If the Soviet “Grace” waist disc is still standing idle in the corner, quickly include it in your home workouts. And if not, you can easily purchase it at an affordable price and strengthen the muscles of your torso, legs and even arms. The health disc will make simple crunches more effective and will replace many home cardio equipment if you perform the technique correctly and follow a training regimen.
What is a health disk and what is it for?
A flat disk made of two interconnected plates up to 4 cm high is capable of rotating 360 degrees, allowing the rectus abdominis, oblique muscles of the abdomen, back, and legs to be activated when rotating the hip joint. You don’t just need to spin on the disc, strengthening the vestibular apparatus, but concentrate on twisting due to tension and contraction of the muscles that form the waist.
If you perform exercises continuously for 30 minutes, increasing your heart rate, you can achieve a cardio effect no worse than with an exercise bike or orbitrek. Of course, there are both pros and cons to training on a health disc.
Reviews of those losing weight
- Alina: In my apartment I can’t even dream of having large exercise equipment, but I liked the health disc. It's small but effective. After just a month of a gentle diet and exercise, I easily lost 5 kilograms.
- Irina: To make sure whether the exercise machine was right for me, I studied reviews about it on the Internet, watched training videos, and decided to try it. I didn’t feel much of an effect because I worked out to the best of my ability, and I ate whatever I wanted. I plan to continue exercising and review my diet.
Positive results from using a weight loss disc will please you after just a month of regular training. The simplicity of the exercises and the compactness of the device have made it a bestseller in the sports world.
The benefits of a waist disc
- Rotations on the simulator allow you to work out the muscles responsible for holding the spine and improve not only your waist, but also your posture.
- Exercises on the disc develop balance, coordination, and endurance.
- Crunches on the machine develop muscle flexibility and joint mobility.
- Training is allowed at any age, regardless of the level of physical fitness, if there are no concomitant diseases of the spine.
- Twisting massages internal organs and improves blood circulation.
- Takes up little space.
- Low cost.
Rules
To achieve the desired result and not get injured while performing exercises on the simulator, you must adhere to a number of rules.
- Before standing on the circle, it must be placed on a flat surface. It shouldn't be slippery. To increase safety, you can place a rubber training mat or travel mat under it.
- If you have never used such exercise machines before or have problems with the vestibular system, it is better to place a chair next to the circle. It is needed so that you have time to sit down if you feel dizzy. You can minimize the risk of fainting by avoiding sudden movements.
- To reduce your waist, you need to make sure that only the lower part of your body rotates. You can't move your shoulders. If you ignore this rule, you can’t even count on results.
- To increase blood circulation and accelerate metabolism, it is recommended to drink a glass of clean water at room temperature 20 minutes before the start of training.
- Exercise should be moderate. You shouldn’t immediately load yourself to the maximum. The load and duration of training should be increased little by little. Let the duration of the first lessons be from 10 to 15 minutes per day.
- Before you start practicing, you need to ventilate the room.
Disadvantages of a spinning disc for the waist
- Spinal twisting can be dangerous in case of some of its diseases: hernia, protrusion, disc displacement.
- With incorrect technique, sudden and incorrect movements, back pain may develop due to trauma to the intervertebral discs, muscle strain and pinched nerve endings.
- The simulator is not multifunctional. It has a limited range of effects on muscles, aimed mainly at torsion of the lumbar region and tension of the abdominal muscles.
Common mistakes
In pursuit of a slim figure, people often ignore the basic rules for using this or that sports equipment. Grace is no exception. People make a lot of mistakes when using a health disc to lose weight.
| Error | What does it lead to? |
| Slouch | It is inconvenient to turn around while hunched over. In this position, the internal organs are compressed and do not function well. |
| Sudden movements | There is no hurry. Sharp pushes and turns can pull a muscle or pinch a joint or vertebrae. |
| Whole body twists | If turns occur with the whole body, weight loss will not occur. In different exercises, turns are performed either by the upper or lower body. |
| Head down | Load on the neck and spine. It becomes more difficult to do exercises and it is difficult to breathe. |
| Clothes that are too tight or too loose, pants that fall to the floor | Tight-fitting outfits can restrict movement and cause discomfort. Too loose ones can interfere with turning, squatting, and bending. Pants “on the floor” can get caught between the disc plates, making exercises impossible. |
| Sneakers or other shoes | They interfere with foot massage on the grooved or dotted surface of the disc. |
| Short workouts | With a duration of 5-15 minutes a day, excess weight loss will be insignificant. |
| Uneven or slippery surface | You may be injured if you place the disc on a slippery or uneven surface. |
- Author Details
Author Details Tatyana
Top exercises on the health disk
Exercise No. 1
The first exercise, which can also be used as a warm-up, is torso rotation while maintaining balance. Stand on the disk with both feet, squat slightly and begin to rotate your pelvis so that your knees rotate in one direction, and your arms and body in the opposite direction. Perform dynamic rotations while maintaining balance.
Exercise No. 2
Place a chair in front of you, body distance apart, with your arms outstretched. Standing with both feet on the disc, hold onto the back of the chair, forming a right angle in the tilt. Twist your pelvis slightly, slightly rounding your back, begin to rotate your pelvis on straight legs, contracting your oblique abdominal muscles with each turn. As if you were pulling the ribs towards the ilia. Perform crunches dynamically, but concentrate on working your abdominal muscles.
Exercise #3
Place your knees on the disc, pelvis-width apart, and place your palms a short distance in front of the disc, placing them under the shoulder joints. Start rotating your pelvis, also twisting to the sides, tensing your oblique abdominal muscles. As you rotate, pull your ribs toward your pelvis.
