Obese Hula Hooping

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eversosquidly
eversosquidly Posts: 59 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So, we're all friends here, right? Does anyone else have a really hard time hula hooping? I've been at this for over a month trying to get the dumb hoop to keep going around. And I look like a crazy person as I'm trying to keep it in rotation. It either hits my chest and bounces off or I pop my hips in a weird way and it falls to the ground. I can get it to go around AT MOST ten times.

Is anyone else having trouble? If you had trouble, what worked for you? I bought a weighted hoop, but that sucker goes around four times whether I spin it and 'hoop' or if I spin it and stand there unmoving.

Thanks!
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Replies

  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
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    It's all a matter of coordination. You need to zig when the hoop zags. I don't think your weight has any bearing on the hoop staying up. For the record I'm terrible at this too. Don't feel bad. Just keep practicing.

    tumblr_mpn14swcWM1qasthro1_r1_400.gif
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    I read but havent tried that you need a heavier weighted hoop if you are obese.
  • HappyHungryHealthy
    HappyHungryHealthy Posts: 121 Member
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    When I first started hula hooping in February, I couldn't even do one without it falling to the ground, but the more weight I lost I found I got better and dropped it less. I'm not sure if its a coincidence, but now I can do it for about 10 mins without it falling. :)
  • RunnerElizabeth
    RunnerElizabeth Posts: 1,091 Member
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    So back when I was doing boxing as my main form of excercise, the hula hoop station was one of our drills. After attempting it 3 times a week for a year, I eventually got to the point that I could keep it up for a full 5 minutes without dropping it. But I was extremely fit at the time.

    Also hula hooping is not like riding a bike, if you stop doing it for awhile it's hard to pick back up again. Of course I say that and now I'm just healthy, not extremely fit and I do carry my extra weight in the middle. But coordination is a big part of it.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    big girl, smaller hoop (and skill) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eKBUMCg6Qg

    All I have to say is the movement isn't in your hips
    tumblr_m6e1hjbTIT1r3kuxpo1_500.gif
    I can stand almost still when I hoop. It's all about momentum...push something in a certain direction repeatedly...not swirl your hip around like Waffle's image is doing lol. Some people are just bad at it. I usually kick it once with one side of my hip with every turn, not do a crazy hip swirl dance or the hoop will tend to drop down your hips. It doesn't matter what size you are. If you have a problem, get a bigger hoop. Weighted is easier. The larger the hoop the more time you have to think about what you are doing. If you find it easier to move your feet move in the direction of the hoop and you'll have even more time to think about what you're doing:
    Hula-Hoop-13.gif

    As you can see from the above, you don't need to move the hoop/your *kitten* around like crazy like most people think.
    hula-hoop-o.gif

    If I think hard about it if someone is in a lineup impatiently rocking back and forth like some people do its pretty similar. No swirling of body parts needed...that actually makes the hoop go vertical so you get this pattern with each rotation:

    \ and then /
    instead of _ and continuously _

    Where each symbol is a dramatization of the hoop.

    I've seen some people hoop with hoops nearly the size as them around the waist when they're good at it. Some can do it with ones people usually only use their arms for. But starting off, get the largest one available or make one out of tubing at a hardware store, a heat gun (hairdryer can work but takes forever), and a connector. The larger you make it the stiffer the tubing should be to keep it's shape :flowerforyou:
  • emirror
    emirror Posts: 842 Member
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    Youtube really helped me out when I was learning to hoop. I even made my own hoops (super easy, totally customizable).

    Here is a very very beginner video:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1yEc_-J3aQ

    Also, one thing that helped me stop swirling my hips around was to figure out the real motion going on. To do this, I took a necklace, looped it on my finger, and started swirling it around in the air. After a while, you get it going fast enough so you barely have to move your finger to keep it going (does that make sense?). You do the same thing with a hula hoop. the motion is a brief circle, but once you get it going, you are just rocking back and forth in a pretty straight line.

