Movement Tip: The Ring Row

We are back to gymnastics for our next series of Movement Tips and over the next few weeks we will be looking at pull-ups and variations on the pull-up. The Ring Row, demonstrated here by CrossFit Seminar Staff member James Hobart, is a fantastic movement to help counter the daily hunching over your computer, phone or desk. It helps to strengthen the muscles between the shoulder blades and shift the shoulders back into a healthier position. It’s also often used as a first step to building strength for a pull-up – to make the most of the strength building qualities of the movement, keep your core active (i.e. don’t let the lower ribs start to lift or flare out) and ensure that the shoulder blades are pulled back and down in order to activate the lats – try and maintain those activations throughout the ring row. Walking your feet forward (and your body into a more horizontal position) will make the movement more challenging, but make sure you keep to a level that keeps your core and back muscles engaged.

Points Of Performance

• Rings set approximately shoulder-width apart
• Full grip on the rings
• Start with arms and legs extended
• Pull elbows back until rings touch sides of chest
• Arms move close to the body
• Body remains rigid
• Complete at full arm extension
• Scale by moving body into a less horizontal position