Not Just for Yoga & Pilates: With Stamina Your Thighs Will Be More Toned.
Written: Dec 18 '04 (Updated Mar 07 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Portable, comfortable to use, inexpensive and effective.
Cons: May slip with the wrong clothes. Takes some practice.
The Bottom Line: This is a great addition to your home workout routine. It is quite versatile and effective.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Stamina Products Yoga & Pilates Circle |
Although I have taken Pilates classes for quite some time my previous instructors never used accessories or props. We now belong to PowerHouse gym. One of the Pilates instructors uses props for almost every exercise she does. There are two types of Circles or rings that are available for our use. Stamina as well as other companies such as Power Systems makes them. I like the Circle I am reviewing in terms of comfort; it does have a downside.
About Pilates and Yoga?
I am not reviewing either however it will be helpful to have some information in order to understand the Yoga and Pilates Circle by Stamina. There is some confusion about this product because Stamina makes two Circles. One is called the Magic Circle and is different than the one I am reviewing. I will mention the Magic Circle in this review and review it as well another time.
Pilates (pronounced puh-LAH-teez) is something like a cross between yoga, stretching and calisthenics.
Pilates is a body mind exercise system developed by Joseph Hubertus Pilates approximately 80 years ago. Born to a Greek father and German mother, Joseph was a sickly child. He suffered from Rheumatic Heart Disease and other afflictions. In order to strengthen himself, he became physically active. While Pilates helps with flexibility, posture and strength, it is not much of a cardio or strength training workout, so it should be an add on to a regular routine.
What makes Pilates different from Yoga is that it is more dynamic. In many moves, you hold your torso in place while moving your limbs in different directions, which challenges your balance, core strength, stability and flexibility
You will hear instructors talk about transverse muscles. Working on these muscles is the core of Pilates.
Transversus Abdominals run across the abdomen in an east to west direction. We also work the rectus abdominus which run north to south and the oblique abdominals which are two layers run diagonally across the abdomen.
Yoga, which is much better known than Pilates, is a combination of relaxation, breathing techniques and exercise which combats stress, and helps circulation and movement of the joints.
What is this Ring?
Joseph Pilates himself invented this ring. Of course it looked a bit different than our modern day ones but the versatility and the ability to take anywhere remain the same. The Circle provides resistance when you would not have it otherwise and gives me the ability to improve muscle strength. As is said Pilates does not get easier, you just get stronger.
The Yoga and Pilates Circle is 14 inches in diameter and costs $20.00. It weighs less than 2 pounds. You will find similar for more money. This is a very good price.
Essentially is it a round circle which is flexible. You can bend it. In fact the ability to bend it makes the Circle effective. PVC is covered with foam to make it comfortable to hold but you will not be holding it anywhere except on the sides. On each side are padded grips. This is the big difference between the Yoga and Pilates Circle and similar products by others. The padded grips are very soft. They are made of foam and are so very comfortable. Others are made of a harder material, which for me does not feel as comfortable.
As I said there was a downside to this Circle. The padded grips are contoured on the inside making them very easy to hold. The outside is slightly contoured as well but since they are so soft there is little suction or grip against my body. Any type of Circle is prone to slipping. If you are new to Yoga or Pilates I would suggest not wearing nylon pants to class. In spite of this, the Yoga and Pilates Circle works just fine. I want you to be aware of the difference between products without actually reviewing the Magic Circle in this review!
The Circle is particularly helpful for inner thighs, arms and chest but in class we use it in a whole host of ways. In fact some of the classes I take, such as the Stability Ball class (Having a Ball) use the Yoga and Pilates Circle.
Ok Personal Trainer What Am I Going To Do With Thing Circle?
Remembering that the key to Yoga and Pilates is strengthening your core muscles, flexibility and balance I will give you a few exercises that will help you.
There probably is’t a woman reading this who has not done leg lifts. If you do enough of them, I suppose your inner thighs might get a bit tighter. I shudder at the thought of how many I would have to tell you to do. The Circle makes those leg lifts unnecessary.
Lying on your side or preferably with one arm in front of you and the other one to your side so you are resting on it, you will put the ring between your shins. Once it is in position, squeeze. I guarantee you will feel that. The Circle will bend a bit depending on how much you squeeze. As your thighs get firmer and stronger you will see the ring flex more and more. Do not get discouraged if at first you can barely move the ring. Just practice even it you are practicing holding it in place. Continue 12 times.
If you own a stability ball, you will put the stability ball behind you against a wall. Place the Circle on the top part of your thighs. You are going to slide down the wall a bit with the ball. (This can be done without the ball as well.) Squeeze on the way down and release the Ring a bit but not so much so that it will pop out on your way up. Continue 12 times.
The last one is one of my favorites. A standard exercise in Pilates is called the roll up or Teaser. There are many ways to do this. I will explain the way I first learned to do this before adding the ring. You will lie on your back with your arms over your head and your palms facing up. Inhale as you raise your arms reaching toward the ceiling. Exhale as you roll up as far as you can toward a seated position. Slowly roll back and repeat for 12 repetitions.
Now adding the Ring is interesting. Typically your legs will be straight out but if you are just beginning you may find it easier to have them angled with your feet flat on the floor. You may not be able to get up. This takes practice, practice and more practice but it is a fantastic exercise for your whole abdominal area as well as balance. Now I have you holding the Ring. As you slowly (The slower the better; the slower you do this the more your abs will be working.) roll up bring the ring up and squeeze it. You are not only working your core muscles but your chest and arms. When you are sitting up straight stretch the ring up over your head. Holding the ring somehow forces me to stretch a bit more than without it. You will then bend over bringing the ring down and in front of you so you have a gentle stretch. Try to lengthen your body as much as you can.
My Final Thoughts:
The Yoga and Pilates Circle by Stamina is a simple device but quite effective. You can virtually work all parts of your body. Although it is has Yoga and Pilates in its name it is quite versatile. As I said we use it in other toning and conditioning classes. At $20 it is a bargain. You can travel with it or just keep it under your bed or couch and bring it out when you are watching television and practice some of your core movements that you will learn with the video that comes with this.
Stamina warranties this product for 90 days.
If you can get to a Pilates class even once I would highly recommend it but if you are going to learn the Ring make sure they use it. Not all instructors do. I hope this has been helpful to you. If I can answer any questions leave a comment or e-mail me privately.
This is an entry in my write off Get Active in 2005. For more information and to see other entries click the link.
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Recommended:
Yes
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