7 hula hoop moves that are your ticket to a toned core (and they’re fun)

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4. Alternating hooping lunges

Start in a staggered position with your legs about two to three feet apart. Begin front to back waist hooping, and once you have a good rhythm, begin bending both knees to lower yourself down into a lunge as you continue the front to back sway of your hips. When you’ve gone as low as you can, with your weight in your front heel and knee aligned with your toes, return to standing. Step your front foot back, aligned with your back foot, then lunge forward with your opposite leg. Continue alternating legs each lunge.

5. Hooping plié squat

Step your feet out wide, toes pointed outward. Hold the hula hoop flush against your back, and use your arms to propel it around your body to begin side to side waist hooping. Once you have a good rhythm, sink down, bending both knees and keeping them aligned with your toes to lower into a plié squat, weight in your heels. When your knees are bent to roughly 90 degrees, reverse the movement, and return to standing.

6. Overhead halo

The overhead halo works your shoulders, biceps and triceps as you work to keep the hoop spinning. Hold the hoop so it’s looped around your body in your right hand. Press the hoop up over your head so the back of the hoop touches your back, your right palm facing away from you. Twist your right palm inward, rotating the hoop outward. Grasp the hoop with your left hand, palm facing backward. Rotate your left palm outward, twisting the hoop out and around until you can grasp it with your right hand again, palm facing forward. Continue twisting with this motion, picking up speed to lift the hoop up until it starts nearing parallel to the ground.

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7. Knee marching with overhead halo

Start on your knees, arms overhead, and begin performing an overhead halo. Once you’ve picked up speed, lift one knee from the ground, and plant your foot in front of you. Then return your knee to the ground again. Repeat to the opposite side.

Once you develop skill maintaining the overhead halo while performing knee marching, kick it up a notch by rising to standing every time you plant your foot on the floor, then return to the kneeling position before repeating to the other side.

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