Ring Training Aids Comparison

Before I first tried to hold a simple support position on the rings last October, I didn't fully appreciate the immense level of strength that Olympic gymnasts possess through training with this relatively simple apparatus. Of all the training tools that i have used, they are the most efficient tool for strengthening athletes of all levels using only bodyweight resistance. The question is; How do the rings give such potent strength (and often muscle) gains without using greater than bodyweight resistance? The answer is quite simply leverage. Many of the positions on the rings are what we call "disadvantaged leverage" positions. In the same way that lifting a weight attached to your elbow is a lot easier than lifting the same weight attached to your wrist despite no change in mass, holding many static ring positions require an enormous degree of strength due to their tendency to place much of the mass away from the pivot. It is with this principle in mind that the following two tools were designed. They allow the force generated by bodyweight and leverage to be adjusted. This opens up the option for gradual progression of such feats as the Iron Cross by reducing the leverage variable. There are two models that I have tried over the past five months, Ring Training.coms Elite Strength Trainer and the Gymnova Educano.


The Price

Gymnova Educano $309.75 (£211.50)*
Elite Strength Trainer $110.95 (£75.75)

*Gymnova is a British company, therefore sold in sterling

There is clearly an enormous price difference between these two pieces of kit. While this is in part due to the exchange rate bumping up the price of the Educano once it's converted into dollars, it has to be said that £211.50 is a huge sum to be charging for a ring training aid.

Comfort

I would say that this could be down to just a matter of preference if it weren't for the fact that the majority of people I've tested this with hadn't voted in favor of the Educano when the question of comfort was raised. It's up to the user to decide whether this is an important point but the Elite Strength Trainer does feel somewhat harsh to use - particularly in the wrist. It is not painful however.


The Design
Educano

The Strap

The Educano fits snugly onto the arm and reaches just up to my elbow. You grip one end while the other is attached by a Velcro strap on the upper forearm. I have used the Educano slightly longer out of the two and have found that in six months of use, the strap has failed only once -the Velcro simply opened up- and it was possible that this was due to it having been poorly attached in the first place by my spotter. I have seen it undo only a handful of times with other people and only ever on people with large forearms. The reliability of the strap is due to two things. Firstly; the end attached to the Educano is stitched in, turning this potential point of failure into a point of strength. Secondly; the Velcro strip on the strap is very long, allowing for maximum surface area contact and a stronger link.

Progressions

The Educano allows for five incremental progressions. These five levels are each five centimetres apart and stop 10cm away from the hand. One thing I found was that five centimetre jumps towards the hand made for very big leaps in difficulty between levels. Especially now I've progressed to level 4, the jump from level 4 to level 5 is enormous. This is the Educanos first main weakness.

It's second soon follows. Upon reaching level 5, you realise that the jump from level 5 to the ring itself (see diagram above) is 10cm -the equivalent of two levels!-. Combine this with the fact that each level increase is greater the closer to the hand the ropes are attached, it becomes very difficult to progress to the Iron cross from level 5 using solely this device.

Flexibilty

A strength of the educano is its flexibilty of use. The above weakness in which the hardest setting only reaches the wrist is also a strength. The design allows a wide gap at wrist level (see photo at top) which allows the wrist to flex. While wrist flexion should be avoided during the Iron cross progressions, it is completely nessecary in performing Butterfly pulls (see previous post). Without this gap allowing the wrist to flex, the wrist would be forced into the metal housing making the butterfly Pull far too painful.

I have attempted to use the device to progress towards Front levers and even Planches on rings but found it to be inappropriate for these purposes.


Elite Strength Trainer

The Strap (Rant warning - Please don't judge the EST on the strap alone)

I'm going to go right ahead and say it; the strap for the Elite Strength Trainer needs further development. I believe the limitations of the strap add an unnecessary element of frustration to an otherwise great piece of kit. The problem is quite simple; while the Educano's strap is attached with velcro at only one end -allowing only one point of weakness-, the strap of the Elite Strength Trainer is held with velcro at both ends (Thus two points of weakness!!). Unfortunately, it doesn't end there. The band of velcro that secures the strap to the device (but not the one that binds your arm to the device) is only 3cm wide! This is insufficient to afford any confidence to an 80kg man working the cross, I can attest as it failed on me three times in a row on the first use. This is not the end of the world however: I borrowed a friends sewing machine and did some serious stitching along that 3cm piece of velcro, binding that side of the strap in place and thus removing the biggest problem altogether. It worked so well that I was surprised to find the EST had more strength on the other side of the strap than the Educano due to a very adhesive velcro.

