Should You Try Weighted Hula-Hooping?

If you were a bona fide hula-hooper back in the day, this probably just got you very excited. Like anything and everything else, we have TikTok to ~~blame~~ thank for this newfound waist-trimming sensation -- all the kiddos are doing it. It’s quite as literal as it sounds: As a way of getting in some extra cardio, burn calories and strengthen your core muscles, you hula-hoop! Except instead of the flimsy, plastic rounds from your childhood, these hoops are packed with a couple of pounds of weight. Just like ‘90s fashion trends, ‘90s playground trends are, apparently, also returning.

I was super intrigued when I first came across a weighted hula hoop -- not for nothing, it sounds fun. But the fanfare around the exercise comes from the expectation that it’ll slim your waist, and haven’t we learned to be wary of quick-fix exercise? So, I investigated.

Try: Xhtang Weighted Hula Hoop

Pros:

Firstly, if you’re someone just starting out with fitness or are nursing an injury that prevents you from jumping all around your living room or local gym for cardio, this is definitely a plus! Adding any resistance to your routine is going to elevate your heart rate, and that’s really what we want to see from a cardio workout (friendly reminder that “cardio” is short for “cardiovascular” -- the point, above all else, is to get your heart pumping!). The low-impact nature of hula-hooping means that you’ll spike your pulse to a decent level with very little effort.

That resistance, yes, should contribute to some kind of calorie-burning. You’ll also likely get a little back pump, as well, which totally never hurts, and eventually, you probably will see some inches off your waist -- it’s just going to take some dedication. The real pro of hula-hooping is deep activation of your core muscles, regardless of six-packs; you’re throwing weight around your midsection, which is going to cause all the muscles in there to fire up to keep that hoop around your hips.

Cons:

Unfortunately, if you’re someone who gets bored on the elliptical, I don’t see weighted hula-hooping in your future. Sure, you could probably watch some Netflix while you’re twirling away, but it’s going to be tough to stick to a workout that requires standing in one place.

The larger negative to the weighted hula-hoop, I believe, is empty promises. Ask any personal trainer or nutritionist on the block: You can’t really spot-treat body fat. So, isolating your waist, core and obliques with a massive hoop isn’t necessarily going to give you J.Lo abs. That being said, I could definitely see weighted hula-hooping as a great add-on to your workout routine to build up core muscles -- even if the exterior aesthetic isn’t immediate.

Which I can’t say it will be. The average female weighted hula-hooper will probably burn around 165 calories in 30 minutes, which might seem like a lot of effort for little gain if you’re used to, say, HIIT workouts.

TL;DR

If you’re interested in what weighted hula-hooping can do for your body, get out there and start hoopin’! I’d probably suggest tacking it onto the beginning or end of a strength-training or pilates workout, rather than depending solely on the hula-hoop as your workout, but the fact of the matter is, any form of exercise that’s going to get you up off the couch is totally viable.