    Also, I found that, just when I was getting good at keeping the hoop up, I started thinking about what I was doing, and then started dropping the hoop again. What helped me get past that is, once I had a rhythm, I started counting out the beat. It kept me from thinking about it too hard.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    Also, one thing that helped me stop swirling my hips around was to figure out the real motion going on. To do this, I took a necklace, looped it on my finger, and started swirling it around in the air. After a while, you get it going fast enough so you barely have to move your finger to keep it going (does that make sense?). You do the same thing with a hula hoop. the motion is a brief circle, but once you get it going, you are just rocking back and forth in a pretty straight line.
    Excellent explanation
  • sunshinesaltwater
    sunshinesaltwater Posts: 13
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    Is hula hooping a good workout !?
    I am actually really good at it and enjoy it :)
    But never even considered it as a workout? Is it effective- if so I am excited!
  • eversosquidly
    eversosquidly Posts: 59 Member
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    Is hula hooping a good workout !?
    I am actually really good at it and enjoy it :)
    But never even considered it as a workout? Is it effective- if so I am excited!

    Hula hooping is an excellent workout. I'll tell you why. For me, since I drop the hoop so much, I have to bend over to pick it up every five seconds. So I'm getting in cardio and some core ..stretching or whatever you'd call it. Either way, hooping is definitely cardio and is GREAT for doing while you're watching TV or something that you'd usually do while sitting down. :) A lot of people are hooping to lose weight. That's how I got started. But now I'm just darn determined to get it going around the way it's supposed to. O.o
  • eversosquidly
    eversosquidly Posts: 59 Member
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    Also, one thing that helped me stop swirling my hips around was to figure out the real motion going on. To do this, I took a necklace, looped it on my finger, and started swirling it around in the air. After a while, you get it going fast enough so you barely have to move your finger to keep it going (does that make sense?). You do the same thing with a hula hoop. the motion is a brief circle, but once you get it going, you are just rocking back and forth in a pretty straight line.

    Also, I found that, just when I was getting good at keeping the hoop up, I started thinking about what I was doing, and then started dropping the hoop again. What helped me get past that is, once I had a rhythm, I started counting out the beat. It kept me from thinking about it too hard.

    When I think about hooping, my brain won't let the hoop go around. So I'll try to count instead.

    The necklace analogy makes a lot of sense. I'll do my best to figure out how to integrate the two. I really just have a terrible time getting it to stay up. My sister can keep it up all day, but my hoop falls off almost immediately unless I work really hard. IDK.
  • QuilterInVA
    QuilterInVA Posts: 672 Member
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    A kids hula hoop is not heavy enough for adult exercise. You need a weighted hoop. It is great for strengthening your core.
  • airangel59
    airangel59 Posts: 1,887 Member
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    Joining in to get as many tips as I can...I've got two (both heavy adult & different sized) and no matter how I try, I can't get it consistently going. When I first attempted it, most of the work out was bending to pick the thing up from the floor. Thankfully no one was videotaping it, would have looked like I was having seizures trying to get the thing to circle around me. I haven't given up but haven't gotten the hang of it either.
  • husseycd
    husseycd Posts: 814 Member
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    Bigger, heavier hoops are easiest to manage. Smaller, lighter hoops need more momentum to keep up. Think about pushing against the hoop as it comes in contact with your skin. Waist hooping is actually more of a weight shifting side-to-side motion. You can turn with the hoop if it starts to fall. Don't turn against it, that makes it harder.