Progressions

Now this is why I urged you to read on past the strap rant at the begginning. The Elite Strength Trainer has a total of eleven levels! Each level is only three centimetres apart as opposed to the Educano's five levels with a five centimetre gap between each. This makes gradual progressions much easier to handle as they are broken down into small incremental levels. Additionally; the Elite Strength Trainer lacks another of the Educano's weaknesses. The progression holes reach right up to the hand and don't just end frustratingly at the wrist. This means that you can gradually train your cross strength with the device right up until you're lifting the equivalent of full bodyweight if you like.

Flexibilty

As the Elite Strength Trainer lacks the Educano's above weakness, it also lacks its strength in the flexibility of use. Without the gap at the wrist (bearing in mind that it's the same gap that prevents progressions right up to wrist level in the Educano), training Butterflies on the EST are just far too painful. The wrist is forced against the metal housing which hurts.. a lot. I believe that having the progressions up to the hand level and being able to do butterflies comfortably are mutually exclusive and it is therefore a positive point for each device that each one takes care of one so that you can decide which it is that you require. The EST has a great little feature in that the handle can be moved between one of the positions to cater for people with different length arms. It's not a problem I've really noticed with the Educano but it's certainly a feature that makes the EST more comfortable than it would be without.

Overall

Educano

Strap: 4/5
Comfort: 5/5
Flexibility: 4/5
Progressions: 3/5
Price: 1/5

Total: 68%

If you weigh more than 95Kg or wish to train Butterfly Pulls to supplement your cross pulls then this is definately worth thinking about. The price is my biggest issue with this one as it'll have you reaching deep into your pockets - especially if you're not in the Uk.


Elite Strength Trainer

Strap: 2/5
Comfort: 4/5
Flexibility: 3/5
Progressions: 5/5
Price: 5/5

Total: 76%

If you wish to use the device right up to the cross and don't mind stitching up one side of the strap, the EST offers far more gradual progressions and a well thought out design.


Note: I have done my best to be as unbiased as possible while reviewing these two items and have relied heavily on the opinions of many others and their feedback on many points.

Iron Cross Training Session 01/07/2009

I had my best overall session last night training static holds for the Iron Cross! Here is a video of my best level 4 hold that night. Level 3 has also now become very easy and i can hold it without pulling the sex face.

From here, I aim to build up the amount of time holding level 4 so that my body is completely prepared for the inevitable strain of moving up to level 5. Thirty second holds seems like a suitable target as it would ensure that I'm completely adapted to the current load before increasing it further.

The overall session went as follows:

Level 1: 15 seconds
Level 2: 20/26 seconds
Level 3: 15 seconds
Level 4: 7/6/4 seconds

The Iron Cross

Progress report: 6 Months

I have been training for the Iron Cross for six months now once or sometimes twice a week. Despite only averaging once a week, my progress has been satisfyingly steady.

Every Wednesday (and more recently also Fridays) I head down to the East London Gymnastics centre in Beckton with a friend and we train to build the requisite strength to perform the Iron Cross on the rings unassisted.

We began using a device called the Gymnova Educano which allows the ropes (normally attached to the rings in the hands) to be attached further up the forearm. In being closer to the shoulder, the leverage of any downward force exerted by the gymnast is increased making the Cross much easier. There are five levels on the Educano which can get you close -but not close enough- to performing the cross. Realising that the jump between hardest level on the Educano and the unassisted cross was too high, I invested in another similar tool; the Elite Strength Trainer from ringtraining.com. I will be reviewing both these devices soon as I believe that each has its individual merits and weaknesses.

All that needs to be understood to read my training progress is that the Educano's five levels will be referred to as level 1 (the easiest and closest point to the elbow) through to level 5 (the hardest and closest point to the hand).

