Lord of the Rings

Turn a tree into a powerful home gym for $40.

For many months, I’ve been encouraging you to get into the gym, even enrolling myself in a bodybuilding contest (in which I placed third).

Predictably, I’ve heard numerous excuses. “I don’t have time, I don’t have money, I’m in poor shape,” etc. OK, no more excuses. You don’t need much time or money to get in better shape.

Take, for instance, these simple-looking $40 gymnastic rings. Just attach them to a sturdy tree branch, pull-up bar, railing, or another solid attachment point, and you open up a whole world of exercises you can perform:

• Ring pushups

• Ring rows

• Ring dips

• Ring pullups

• Hanging knee and leg raises

Don’t let the simple appearance fool you: these things are brutal. Since they don’t provide stable support, they tax your muscles, especially your core. You’re going to be very shaky on these things.

And don’t sleep on ring pushups, which seemed dumb until I tried them. The rings offer an increased range of motion, so you get a better chest stretch than with regular pushups, much like Vince Gironda’s fulcrum pushup. But you can adjust the height of the rings to adapt the exercise to your strength level. The higher up the rings, the easier the pushup.

Usually, when people think of gymnastic rings, they imagine challenging and complex movements like muscle-ups and iron crosses, but even beginners can start with very basic movements, and since the rings are easy to adjust, they will grow with you.

What’s great is that you can get some sun while you work out. Plus, I can take care of farm chores during my rest periods. Do a set, feed rabbits, do a set, feed chickens, do a set, weed garden beds. It’s great to be able to integrate fitness into your lifestyle.