The Best Exercise Hoop

Buying Guide

You can bet that almost every retro fad will have at least one comeback, but few people expected the hula hoop to return in quite the way that it has. Sure, you’ve seen them spinning around on playgrounds and at music festivals. But these days, you’re just as likely to see those hooping hips shaking on social media or at the gym. It turns out that the simple act of keeping a circular band spinning can be just as healthy as it is fun — if you get the right hoop.

The term “exercise hoop” is a relatively new one, so you won’t find a strict definition for it. If you do it for long enough, you can break a sweat keeping even the cheapest plastic band spinning around your hips. What a true exercise hoop brings to the workout is weight, which will really get the blood pumping.

Weighted hoops serve a couple of different purposes when it comes to exercise. Keeping an extra pound or three rotating around your hips will help improve your balance while strengthening your legs and especially your core. It’s not a big muscle-builder, but as an aerobic toning exercise it’s a great way to change up your routine.

As a side benefit, a little extra weight actually can make hula hooping easier for beginners. As long as your hoop isn’t too heavy, the added ballast will create more centrifugal force and help stabilize the rotation.

So how much weight do you want? If you’re an experienced hooper, you can start with a pound or so. If you want a bit more challenge, you can go up to two pounds or more. Exercise hoops can weigh up to five pounds, but that much weight won’t benefit everybody. For those at moderate fitness levels, a little goes a long way.

Many exercise hoops have a modular system, letting you add sections or take them off as your balance improves. These can be a great investment, especially for beginners. Many of these hoops also can be disassembled, which makes them a lot easier to take back and forth to the gym. You can also adjust them to your waist size.

Some newer exercise hoops have a further innovation: a weighted gravity ball that swings around the outside of the hoop, usually on a tiny track. These can definitely add a little extra burn, but they may take some getting used to. Some of them are tailor-made for those who never could get the hang of regular hula-hooping. The hoop might fit snugly around the waist, so all you have to do is spin and keep the ball moving. If this sounds like your kind of exercise, make sure you consider your workout space. Such hoops take up a lot more room, and some are noisier than others.

Finally, make sure that your hoop has some padding. The more weight you spin, the more pressure you put on your waist. Use your hoop for too long and you might be looking at bruises — if you’re working with a plain metal hoop. Look for something with foam rubber reinforcements, at least on the interior, to make hooping more comfortable.

Never hula-hooped before? It truly is an exercise anyone can do as long as they can stand — especially with the advent of “smart” fitted hoops that incorporate a rotating ball. Many of these hoops are designed to make it easy for anyone to keep the exercise up; your hoop won’t easily fall down unless you want it to.

For more traditional hoops, make sure you start with just a little bit of weight. Throw the hoop around your waist to start the spin, then rotate your hips until you get the feel for what’s needed to keep the hoop up. Make sure to keep your shoulders down and chest out to minimize back pain. Above all, try to keep the hoop spinning parallel with the ground.