblondeuk Posts: 286 Member
    I've signed up for a hooping class tomorrow at my local leisure centre. When reading about it, there seems to be a general opinion that there is a 'correct' and 'incorrect' technique. A incorrect technique can burn calories, through sheer cardio effort, the other one does that plus works all of your abdo muscles in the right way. I started pilates a little while ago, and the whole 'engaging the core' thing that pilates teaches you seems to apply to hooping. Fingers crossed I don't collapse from sheer exhaustion - that hooping challenge is working up to 30 minutes, my class is an hour long!! ;) I'm sure we'll take regular breaks - or in my case, to pick up the dropped hoop. My ability to actually spin a hoop could be discovered to be embarrassingly bad!
  • MegaLoveBird
    MegaLoveBird Posts: 26 Member
    @editorgrrl, thank you for posting the link. @dizzieblondeuk, that class sounds fantastic!!! You're absolutely right about engaging your core while hooping, it really is the key to working the abdominals. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    I can't hulahoop. LOL. It's very sad.
  • dizzieblondeuk
    dizzieblondeuk Posts: 286 Member
    MegaLoveBird wrote: »
    @editorgrrl, thank you for posting the link. @dizzieblondeuk, that class sounds fantastic!!! You're absolutely right about engaging your core while hooping, it really is the key to working the abdominals. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
    OH MY GOD!!! That was really, really tough! Turns out, I can hoop - but only in an anticlockwise direction! Try the other way, and the hoop falls to the floor pathetically after 3 turns! Clearly, that's my weak side! Gotta work on it!

    The workout itself consisted of a lot of high energy cardio, using the hoop as a balance and a weight. In between the different parts of the cardio workout, we switched to hooping in various guises - slow rotations one way and then another, then as fast as you could for short bursts. Then we switched to using the hoop as a sort of hand weight, and did lots of arm raises, bicep and tricep curls, including hellish overhead tricep lifts holding the hoop (ow!!). Then the crazy woman wanted me to hoop whilst stepping up and down on a step. Ha ha ha... no! That didn't happen so I just concentrated on the hooping bit. Finally, a bit of floor work for leg raises and crunches, balancing the hoop on the legs, then a final hooping 'exercise', where she chucked a beach ball in the middle of the studio and told us to kick it to each other whilst still hooping. That was another epic fail for me - but it was my first time - and finally one of the most thorough cool down stretches I've had in a gym class - she really knew what she was doing there! All in all, about 20 minutes of the 60 was actual hooping, broken up with the other exercise sections. Pretty comprehensive work-out, I felt.

    The next day, I had a bit of soreness around the middle - expected - but none of the actual bruising I was warned to expect. A bit of overall muscle soreness, not too much but then, I've not done an exercise class in about 4 years! Definitely want to go back and work on improving my hooping.

    BTW, can anyone recommend a good hoop brand to buy? There seem to be a whole bunch on the market, with a huge variance in their prices. Just want a basic one to practice at home, but don't want to just get the cheapest and discover it's not very good.
  • demoiselle2014
    demoiselle2014 Posts: 474 Member
    MamaBirdBoss wrote: »
    I can't hulahoop. LOL. It's very sad.

    Why not? I couldn't as a kid and had to look up how as an adult. Now I can do it.

  • MegaLoveBird
    MegaLoveBird Posts: 26 Member
    @dizzieblondeuk, that sounds like a FANTASTIC workout!!! I would LOVE THAT!!! As far as hoop purchasing you can even make your own, there are several YouTube tutorials. I have purchased several hoops online too, moodhoops.com, superhooper.org, hoop mama on etsy. Each of those sites can offer simple hoops, the options are where the prices go up (deco tape, grip tape...).
  • dizzieblondeuk
    dizzieblondeuk Posts: 286 Member
    MegaLoveBird wrote: »
    @dizzieblondeuk, that sounds like a FANTASTIC workout!!! I would LOVE THAT!!! As far as hoop purchasing you can even make your own, there are several YouTube tutorials. I have purchased several hoops online too, moodhoops.com, superhooper.org, hoop mama on etsy. Each of those sites can offer simple hoops, the options are where the prices go up (deco tape, grip tape...).
    Second week last night, and this time it was a full on circuits session (1min on, 15 secs recovery) for around 45 minutes of the hour class. Really hard work, burpees, push ups and the usual circuits stuff interspersed with stations for speed hooping, step hooping, squats whilst hooping, and lots of other tortures! ;) It really is one of the hardest work outs, exhausting but incredibly effective! Thanks for the hoop advice. I need to get one and practice, my weaker side really needs work!
  • MegaLoveBird
    MegaLoveBird Posts: 26 Member
    That sounds INTENSE @dizzieblondeuk !! I'm impressed!!
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