I began on level 1 in January and have made steady progress through to level 4. Here is an overview of my progress:

January 2009
I began by training Cross pulls on the 20th of January. This is where you begin holding the Educano by your hips with arms locked straight (the support position) and you gradually lower yourself -keeping arms locked straight at all times- into the cross position (Position A in the diagram). From here, you simply reverse the motion by pushing downwards with your arms until you're back in the support position. This is one repetition.

By the end of January, I could do five sets of three reps on level 1.

27/01/2009
Cross pulls
Level 1: 3/3/3/3/3 reps


February 2009
I continued training the cross pulls throughout February and by the 19th (one month into training), I could pull out a few on level two. Here's my training record for that day:

19/02/2009
Cross pulls
Level 1: 7 reps
Level 2: 2/2/2/2 reps


March 2009
I transitioned from cross pulls to butterflies during March. The difference is that you lower down past the cross position into a straight armed hang (Position B in the diagram). From here you reverse the motion, ensuring the arms are kept straight at all times and finishing where you began in the support position. Below is one of my training sessions from mid March:

18/03/2009
Butterflies
Level 1 - 5 reps
Level 2 - 3/3/3/3 reps

April 2009
Continued training Butterflies until the end of April by which point my best session was:

29/04/2009
Butterflies
Level 1 - 8 reps
Level 2 - 4/4/4/4 reps

We also introduced maltese pulls to the session which is a cross pull with your legs raised on a table so that they're level with the rings. I have not detailed this to avoid cluttering the post.

May 2009
We transitioned from dynamic training to a cycle of specifically static training with the intention of focusing on this for eight weeks. My second session was as follows:

15/05/2009
Level 1 - 10sec warm up hold in Iron Cross
Level 2 - 10sec warm up hold in Iron Cross
Level 3 - 13sec hold in Iron Cross
Level 4 - 2/3/3 sec hold in Iron Cross (First time at level 4!!)

June 2009
This week (the last week of June) saw my best session yet! As you can see, there has been a huge increase in strength and endurance since mid May:

Level 1: 15 seconds
Level 3: 15 seconds
Level 4: 6/5/9 seconds

It's also worth noting that my longest holds on each level so far are as follows:

Level 1: 25 seconds
Level 2: 20 seconds
Level 3: 17 seconds
Level 4: 9 seconds

Throughout the last six months I have also been spending one night per week where possible, practising the basic support position while I practise my handstands and handstand push ups. I believe this to be very important as most people appear to bend their arms as they tire and training the support will help prevent this.

Upon reaching level 5 I intend to start practising unaided cross negatives on the rings. I believe this will be essential for strengthening the elbows for the cross as they are somewhat supported by the Enduro.

The Challenge

Welcome to my blog. This blog began as a facebook group but, inspired by another blogger, I decided that updates would be easier on here.

This is the challenge I have set myself and anybody who wishes to join: I picked ten of the most difficult basic core, upper body, balance and flexibility techniques to work over the coming years. If anyone would like to join me in working any of them, or can already do one or more, i'd be interested to hear about it.

1- Handstand Push up (Free standing)
2- One armed chin up (Underhand grip)
3- One armed pull up (Overhand grip)
4- Box Splits
5- Front splits
6- Front Lever
7- Planche
8- The Flag
9- Dragon Flag
10- Iron Cross

The Rules
1- The Handstand push up must be performed without support, and you must complete three reps to claim it (Touching head to floor on each).

2-The one arm chin and pull ups must be the full range of motion from a straight arm and without momentum or aid.

3-They must be completed with both hands (obviously not at the same time) before you can lay claim to it.

4- Box splits and scissor splits must be performed with backside and legs flush against the ground

5- The planche must be straight armed, elbow levers do not count. It must be held for ten seconds to pass.

6- The Front lever must be straight armed, reverse levers, whilst still impressive, do not count. It must be held for ten seconds to pass.

7- The Flag must be performed ninety degrees to the floor and on a vertical apparatus. Must be held for ten seconds.

8- Dragon flags must be performed in a set of three to count with legs stopping six inches off the bench.

9- The iron cross must be held for five seconds. Arms must be straight with the head up. Must be performed on rings.

I will keep the blog up to date with my progress on each of the skills I'm working on. I've been working on several for some time.

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Good luck to all!!