BCG Gym Rings Review (Academy Sports)
I was in the market last month for some gym rings to add a little variety to my workouts.
If you know me, then you know I always try to figure out if a piece of equipment is worth buying or if I can DIY it myself. I learned that making a circular DIY ring was going to be pretty hard to do and it was going to cost me somewhere between $20 and $30 to do it right.
Next, I went searching for a low-cost, but quality, set of rings that I could buy and skip the making it myself part.
If you’ve priced out rings you already know that they can run close to $100 on the high end with most falling in the $40 to $70 range.
That’s when I found these BCG Gym Rings from Academy Sports.
Update (3/25/21): As best as I can tell Academy is not currently selling the BCG Gym Rings anymore. Not sure if this is a temporary thing or not, but I could not find them anywhere on their online store today when I checked.
Now, if you’re not familiar with Academy Sports and Outdoors, they are a big box sports store very similar to Dick’s Sporting Goods. They have 250 locations stretching across the south and midwest. If you don’t have one close to you, don’t worry, you can order online and they even have free shipping on orders over $25 (at least at the moment I’m writing this)
Let’s get into the review. I’m going to break down my experience with these rings after having used them for the past few months in regards to price, quality and ease of use.
Before we even do that though, let me cut right to the chase:
Am I happy with my BCG Gym Rings? Yes.
Would I buy them again if I had it to do over again? Yes
Would I recommend these rings to a friend? Yes
BCG Gym Rings: Specs
Included in the Box: 2 Straps and 2 Gym Rings (no mounting hardware or carrying bag is included). The buckle to adjust and lock-in length is included and attached to the strap.
Dimensions: The Ring Handle is just over an inch in diameter. The Ring itself is about 9′ 1/4″ in diameter from the outer edge of one side of the ring to the other. The two straps are 10 and a half feet in length.
Material: ABS and polypropylene
BCG Gym Rings Review: Price
At $29.99, these rings are on the extreme low end when it comes to price. So, it begs the question, are they crap?
The answer is absolutely not. I’ll talk specifically about quality in just a second, but I want to give you a quick story about price. I stopped into a Dick’s Sporting Goods to see what rings they had available. I picked up a pair of rings from the shelf at a price point that I thought was $34.99. As I stated earlier, I figured that it would cost me close to $30 to make, so at that price I grabbed them.
When I got to the register, I guess the rings were sitting on the wrong place on the shelf. Turns out, they were $69.99. I passed.
After using my rings over the past couple of months doing Pull-ups, Dips, Inverted Rows and Pushups, I don’t see any reason why I would need to pay an extra $40.
Finally, I’m really glad I made the decision to buy these rings at $29.99 rather than try to build them myself. There’s no way I could have made a solution that would have been close to what I now have.
BCG Gym Rings Review: Quality
I’m not going to pretend that I am the foremost authority on gym rings. I’m not. I’ve worked in collegiate weight rooms my whole life so I’m very familiar with things like racks, barbells, bumpers, etc. But, we’ve not used rings very much in the weight rooms I’ve worked in.
Have I trained with rings at different facilities that I’ve trained at? Yes. So, what’s my point?
Is there a chance that someone with a gymnastics background can notice the difference between my BCG Rings and a pair of more expensive rings? Sure there is.
Here’s what I know. I weigh about 250 pounds. What I want in a pair of rings is first and foremost, straps and a locking mechanism that is going to hold me and stay secured in place. These rings have been perfect in that regard.
Next, I want rings that don’t feel cheap or like they are going to crack or break over time. These rings are made to “look” like wood, but they are made out of ABS and polypropylene. They feel solid and I’ve never had to worry about them cracking or breaking.
To sum it up, I’ve been very pleased with the quality of these rings, regardless of how much I paid for them.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this review helps you out a little bit along your Gym Ring purchasing journey.
I’d recommend these rings over trying to make something yourself. You’re going to end up with a better overall product and the money you would save by building rings yourself would be minimal at most.
At $30, I think these rings are a great value and I don’t feel that I’m missing out on anything that a more expensive set of rings would provide.
Basically, if you’re looking for a set of rings, I strongly suggest considering grabbing these rings from Academy Sports.
Stay Strong!
