Hula hoops, but make them weighted. Are they worth the hype? Or is the internet getting in a spin about nothing? We took two for a whirl.
TikTok Shop is my kryptonite. There’s just something about those hypnotic, QVC-style sales pitches that lure me in with products I didn’t know I needed.
Every. single. time.
The latest to stop me mid-scroll? Weighted hula hoops. A core-killer workout, allegedly, with a dash of childhood nostalgia thrown in for good measure.
Now, full disclosure, I already own a regular hula hoop of the non-weighted kind. And, if I do say so myself, I’m not too shabby at it. During lockdown, I even hula-hooped to an entire Taylor Swift album (fact-check me, I dare you).
These days, I’m more of a sporadic hooper. My hoop mostly collects dust behind my couch, coming out only when the mood strikes.
When weighted hula hoops started trending on my FYP, I had to try the shiny new thing. I wanted to know: Could it reignite my love of hooping? And would the added weight prove a challenging workout?
To find out, I spent a month testing two types of weighted hula hoops: a standard, padded design and one with a gravity ball attached. My colleague Kristin joined me for the fun.
Both Kristin and I found the weighted hula hoops quick and easy to assemble.
That said, if I had to pick a winner, the gravity ball hoop comes out ahead (marginally). The links for the padded hoop were a tad stiffer and required more force to click them together, making the setup process slightly longer.
Kristin agreed that putting the hula hoops together was a breeze. “Easy to assemble, and relatively easy to remove links for a tighter hoop,” she said.
Once they were assembled, I noticed the padded hoop felt considerably sturdier. The gravity ball hoop is made of plastic and, in my opinion, feels far more fragile. I was concerned that it would fall apart when I came to use it.
I incorporated both weighted hula hoops into my fitness regimen for a month. Most sessions lasted around 30 minutes, and it was easy enough to do in front of the TV, usually to the bewilderment of my two chihuahuas.
What I liked about the padded hoop was that it forced me to control more space between my body and the hoop, making it a slightly harder workout, and helping me to actively engage my core.
While you can remove links to make the hoop smaller, I actually enjoyed the effort required to keep the larger hoop spinning. I much preferred this hula hoop to the one with the gravity ball attached.
The gravity ball hoop felt easier to use but also a bit gimmicky by comparison. It required less effort to keep moving and was also very noisy while in motion.
Cue my cheesy action shots. Anyone else getting kids TV presenter vibes?
Interestingly, Kristin preferred the gravity ball hoop, which sits tighter around the waist, finding it much easier to keep moving.
“The gravity ball hoop is much easier to get going for a novice. And easy to move around with. I prefer it as it’s easy to get 15 minutes straight!”
Meanwhile, she found the padded hoop much less beginner-friendly.
“It was harder to get and keep momentum. I found a user-generated instructional video that helps, but I have to watch the video each time to get it going successfully.
She continued, “I didn’t grow up using a hula hoop, so I think if you’re just learning to hula, it can be difficult to get revolutions consistent, which is counterproductive to an ab workout if you’re not able to go more than twice without the hula falling.”
Compared with my usual hoop, I expected the weighted versions to really fire up my abs and core. In reality, it was quite a gentle step up. Enough to get me moving, but not so intense that I was overexerting myself.
Plus, as I found with rebounding, hula hooping is a bit of a childhood throwback, which makes it feel playful rather than punishing.
Kristin had similar expectations for the padded weighted hula hoop, hoping it would be a good core exercise, but she struggled to keep it spinning.
“When I work out, I’m looking to sweat, get sore, and tax my body, so when the hula kept falling, I gave up pretty quickly and opted for a more guaranteed workout.”
She continued, “I became discouraged, so I only ever tried it a couple of times weekly. I think with consistent and patient trial and error, one could get the hang of it, and hopefully a core workout. I just haven’t had enough success to vet the core workout.”
Even so, Kristin isn’t giving up.
“Although discouraged, I’m not a quitter! So I’ll continue to try, but I’m not counting on a solid core workout quite yet. I suppose if I were just doing it for fun, I’d appreciate the learning curve.”
One small detail that stood out to me was how the hoops felt during use.
The plastic links on the gravity ball hoop felt a bit more irritating after extended use. In contrast, the other hoop is padded with soft foam, which felt more comfortable around my waist.
The former was also less reliable at times, occasionally coming apart while I was using it. Sometimes the weight would get jammed in the track, too.
Kristin noted similar issues.
“I don’t love how the links can pinch your skin, get caught on clothing, or suddenly detach and cause the ball to go flying; so in that respect I prefer the smoothness of the padded weighted hula hoop.”
In fact, the flying gravity ball mishap wasn’t a one-off for Kristin, so her advice is simple: triple-check everything is secure as can be before you start hooping!
Personally, I’d recommend weighted hula hoops for those who’ve used the non-weighted variety previously and want to up their game.
Because I’m already comfortable using a regular hoop, the weighted types felt like a natural progression.
They added a bit of resistance without making the workout feel overly demanding. I’ll definitely be swapping my usual one out for the padded, weighted style. Meanwhile, I think the gravity ball hoop is perfectly fine for beginners.
Kristin agreed, recommending the padded hoop for “people who already know how to hula hoop and want a challenge.“
Weighted hula hoops are definitely a fun way to enjoy light movement, especially if you already enjoy traditional hooping.
For me, the padded hula hoop offered a slightly more engaging workout. Meanwhile, Kristin got on better with the gravity ball style, finding it much easier to keep moving.
Either way, if you’re looking for a workout that feels more playful and less punishing, it might be worth taking a weighted hula hoop for a spin.