Battle ropes, sometimes called heavy ropes, are one of the newest fitness trends hitting gyms across the US, but working with ropes is hardly a new form of fitness. Long used as a training tool for football players, mixed martial artists (MMA), and other athletes, battle ropes can provide a high-intensity, whole-body workout that gets your muscles moving in new ways.
using battle ropes is a dynamic, ever-changing form of movement that has the added benefit of showing you whether you’re doing the movements correctly.
The ropes can be whipped, slammed, or dragged, but among the most popular are undulating movements that cause the ropes to move in waves. A typical battle rope workout class might have teams of people competing to keep the waves going, or the ropes might be used as part of high-intensity circuit training
Benefits of Battle Rope Training
Battle ropes are often thought of as a tool for your upper body, which they are. However, their benefits don’t end there. Battle rope workouts work the muscles in your abs, back, and glutes, and you can incorporate movements, such as jumps, lunges, and squats, that work your legs, too.
Battle ropes are a simple workout tool that virtually anyone can use, so don’t be intimidated if you’re just starting out. The ropes come in various lengths and widths, which will impact the intensity of your workout.
The longer and thicker the rope, the more force you’ll need to use to make the waves. The slack allowed in the rope will also determine intensity. The closer you move to the anchor point, the more resistance you’ll be creating.
Three popular ways to use the ropes follow,3 but don’t stop at these. Part of the allure of battle ropes is that they allow you to move in many directions. The more movements you incorporate (such as side to side, up and down, or in circles), the more you’ll work different muscles and increase your shoulder mobility and range of motion.
Waves: An alternating pattern with the primary direction of force toward the anchor.
Slam: An aggressive movement with the primary direction of force down toward the ground.
Whip: A symmetrical pattern with the primary direction of force toward the anchor.
There are two handgrips you can choose when working with battle ropes, either overhand (handshake) or underhand (microphone). The specific exercise and results desired will dictate which is best.
Battle Ropes Can Be a Form of High-Intensity Interval Training: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been shown to be one of the best forms of exercise in terms of both effectiveness and efficiency.
An HIIT workout using battle ropes might involve 30 seconds of the “double-whip” and “alternating whip” movements performed as intensely as you can followed by 60 seconds of recovery. The set would be repeated eight to 10 times and done two or three times a week.
If You Like Battle Ropes, You Might Want to Try Kettlebells…If you enjoy simple workout tools that can be used in countless different ways like battle ropes, you’ll probably enjoy using kettlebells. A kettlebell consist of a cast-iron ball and handle, and kettlebell exercises involve movements that throw off your center of gravity, forcing you to use multiple muscle groups, including your core, to maintain your balance.
Kettlebell workouts not only help improve your aerobic capacity, it’s also an anaerobic workout, which is important for your cardiovascular system as well as for building strength, speed, and muscle mass. Like battle ropes, kettlebell exercises are dynamic, whole-body exercises that incorporate cardiovascular, resistance, and range-of-motion training into one workout. Using both in your regular routine will help you target different muscle groups while keeping your workouts interesting.