Which Hula Hoop Moves & Tricks Should You Choose? (And More Importantly, Why?)

First of all, a huge well done for being here and keeping an open mind!

Most people refuse to try anything beyond basic waist hooping. Even more than that, a vast majority of people haven't reached the point where they start exercising at all. By not only starting your fitness journey but also being keen to learn the "why" behind different hoop moves, you are already ahead of the curve.

If you’ve ever seen my choreography in YouTube Shorts or TikTok's, Instagram Reels, you might wonder: How do I choose my moves?

When someone watches those clips, they might think I only pick tricks to look good, dance, or impress people. But the real reason might surprise you. Every single move I do is there for a precise reason. Not a single trick is random. It is all training by design.

The 4 (main) Pillars of My Hoop Workouts

When I design a workout or a flow, I select tricks based on a specific framework:

1. Preventing age-related decline

2. Maximizing fat loss & building muscle

3. Avoiding overuse and irritation

4. Correcting movement deficiencies & introducing countermovements

Here is exactly how that breaks down:

1. Reversing Age-Related Decline (The "Fun" Physiotherapy)

As we age, bodies naturally change. It’s incredibly common for people to develop bulging discs, incontinence, pelvic prolapse, bursitis, or plantar fasciitis, scoliosis... The good news? These issues are far less likely to happen if we stay active.

In the textbook Therapeutic Exercise: Foundations and Techniques by Carolyn Kisner and Lynn Allen Colby, you’ll find countless exercises designed to treat these exact age-related conditions. Let’s be honest, though—traditional physiotherapy exercises can be boring! And once the problem shows up: it is hard to stay active... but we could prevent them before they even show up:

My approach: I created the hula hoop version of these essential physical therapy exercises. Hooping makes them fun, meaning you are much more likely to actually do them. Bonus: I made them workouty 🔥 basically you torch calories, sculpt your physique but also get your physio moves done in the same session.

2. Boosting Fat Loss & Metabolic Rate

To achieve lasting fat loss, we need to increase your metabolic rate, which comes down to one simple thing: increasing lean muscle mass.

More muscle on your body helps you torch calories even while you sleep! Furthermore, increased muscle mass helps your body buffer sugar more efficiently, helping to prevent Type 2 diabetes.

To achieve this, I incorporate elements of resistance and apply hypertrophy training protocols to my hoop tricks. This stimulates your body to lay down more muscle and more bone. When your muscles pull on your bones, it increases your bone density, fighting off age-related bone loss (osteopenia).

3. Avoiding Overuse & Chronic Inflammation

As we reach 35 and older, our stem cells are compromised, cell life cycles change, and systemic inflammation can accumulate (e.g. visceral fat acts as a metabolically active endocrine organ, releasing inflammatory chemicals (cytokines) like interleukin-6 (IL-6) into the body, which drives low-grade, systemic inflammation). This means we get injured much quicker and easier if we do the same repetitive movements without enough recovery.

Things we could easily get away with in our 20s don't fly anymore. My workouts vary the movements safely so you don't overirritate your joints and tissues. Some people do! Often people are reluctant to try different moves... we cannot help them - obsessions are normal, too - that problem is in the head 🤣 I want to help people but if they do not want to be helped: we just have to let them choose their own obsessions & learn their own lessons.

we are kinder to the body if we remain open-minded and less obsessed

4. Correcting Deficiencies with Countermovements

If you don't use it, you lose it.

• If we don't lift weights, we lose muscle mass (sarcopenia).

• If we don't load our bones, they break down (osteopenia).

• If we neglect mobility work, our joints stiffen up.

Because so many vital movements are missing from modern daily life, I actively pack them into my hula hoop routines.

We also heavily overdo certain positions. For example, staring at screens causes "tech neck" due to constant forward head flexion.

To fix an overdose of one movement, we must introduce its opposite. This is why I include plenty of active stretching, body extension, and resistance to help undo daily postural damage.

Training by Design: The System

You can't just throw these moves together randomly. Some hoop tricks are mega-intense and require a highly conditioned body.

To keep you safe, I organize my moves into a structured sequence based on the progressive overload system.

[Easier, Low-Stress Moves] ➔ [Conditioned Body] ➔ [Higher Intensity, Challenging Tricks]

We start with gentler moves to condition the joints and tissues, gradually building up to higher-intensity tricks. This is the exact framework I use for my own workouts and courses—nothing is ever random.

Finally, I always use a timer to ensure perfect equilibrium. If we do a movement on the right side of the body, we must do it on the left side for the exact same amount of time.

If we do something in the front: it is kind to do things in the back as well...

When you care how you move: you are bulletproofing your body for the future!

You are an artist = forever carving, sculpting your body & your body is always responding to everything you do ❤️

so best to do no harm & be kind 🫶

Try the FREE 5-day beginners Hula Hoop Challenge to help you start the style of hooping that is kind to your body & gets you superfit 🎁