How to Hula Hoop

Co-authored by John Diaz

Last Updated: November 27, 2024 Fact Checked

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Hula hooping is a great way to have fun and impress your friends. To become an expert hula hooper, all you need to do is practice! It's also a great way to work out if you're looking to lose weight and get fit. This wikihow article will teach you how to hula hoop for beginners and more fun advanced techniques.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Hula Hooping for Beginners

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1
Put on athletic clothing. Wear a tight-fitting shirt and pants so it'll be easier to hula hoop and so the hoop won't get caught on any loose clothing.
- Comfortable shoes will also make it easier for you to hula hoop. They don't have to be athletic shoes, and the choice of even wearing shoes at all, is optional. It will neither influence nor harm your attempt to hula hoop.
- Avoid wearing any bracelets or any dangling jewelry that can get caught in the hula hoop.
2
Put the hula hoop on the ground. Choose a hoop that reaches your chest or waist when you stand it on its side. Larger hoops are ideal for beginners because they spin more slowly, which gives you more time to adjust to the rhythm of the hoop.^{[1]
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- If you're really committed to hula hooping, you can try hoops of a variety of weight and size to see what works best for you.
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While you could step inside the hoop while it's lying flat on the ground, you may find it easiest to pick up the hoop near the front, keeping your hands shoulder-width apart, while letting the back of the hoop remain touching the ground. As you lift the hoop, step through inside it so that your feet are just to the inside of the back of the hoop.
Slide your hands to the sides of the hula hoop while lifting the rest of the hoop of the ground. Keep your hands apart at a comfortable distance.
Step one foot in front of the other to gain balance.
Relax the hoop against one side of your torso.
If you're a righty, firmly spin the hoop counter-clockwise. If you're a lefty, spin it clockwise.^{[2]
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8
Start to move your waist in a circular motion. Push your stomach forward as the hoop moves across your stomach. Push the hoop back when it moves across your back. Or you can rotate your waist in small circles and when the hoop touches your left hit your waist towards the left side and when the hoop touches your right hit towards the right.^{[3]
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- Eventually you will find a perfect motion for pumping your torso.
9
Continue spinning the hoop. Keep moving your waist in a circular motion as you let go and aim to get the hoop to wrap itself around your waist like a barber's pole, round and round and round.
- If the hoop falls below your waist or even falls to the ground, pick it up and try again.
- When the hoop falls, try spinning it in the other direction. Though righties prefer to spin the hoop counter-clockwise and lefties prefer to spin it clockwise, you should still find the direction that works best for you. The direction you prefer is called your "first direction" or your "in-flow."^{[4]
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Expect the hoop to fall the first few tries as you get used to the motion. Just pick up the hoop again and keep going. It is as much about getting the feeling for the motion as it is about following instructions.^{[5]
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- Once you become more experienced as a hula-hooper, you can discover some tricks for recovering a falling hoop.
Keep the basic motion going for as long as you can.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Advanced Hula Hooping

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1
Learn how to recover a falling hoop. If you feel like you're getting the hang of it and you don't want to keep picking up the hoop from the ground, you can also learn to recover the hoop when it's about to fall. This will make you look more like a pro and can let you spin the hoop for much longer.^{[6]
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Research source} Here are a few things to try if the hoop falls below your waist:
- Bend your knees below the hoop while pushing your hips really fast to get the hoop to move back up to your waist.
- Turn your body in the direction of the flow of the hoop while pushing your hips really fast.
- Move your body much quicker than normal to recover the position of the hoop.
2
Master some more hula hooping skills. As you become more experienced as a hula hooper, you can add to your hula hooping repertoire by trying some new skills. Here's what you can do:
- Practice moving faster. You can do this by shifting the weight between your feel more quickly, or by pumping your torso back and forth more quickly.
- Move around as you hula hoop. To do this, turn your body in the direction that the hoop is moving. Shuffle your feet in the right direction.
- Try the "booty bump". Instead of moving the hula hoop around your waist, try moving it along your butt.
- Try moving the hoop up and down your body. An experienced hula hooper can make the hoop move above or below his waist while still recovering it.
- If you really want to kick it up a notch, you can try spinning the hoop around your head or your arms, or even around just one of your legs. Lighter hoops work better for this trick.

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What are the benefits of hula hooping?

John Diaz
Personal Trainer
John Diaz is a personal trainer and exercise professional with over 35 years of experience, based in Los Angeles, CA. John was first certified as a personal trainer in 1984 and later in 1989 co-founded Ultimate Health Medical Exercise Center with his sister Joanne. He creates prescriptive exercise programs designed specifically for his clients’ needs ranging from chronic pain relief, sports injury recovery, weight loss goals, and more. John has a degree in Exercise Science, is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine, and is certified through the National Federation of Personal Trainers (NFPT). He also holds a 2nd degree Black Belt in martial arts and is a certified self-defense instructor.

John Diaz

Personal Trainer

Expert Answer

Hula hooping definitely has some benefits, even if it’s not the most intense workout. While there aren't specific studies on how many calories you burn doing it, anything that gets you moving will help burn some calories. It’s a fun way to get your body moving, especially your trunk and hips. You’ll get some good rotation and hip work, which can be really helpful for improving your hip flexibility, especially if you have really tight hips. Hula hooping is not going to be a major strength builder or toning exercise, but it’s great for improving your range of motion and loosening up those areas.

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How many calories do you burn hula hooping for an hour?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Assuming that you’re using a weighted hula hoop (the right sort for exercising with), and you are doing both hooping moves and twists around arms, legs and waist, an American Council on Exercise study found that you will burn around 7 calories a minute. For an hour, that works out to be around 420 calories--not bad if you can keep it up for the whole hour!

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Is using a hula hoop good exercise?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Yes, it is a good way to exercise, especially for toning and strengthening the waist area muscles. Just hula hooping for fun is itself good exercise and an excuse to enjoy your exercise, while for the greatest benefits, it's a good idea to use weighted hula hoops for a good workout, as well as following a workout routine designed especially for hula hoops.

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Tips

Larger hula hoops will spin slower and be easier to use. For a person who is 5'8", at 3.5'-4' diameter is recommended. Heavier hula hoops will also be easier to use, but they shouldn't be so heavy that you have trouble keeping them up.

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Hula hooping is a great way to spice up a traditional abdominal workout. If you're tired of doing sit-ups, try hula hooping instead.

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Hula hooping is more of a rocking motion than moving your hips in circles.

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The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

When you start spinning the hula hoop and it reaches your back, quickly spin it around 2-3 times and spin it normally. This is going to fancy-up your hula-hooping!
Pick a hula hoop that you really like. Maybe it could have sparkle tape, or your favorite color! This will make it more fun.

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