Using a 3-pound Heavy Hoop ($49) follow this 30- to 40-minute workout from Heavy Hoop creator Wendy Iverson. You can use a regular hoop, too, but you may not see the same results, notes Iverson.
Routine:
1. March in place for 3 minutes to warm up.
2. Spin the hoop around your hips for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly to left. Stand the hoop on the floor next to your left foot, and hold the top of the hoop with your left hand. Lift your right leg to the side (to hip height or as high as you can); at the same time, roll the hoop away from your body, and extend your right arm overhead. Do two sets of 12 repetitions on each side.
4. Spin the hoop around your hips for 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes forward and hands holding the hoop in steering-wheel position. Lift your right leg to the side twice while turning the hoop to the right. Next, lift your left leg to the side twice while turning the hoop to the left. (That’s one rep.) Do two sets of 12 repetitions.
6. Spin the hoop around your hips for 3 to 5 minutes.
7. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes forward. Hold the hoop in your hands in steering-wheel position. Turn your body left slightly, and extend your right arm across your body to touch the left side of the hoop. As you do this, come up on the toe of your right foot. Repeat on the opposite side. (That’s one rep.) Do two sets of 12 repetitions.
8. Spin the hoop around your hips for 3 to 5 minutes.
9. Lie face up on floor, legs raised at a 90-degree angle. Hold the hoop in your left hand, and place your feet lightly on the lower part of the hoop. Place your right hand behind your head. Lifting your shoulder blades off the floor slightly (your lower back shouldn’t move), lower your legs until they’re a few inches off the floor. Return slowly to starting position. Do two sets of 12 repetitions, switching sides for the second set.
10. March in place for 3 minutes to cool down. (Don’t forget to stretch.)
By Karen Asp
Comments (9)
want to order hoop phone please
Can you hoop when your pregnate?
Hi
Yes you can hoop when you’re pregnant – depends on your personal condition of course. Check out hooping.org for previous articles about this.
I love my weighted Hula Hoop! I use the routine on the Health.com website. I need some variety. Anyone know of any other routines available?
I used to be able to hula hoop for a long time–now with ms I cannot do it at all. Is that lack of coordination part of the problem. I’d love to use it to exercise
glortoth@yahoo.com
Try going the other way. MOst people are stuck their first few times going either clock-wise or counter, like I was. Then I just reversed the direction and voila – now I’m fabulous! You can be too. Hooping.org has loads of tips and Hoopnotica’s DVDs are the best for beginners.
Hi, I’m 23 years old and I have started the 4lb hoops. My friend told me to stop doing it because it might affect my getting pregnant in the future. Is this true? I tried searching online but could not find anything related to what she said.
Dear Jennifer, your friend is informed in one aspect – hooping will give you the moves to have wonderful love to get pregnant. Hooping will not make you infertile, infact exercise increases fertility as long as you maintain a healthy fat: muscle ratio and take your Folic Acid (available in all green veggies – raw is better.)
I began selling 3 lb. weighted hoops in May, 2007. We soon discovered a large percentage of women were bruising, and I mean some were extreme. Alot of people stopped hooping because of the soreness. It was then that we came up with the PADDED Hoop. Wow, what a difference! It is the most comfortable hoop on the market. We are now in 31 states and Canada. We also have the padded Arm Hoops. Check us out online at http://www.amazinghoops.com.
~Margie Sweet
Amazing Hoops~