The history of the Hula Hoop

The history of the Hula Hoop can be traced back to ancient times. Heavy wooden hoops were pushed in front of them with the aim of strengthening health. Already Hippocrates, who dealt with many medical topics, wrote about the positive health aspects of hooping.

The hula hoop, as it is still known today, was developed in 1958 in California, USA. The name is derived from 2 terms: The hula is a Hawaiian dance, which the typical hip circling in the hula hoop is reminiscent of, and the word hoop, which is the English word for hoop. The US inventors, Richard Knerr and Arthur Melin, came up with the idea after an Australian friend reported how children in his homeland gyrate bamboo hoops around their hips in sports lessons and in their free time.

The initial hype about the hula hoop faded away quite quickly. In recent years, however, the trendy training tool has regained popularity and is currently even celebrated as a trend sport. It is no longer just a toy for children, but is used as an effective training tool with numerous benefits. Before the Corona crisis, many gyms offered a variety of courses and the exercise equipment also gained popularity for training at home. So what is behind it and does it really make sense to train with the fitness tyre?

Why is hula hoop training useful and what are the benefits?

Hula hoop is not only a fun pastime, but can also be used as a training tool to get in shape. Even after a short training session of about 20 to 30 minutes, positive training effects can be achieved. Hula-hooping is also a great way to work up a sweat. As the ACE (American Council on Exercises) has already confirmed, training with the fitness ring burns up to 7 calories per minute on average. That's more than 200 calories in a 30-minute workout. The intensity can be increased even further through a variety of variations.

During a hula hoop workout, the cardiovascular system is stimulated and the body releases a large amount of endorphins, which are also known as happiness hormones. Besides the positive effect on the cardiovascular system, there is also an increased blood flow to the skin and an improvement in body control and coordination. The increased blood flow also loosens the fasciae in the body, which in turn leads to the dissolution of adhesions of individual skin layers and thus of tension.

Hula hoop training also has a strengthening effect on the important muscles in the centre of the body (core - back, waist, buttocks and abdomen). The whole body tension improves, as it has to be maintained continuously during the training in order to keep the hoop spinning. The muscles in the legs also benefit from such a workout. It is crucial to have a firm stance in order to perform the exercises correctly. The intensity of the workout can be easily controlled by bending the legs to different degrees.

One of the many advantages of trendy hooping is that, compared to jogging, for example, it does not put any strain on the joints. For this reason, hula hooping can be practised by all age groups - so no one is too young or too old for it. The intuitive and rhythmic movements make the often already somewhat stiff body more flexible again. This is especially true for the deeper muscles that stabilise the small joints of the spine. Besides the physical effects, hula hoop training is also extremely fun.

A clear advantage is that this sporting activity can be easily integrated into everyday life. This is especially important in today's world, where people spend more and more time at work and hardly have time to be active. Thus, the hula hoop can be grabbed at home without any problems and one can talk on the phone or watch TV on the side, as even a 20-30 minute programme has notable training effects.

A brief introduction to Hula Hoop training

It is quite normal to feel fatigue after 10-15 minutes of exercise in the beginning. The aim should be to systematically increase the duration of the session and to get used to the unusual sequence of movements. At the beginning it makes sense to let the hoop circle around your own body in quite small circles. Once the basic movement sequence has been internalised, you can move on to larger circular movements. There are hardly any limits to the variety of exercises. You can move freely in space while holding the Hula hoop up. By changing direction, the motor centre in the brain is also re-exercised, which leads to a strong increase in the learning performance curve. In many advanced courses, elements from other sports such as acrobatics and dance are then incorporated into the hula hoop training to make hooping (the name of the hula hoop movement) even more challenging. It is also possible for the arms to perform other movements to increase the intensity and difficulty of the training. For example, weights can be placed in the hands or smaller hoops can be circled around the arms. The basic movement in hula hoop training can be divided into 3 areas:

1. Place the feet on the floor at a hip-width distance from each other. One foot can also be placed a little further forward - step position.
2. Then place the hoop with the hands on the lower back and hold it up with the hips with even back and forth movements.
3. While the hula hoop is swinging around the centre of the body, it is important to keep the arms bent upwards so as not to block the circular movement. This advice is absolutely essential from experience.

 Conclusion:

The hula hoop is convincing all along the line. It is a practical and varied training tool. It is not very expensive to buy and the durability of a hoop is usually extremely long due to the stable construction of the training device. The hoop is handy because it can be disassembled into individual parts, which also saves space and makes it easy to transport. However, the most convincing feature of the hula hoop is its versatility. It not only trains endurance and helps to burn calories, but also improves muscles, coordination and blood circulation. The best thing is that it provides a lot of fun during the workout. 

In our shop you will find the Hula Hoop fitness hoop and matching training exercises.