Quite a few years ago a friend gave me her Gaiam Pilates Body Circles Kit because she couldn’t be bothered to use it (despite her worries she was developing bingo wings). The kit consisted of a VHS exercise tape and a couple of arm hoops, which are basically a mini version of the hula-hoop designed to be twirled around the wrist rather than the waist. The marketing schlock describes what I got for nothing this way: “The Gaiam Pilates Body Circles Kit will help you tone and streamline your arms and core to a flattering definition. Using the exclusive cushioned Body Circles, and following expert Pilates instructor Ana Caban during your workout, you can begin to tone and shape those hard to reach areas. The included instructional DVD (8 Minutes to Amazing Arms) is a complete guide to a targeted, body-shaping workout that sculpts and shapes, but does not build bulk.” Online one can find complaints that what is described as a DVD is actually a VHS tape, like the one I had. On a different note, doesn’t a ‘body-shaping workout’ by definition ‘sculpt’ and ‘shape’? That said, any competent copywriter would have avoided the clumsy and repetitious use of ‘shaping’ and ‘shapes’ by using a variant term such as ‘trims’ – while the claim this is a ‘body-shaping workout’ strikes me as bogus.
Clearly, Gaiam were pitching this product at women, and specifically those who don’t understand it is actually quite difficulty to bulk up (especially if you are female, although even for men acquiring well-defined and massively muscled arms requires effort and discipline, it won’t happen accidentally), and that pull-ups, dips, wide and narrow push-ups, planks, roll-outs with an abs wheel or whatever else is to hand, and a whole host of dumbbell, barbell, body-weight and Swiss ball exercises, are a much more efficient way to ‘tone and streamline your arms and core to a flattering definition’ or even ‘get ripped’; provided of course that attention is also paid to diet, since definition has more to do with body fat ratio than having Herculean muscles. And clearly, 8 minutes of pull-ups, chin-ups and dips a day are gonna create way more amazing arms that 8 minutes devoted to using Gaiam Pilates body circles.
I long ago misplaced the not very interesting VHS instructional programme that came with the hoops. However, there is a free video of Caban showing basic exercises on YouTube (http://youtu.be/J7PNN4FMx4g). While the shoulder stretches she kicks off with are a classic, you don’t need to hold an arm hoop to do them! In fact you’ll see these stretches being done in gyms throughout the world without anything being held in either hand! Moving on, I find it easy to twirl the hoops with both arms at once, so the one-arm exercises the video shows to start out with seem a little too basic to me. For those who don’t know about these things, Caban’s emphasis on tightening the core, controlling the movement and paying attention to hand/arm position (which can be varied) are all useful enough instructions (but not really something anyone who has been to a few yoga or Pilates classes would need).
By adding mild challenges like stepping backwards and forwards while using the hoops (to a beat), swapping the directions in which the rings are rotating (and rotating in the same and opposite directions on each arm simultaneously), and raising limbs above the head, or moving to the front and sides while twirling, there is plenty of amusement to be had from the body circles. Like a hula-hoop, the arm rings are fun to work with (and one can use them and a hula hoop at the same time for an extra challenge). While twirling the arm hoops is enjoyable enough, the benefits the marketeers claim users will get from them are vastly over-stated. Since the Gaiam product I was given doesn’t seem to be available any more, it probably wasn’t much of a success either. That said, many fitness products fail, and few are able to attain the pop cultural impact of the shake weight (which was ineffective as a piece of exercise equipment but great for making visual jokes about masturbation).
The Gaiam body circles and accompanying instructional video aren’t currently featured in the product section of Ana Caban’s website, but she is still selling pipe dreams, as the following makes clear: “Ana understands the modern-day challenges that people experience and has developed a line of innovative products, which help her audience achieve their goals, and go after their dreams. Her offerings include keynote speaking, training seminars, mastermind groups and coaching.” (From: http://anacaban.com/about/). This is the same old same old re-bottled motivational bullshit that one can find everywhere from the teachings of Phineas Quimby to the so-called ‘philosophy’ of kung fu movie star Bruce Lee. Nothing wrong with the arm hoops if you want to have a bit of fun, but they really aren’t worth buying when you could get a pull-up bar and an abs wheel for less than half the price (and these two things would be a lot more effective for exercising the arms, back, shoulders and core).
While the Ana Caban arm hoop package flopped other companies are selling what is essentially the same kit without the instructional/motivational video, with names such as aerobic arm ring hoops, Innovations weighted arm hula hoop exercise rings, Sports Hoop arm hoop and the Hoopomania arm hoop. The latter comes with marketing claims that include: “Are you ready for Hooping 3.0? Swing yourself fit with these innovative Hoopomania Arm Hoops!… Hoopomania Arm Hoops are able to make you feel better.” Of course drinking beer also makes a lot of people (temporarily) feel better than they might otherwise, but it doesn’t follow that necking booze improves their health.
The baloney used to promote the Hoopomania arm hoops even extends to: “sustainable strengthening of the shoulder and arm muscles… Arm Hooping effectively prevents back pain…” As I point out above there are far more effective ways to ‘sustainably’ strengthen the shoulder and arm muscles, and these would also more effectively deal with back pain (especially if combined with stretching). Likewise, the assertion that arm hooping effectively prevents back pain is clearly pseudo-science. While exercise and stretching can reduce back pain (and the risk of it), arm hooping falls a long way short of being the best choice of how to do this. However, nothing can prevent back pain if, for example, the spine is knocked out of alignment in an accident.
In short the fitness industry is always trying to sell new products, but for most people long established forms of exercise which require little or no equipment will be as effective (and in all likelihood much more effective) than anything they’ll see in an ‘infomercial’ full of over-blown health and well-being claims. Arm hoops have not to date proved a huge hit, but if you want to try them in the spirit of fun go ahead – just don’t expect much. And whatever you do, don’t replace more traditional exercises with this minor fad. I’m very happy I was given a pair of arm hoops because it grooves me to play with them every now and then, but I definitely wouldn’t spend money on another pair should the ones I’ve got be damaged or lost – because having used them I still don’t believe the hype. There’s nothing wrong with toys, just don’t expect them to solve all your health and fitness concerns!
Yoga Sport Strength 
2 thoughts on “Arm Hooping & the Anatomy of Exercise Pseudo-Science”