THE INNER CIRCLE

Gymnastic rings can help yqu bald an Olympian torso, a powerful core§and& flexible, injury-proof body. Here's how to unlock heavyweight results with this lightweight training tool.

IF YOU'RE A CERTAIN AGE, you'll remember Top Trumps cards. Before apps like Roblox and the metaverse, kids used to battle and trade old-school, paper-based Top Trumps cards in everything from cars and sportspeople to dinosaurs and skyscrapers. These cards have all kinds of stats and figures, and the cards with the best stats win. Examples of these stats: the fastest top speed, the highest scores, the most dangerous predators, the tallest buildings, and so on.

So, what does this have to do with gymnastic rings? Well, if there were a Top Trumps for training methods and fitness ability, gymnastics would be one of the greatest cards, with rings being its crucial training tool.

Here's why: gymnasts have the best strength-to-weight ratios, but they're also supremely fast, explosive, and flexible. You just need to look at Olympic gymnasts to understand. It's aesthetics and athletics in one sinewy, muscle-bound package.

These nimble ninjas don't lift in single lines while standing or sitting still (I'm looking at you, weightlifters and strongmen). They bend the laws of gravity to create incredible physical feats of skill, coordination and explosive power-all while in fast-flowing motion.

But don't just take our word for it; thousands of top athletes, actors, and elite soldiers swear by gymnastic training and its close cousins in calisthenics and bodyweight training.

Thanks to the growth of these machine-free movements and training methods such as CrossFit, the popularity of gymnastics training is exploding. It helps anyone safely master their bodyweight to add lean muscle, develop full-body and core strength, and ramp up balance, coordination and flexibility. Done correctly, it will also torch body fat, build more robust joints and injury-proof your body.

Strong, role models like Jason Statham and Zac Efron rely on bodyweight training and calisthenics to craft functional, powerful physiques.