Exercise #4
Sitting on the disc, place your palms on the floor behind your back, and keep your legs bent at the knees. Tightening your abdominal muscles, twist your torso, lowering your feet to the floor in one direction, and lean your body in the opposite direction. Do the same in the opposite direction, as if moving your legs over an imaginary large object.
Exercise #5
Stand in front of the disc with your feet on the floor. Bend over and place your palms on the machine. Start twisting your torso while keeping your legs motionless. Using your hands, rotate the disc from side to side, contracting your abdominal muscles. If the upside down option is inconvenient, it can be replaced by resting on your knees. In this case, the palms are also located under the shoulders on the disc, and the twisting is controlled by the torso, without involving the pelvis.
Benefit
The health disc - be it the Grace exercise machine, or the modern Torneo disc - is a convenient and affordable way to always be in shape. With the help of the apparatus, you can perform both classic exercises for the waist (turns), and various exercises that help strengthen all muscle groups. Such a floor exercise machine will be useful for people who lead an inactive, mostly sedentary lifestyle. Proper exercise on the simulator prevents muscle spasms, joint diseases, digestive disorders and the appearance of cellulite. If you want to lose weight, then proper nutrition in combination with exercise on a simulator will provide excellent results. Both adults and children can exercise on the Health simulator. Just 10 minutes of exercise will provide a surge of energy and good mood for a long time.
Top 3 best health disc manufacturers
- Star Fit, an Australian manufacturer of a line of home fitness products, produces metal and plastic discs weighing from 0.5 to 1 kg that can withstand loads of up to 100 kg. Approximate cost from 290 to 580 rubles.
- Artist - a company originally from China produces acupuncture massage plastic discs with magnets. “Grace” of this kind not only massages the feet, but also, as the brand claims, creates a magnetic field that accelerates metabolic processes in the body. Approximate price: 570 rubles.
- SP-Planeta - a Ukrainian brand produces metal disks, similar to the Soviet “Grace”, with a diameter of 28 cm, suitable for home use. The price of the product is approximately 700 rubles.
Main models
Despite the same design principle, health discs are divided into several types.
By material type
Models of sports wheels on the market are presented in two variations:
- metal (durable, but noisy);
- plastic (lighter and quieter);
- rubber (the most pleasant tactile sensation);
- magnetic (neodymium magnet inside).
Taking into account additional functions
The classic model (disc “Grace”) is a prototype of a Soviet sports equipment. More modern models are equipped with expanders, massage pads for the feet and sensors.
Additional functions:
- built-in computer that calculates calories burned during home fitness;
- audio playback;
- hand expanders;
- markings for the correct placement of the feet.
Hula hoop (hoop)
The hula hoop is considered a typical female exercise machine. With its help, as a rule, one achieves a slender waist
.
The hoop really helps improve muscle tone in this area, as well as reduce the amount of subcutaneous fat in the abdomen and buttocks. However, the hula hoop is also an excellent piece of equipment for cardio training at home. If the lesson lasts at least 20-30 minutes
, then working with a hoop trains the cardiovascular system and increases endurance.
The simplest and lightest plastic hoop is designed for those who are just starting to train. More advanced amateurs who have learned to hula hoop for hours can purchase heavier hoops and hula hoops with a massage effect. Nowadays they even produce hoops with an electronic revolution counter. This device gives additional motivation to those who want to set a record for spinning a hoop, but do not want to count the revolutions themselves. Important
!
Massive hoops and hula hoops with a massage coating can cause bruising
and
pain
during the first classes.
Such hoops should not be used by those who have fragile vessel walls and poor blood clotting. It is very difficult to get injured while practicing hula hoop. Most often, the furniture and nerves of neighbors suffer from a hoop if this projectile constantly falls on the floor of an awkward beginner. To ensure that no one gets hurt, choose a spacious room for your first hula hoop training, and place a gymnastic mat under your feet. It is most convenient to spin the hula hoop while listening to music or while watching TV. Gradually, you will learn to distract yourself from constant control over the position of the hoop and will be able to “wind up” the required number of revolutions completely unnoticed by yourself. Hula hoop is hardly the only way to exercise, but it is ideal as an addition
to other activities. Strive to make your waist slimmer, your well-being more cheerful, and your mood more cheerful.
Experience of generations
If only our mothers knew that the simple rotating device that they bought and put under the closet to collect dust would find a new life in twenty or thirty years! Now, when gyms are expensive, and more and more people are struggling with physical inactivity, any device that gives movement comes in very handy.
The “Grace” disk, which gained popularity in the 80s of the twentieth century, was different from the modern one: it was made of iron and during operation it produced sounds that were not at all musical.
A modern floor exercise machine is equipped with more than just a pimpled surface. It can show you how many calories you burned during an activity and even play music to make your workout more fun. Of course, I’m talking about simulator options, the price of which is high - 1000 rubles and more. For those who don’t like to spend money, an option without music is suitable, but also very convenient.
Our mothers had no idea that simplicity is not a reason for monotony. If you have one such circle, you can perform exercises on all parts of the body on it. And if you have two of them, perform miracles of balance, training not only the muscles, but also the vestibular apparatus.
The exercises, which mainly consist of various crunches, should be performed at least half an hour a day. According to reviews from doctors and ordinary users, less will not help. And of course, the most important thing is regularity! Therefore, there is no need to buy this thing and throw it under the closet, like our mothers did. Leave it in a visible place and spin any free minute!