    The better you get at hooping, the easier it is and the less energy you'll use. That being said, jamming out with a hoop is probably about the same calorie burn as most types of dance.
  • dlbaron
    dlbaron Posts: 79 Member
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    Try a really, really big hoop! You'll grow out of it quickly but it can be useful for beginners or while learning a new trick. Both hoop instructors I've taken classes with had an enormous hoop on hand for if someone couldn't get a trick and really needed to break it down. I believe Caroleena on YouTube has a great tutorial for the hooping motion. It's not about moving your body in a circle- it's mostly about 2 contact points. I, and many others, find it easiest to use a back and forth motion. Place one foot in front of the other and push forward and backwards against the hoop. Alternatively you can plant your feet shoulder-width or wider apart and try doing a side to side motion. Also, I know it seems hard to think about more than one thing at a time at first, but try turning in the same direction the hoop is moving as you hoop. If you are a righty you likely spin counterclockwise. That means also turn counterclockwise. It will help the hoop "float" up. I find planting my inner foot (for a counterclockwise flow, meaning the direction the hoop is spinning, this would be the left foot) and using my outer foot (right foot in my case) to push and pivot me around is the easiest way to spin as I hoop. Feel free to message me with any questions! Like everyone else said, online tutorials are super helpful!
  • jennwillkush
    jennwillkush Posts: 2
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    I started taking a hula hoop cardio class and it took several classes for me to get the hang of it...in the meantime I worked up a sweat flinging it around my waist and then picking it up off the floor 10 seconds later! LOL For me, the trick was to rock front to back and after I got the hang of it I was able to start going from side to side. Now I can do squats and all kinds of other moves while hooping, but like the others said the hooping comes automatically now and if I think about it too much I drop it.
  • joanthemom8
    joanthemom8 Posts: 375 Member
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    I have a weighted hoop and I rock it (with my mid-section) back and forth and then it goes - I can "hoop" up to 15 mintues without it stopping.
  • Dunkirk
    Dunkirk Posts: 465 Member
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    Thanks for the topic, and bump!
  • MooMyuu
    MooMyuu Posts: 38 Member
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    I was hooping just fine at 230 lbs and I'm only 5'3'' so as you can imagine, I was quite rotund when i did it. It just took a lot of practice to learn when to push the hoop which way with which hip...

    also, if you can't go counter clockwise, try clockwise, or vice versa. I have a hard time hooping to the left but i can hoop to the right fine. just check your hooping and find what works for you

    also... does your hoop fit your height? if you're hoop isn't at or a little above your belly button, it may be too small or too big for you.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    Is hula hooping a good workout !?
    I am actually really good at it and enjoy it :)
    But never even considered it as a workout? Is it effective- if so I am excited!
    If you're efficient at it, no. I can stand pretty still, do all the tricks I want to do until I get bored. But for someone who is new to exercise it's a fun new thing to pick up and it's always great developing new skills. And it looks neat and people are easily impressed by it :p
  • Lizajayne23
    Lizajayne23 Posts: 123 Member
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    My girls had hula hoops and for some reason, we decided to hoop one day and I SUCKED at it! It took me weeks to work up from dropping after 5 revolutions, then 10 revolutions, then look! a whole minute! Finally, one night, I was frustrated but determined so I turned on the 90s Pop channel and that was it! I made it through the entire song. And I just got better from there. Once my body learned the rhythm, I didn't need the music anymore. It also took me a bit to figure out that I hoop to the right while the girls hoop to the left so trying to mimic them was hindering me. Also, pull in or tighten your tummy and wear form fitting clothes. I don't know why, but baggy sweats and a t-shirt gave me trouble, yoga pants and tank top were great. Oh, and close your eyes and just listen to the music. That helped a lot at first because I would get distracted, I guess, and lose the rhythm easily.

    Now I alternate each direction every 10 minutes for 40 minutes to an hour while watching TV. My body works harder going "backwards". By the time I'm done, sweat is even running down my arms and I'm soaked! I do tend to move my feet around and exaggerate the movements, though, instead of trying to stand up straight with small movements. I get this wild hip and arm pumping thing going that I'm sure looks very funny! LOL My legs burn and I feel in in my tummy if I keep it tucked.

    When I do it regularly, my tummy gets tighter and I can definitely feel a difference.

    Good luck!

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