Gravity Fitness Wooden Gymnastic Rings are an excellent way to start or diversify your Home Gym equipment and start doing Calisthenics right away. We love using Gymnastic Rings in general because not only can they add a level of difficulty to your Calisthenics, they are wonderfully versatile. Of course, Gravity Fitness has amazed us in the past and we love using their products, so these Gravity Fitness Wooden Gymnastic Rings couldn’t be lacking in our repertoire of Calisthenics equipment reviews. We’ve already done a video reveal about these Gravity Fitness rings, including our first impressions and using them some. Now, it’s time for a full Gravity Fitness Gymnastic Rings review.
Why use Gymnastic Rings again?
There are a number of major advantages to using Gymnastic Rings. The rings are more mobile than most other types of Calisthenics equipment and we don’t mean that in just being able to bring them with you. The fact that they are suspended and that you can alter their height means you can use them for a wide variety of Calisthenics exercise; from Pull-Ups up high all the way down to Push-Ups down low. Almost every Calisthenics exercise involving your arms can be done with Gymnastic Rings. At the same time, Gymnastic Rings are less stable than most other platforms, giving you another dimension to your exercise. Your body needs a stronger, more stable core to do the same number of reps and sets of practically any exercise while using Gymnastic Rings.
Our Expectations
Our love-affair with Gravity Fitness products has already seen us spend a considerable amount of money on their excellent range of equipment (don’t tell our better halves). In the past, we’ve reviewed their Weighted Vests as well as the Gravity Fitness Parallettes Pro line. We have very little bad to say, if anything at all about Gravity Fitness products and our first unboxing of these Gravity Fitness Wooden Gymnastic Rings also had us excited. At the same time, there is the ever so stiff opposition from quality brands like GORNATION and Pullup & Dip who also ranked at the top on our list of 10 Best Gymnastic Rings. We’ll be using the Gravity Fitness Gymnastic Rings to do the following exercises, gauging their strength, durability and comfort.
- Pull-Ups
- L-Sit Pull-Ups
- Chin-Ups
- Skin the Cat
- Muscle-Ups
- Dips
- Push-Ups
- Decline Push-Ups
- Australian Pull-Ups
- Planche lean
Gravity Fitness Gymnastic Rings Examined
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- Size: 1.1-inch (2.8cm) or 1¼-inch (3.2cm)
- Material: Birch Wood
- Maximum load: 880lbs / 400kg
- Price: $47.88 / €40.84
So, what do you get for your 50 bucks? A stiff cardboard box through your mail (mail is pretty quick, even worldwide). In the box you’ll find two wooden Gravity Fitness Gymnastic Rings and two 4.5-meter straps with steel buckles. For the rings you can choose between 1.1-inch or 1 ¼-inch girth. We got the Olympic standard 1.1-inch version. Everything is packed in bubble wrap for a safe journey. Gravity Fitness upholds a “no quibble returns policy”. Quibble here means they won’t follow the exact letter of the agreement or use fine print against you. If you’re not 100% satisfied, they’ll take it back and give you your money back.
Working the Straps
Threading the straps through the buckle is quite easy. You do have to mind which way around you put them in and that you thread them through the right end. You depress the lever on the buckle, which releases tension on the strap. It’s important that you thread the strap in from the opposite side of the lever. That way, once weight is put on the rings, it will pull against the way the buckle rotates and ensures a tight hold. We prefer this buckle style over other styles since it makes it quick to assemble and adjust.
The straps are made of a heavy-duty nylon and good for a load of up to 880 pounds (400kg), buckle included. They have a very nice fit and finish with a light shine to them. We found no fraying edges or micro cuts. Each strap is 4.5 meters which is 14 feet and 9 inches. Since they are looped around the ring and whatever bar you’re using to suspend them from, you’re left with a little less than half that in effective suspension length. We left around foot of strap at maximum, so you’re looking at a good 7 foot of height.
The Rings: Fit and Feel
The Gravity Fitness Gymnastic Rings themselves are made of birch wood. They feel nice and solid in the hand, with a satin sanded finish. The company logo is nicely branded into the rings without compromising on comfort. The rings handle sweaty hands very well, maintaining enough of a comfortable traction to complete each exercise. When things got really sweaty, a small amount of Liquid Chalk fixed all our life problems (concerning our Gravity Fitness Gymnastic Rings that is).
Wooden rings are far superior to plastic rings and we can’t stress that often enough. These Gravity Fitness Wooden Gymnastic Rings reminded us of that again. The level of comfort you get with these rings simply can’t be matched by either plastic or steel rings. They’re well worth spending a little extra money on.
We are used to the 28-millimeter version since that’s what we’ve always used. None of us have overly big hands but we believe the Olympic standard is the right fit for most Calisthenics practitioners.
Doing Workouts
Doing workouts worked like a charm. As usual, we used our Gravity Fitness Portable Pull-Up Rack, since the rings pair nicely with other Gravity Fitness products. You can use any other rack, bar or even a branch to your liking, as long as it can hold your weight and doesn’t cut into the straps. For the higher-up work, we started with plain old Pull-Ups and L-Sit Pull-Ups. The rings really felt nice in the hands here and the straps held up nicely too. Keeping the straps with the broad side facing away from you, keeps the sway to a minimum back and forth.
Lengthening the straps so we could do dips was a matter of 10 seconds. Eyeball it first, then test to see (by hanging on them) if they’re really level and readjust as needed. The buckle with the spring-tension lever really made it a quick job. We were doing Dips and then Push-Ups low to the ground all in one session without losing too much time adjusting the length of the straps.
Gravity Fitness Assisted Calisthenics Gymnastic Rings System
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Another great product off the assembly line of our UK friends is the Gravity Fitness Assisted Calisthenics Gymnastics Rings System. That’s a mouthful for a rings and pulleys system. It works by the same principles as the Monkey Ring Thing which we already reviewed. Using this fully decked out kit, you can add counterweights to your bodyweight to make Gymnastic Rings exercises easier to do. By taking part of your bodyweight away, you can focus on proper technique and reduce the counterweight in small steps. This is a great way for beginners who haven’t yet built up the strength or people who can’t pull their own weight, to get started with the rings immediately.
Conclusions & Final Thoughts
Once again Gravity Fitness sells us a product that is both high-quality and very affordable. They show us that Calisthenics doesn’t have to be expensive. You can get good gear for an affordable price, just the way we like it. The good craftsmanship of the wooden Gravity Fitness Gymnastic Rings, combined with the flawless straps will ensure many years of Calisthenics enjoyment, doing many exercises. We use our Gravity Fitness Gymnastic Rings on many occasions and we can fully recommend them to our dear readers.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Gravity Fitness Gymnastic Rings
Here are a couple of frequently asked questions about Gravity Fitness Gymnastic Rings.
Wooden Gymnastic Rings, like the Gravity Fitness Gymnastic Rings are the superior choice over plastic and even steel rings. Wood feels more natural and handles sweat better. Both plastic and steel rings will build up sweat quickly and become very slippery. Even a powder-coated steel ring isn't the same as a high-quality satin finish wooden ring. The Olympic standard also requires wooden rings to be used. If it's good enough for the Olympic committee, it's good enough for Calisthenics.
You can hang your Gymnastic Rings from any horizontal bar or branch as long as it is sturdy enough to hold your weight. A popular option is to install steel hooks or anchors into the roof joists, or to mount them onto a Pull-Up Rack or Pull-Up Bar.
