Are you wondering how you can level up your exercise routines?
Maybe you’re getting bored of doing the same exercises over and over again and are looking for new ways to get your blood pumping and heart-pounding, right?
Well, guess what – battle ropes might just be exactly what you need.
Why You Should Do Battle Ropes Workouts
Ropes are not just for Boy Scouts and sailing. Battle ropes are something you need if you’re looking to get some lean mass. Why they happen to be so effective is because they work out each of your arms independently.
It eliminates strength imbalances as your muscles are in the process of sculpting.
Adding battle ropes to your exercise routine also offers killer cardio exercises without the monotony associated with the many other aerobically-focused workout activities.
You’re going to be sweating bullets when you’re on the ropes, no matter what kind of exercise you’re doing. The possibilities they provide are endless.
There are many ways you can incorporate battle ropes into your workout routines. For starters, battle rope exercises usually don’t take a lot of time.
They’re often very brief. So if you don’t have a lot of time to work with, using battle ropes is a fantastic way to get a full workout in under 20 minutes.
- Battle rope workouts are usually highly intensive. They can’t be sustained for long periods. A 20-minute workout will feel like you’ve been exercising for an hour once you’re done.
- You can get a full-body workout using battle ropes. Battle ropes help you exercise the upper body as well as your legs, glutes, and core muscles. But that’s not all, though. The list is endless.
- Battle ropes help strengthen the muscles highlighted above in ways gym machines can’t. These ropes help one reach different ranges and angles of motion that a machine’s fixed path can’t beat.
- There are two kinds of people on this earth. Those that love cardio and those that hate it. The excellent news about cardio, however, is that it’s not limited to running on treadmills. Battle ropes can sometimes prove an excellent alternative since they can help increase lung capacity as well as get your heart pounding.
- Cardiovascular workouts are essential for your heart health. Doing battle rope exercises can lower the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and high cholesterol.
Best Battle Ropes Workouts For Beginners
HIIT Workouts for Beginners
Beginners should start with simple exercises so that they can familiarize themselves with these workout tools. Below are a few steps you should consider if you’re a beginner.
- Go to the ropes and then place both feet firmly on the ground shoulder-width apart
- Get a firm hold of the ropes, ensuring you aren’t pulling them taut. Underhand or overhand grips are all suitable. Use what feels most comfortable to you
- Bend both your knees slightly
- Make sure your wrists stay neutral, and then bring both the ropes up to chest level height. Start creating waves by moving both your hands up and down. Continue this for around forty to fifty seconds without any rest.
- Once your forty seconds are up, take a thirty-second rest and then repeat the routine for eight to ten cycles
Intermediate Variations
Once you’re certain battle ropes are things you want to incorporate into your workout regimen, and you think you’re ready to take things to the next level, you can start doing different variations like:
- Alternating arms- in the same position we highlighted above, raise one hand at a time and alternate as you go
- Spirals- hold both ropes and then move your hands away from the body in a circular motion. Instead of waves, the battle ropes should create spirals.
- Lateral waves- swipe your hands right to the left and create lateral waves.
Create customized workouts by mixing up these variations. Try around twenty seconds of each variation back-to-back and then rest for thirty seconds in between each. Do this ten times or so.
Supersets
By definition, Supersets is when you do two workouts back-to-back with little to no rest time in between.
Using battle ropes in this system will challenge the targeted muscle groups and intensify the whole workout in general. For lower body workouts, get into a low squat position and then grab the rope.
Use the variation you feel most comfortable with for around thirty seconds or so, ensuring that you keep your core, glutes, and quadriceps engaged. As soon as you’re through, do between thirty to forty seconds of box jumps or bodyweight jumping squats.
Take a thirty-second rest and then start the next set. Doing these workouts back-to-back will help burn more calories and keep your heart pounding the whole time.
Full Body Circuit
If you’re looking to challenge yourself a bit more, do full-body circuits using the battle ropes for maximum intensity.
Instead of only doing two workouts back-to-back, perform around five to six that engage different parts of the body without any rest in between the exercises. It can go something like this:
- Start with burpees and do them for around thirty to forty seconds or so
- Use the ropes to alternate arm variation workouts for around thirty seconds
- Follow this up with about thirty weighted lunges
- Perform a plank for thirty seconds
- Finish with twenty to thirty Russian twists, getting resistance from the ropes. Start from the knees and then lift the battle ropes overhead. Touch the ground on both sides, alternating sides. Repeat for forty seconds
- Rest for one minute
- Repeat the whole circuit as many times as you’re comfortable with.
Battle Ropes Form Mistakes To Avoid
If you want to avoid getting injured, you will want to familiarize yourself with a couple of form tips before performing the exercises we’ve mentioned above by yourself.
- Ensure you aren’t pulling the battle ropes too tightly because this can end up putting unnecessary strain on your shoulders. Take some steps towards the tethering point, the anchor, and make sure there’s enough slack
- Don’t allow the back to round or allow the shoulders to hunch
- Keep both your shoulders and chest back
- Allow the knees to bend a little
- Keep both wrists neutral. Locking them will not only restrict ranges of motion but it’ll also give rise to the risk of injury as well
Best Battle Ropes
If you are looking to buy your first battle rope or make an upgrade, then check out our list of the best battle ropes on the market.
- Best Overall: Rogue Sheathed Conditioning Rope
- Best on Amazon: Power Guidance Battle Rope
- Best for Beginners: Perantlb Poly Battle Rope
- Best Budget: Yes4All Battle Exercise Training Rope
- Most Durable: GEARDO Battle Rope
- Honorable Mention: Project Pro Battle Ropes
Read our expert reviews at Best Battle Ropes For Your Home Gym.
Battle Ropes Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What are Battle Ropes?
You’ve probably seen them somewhere in the corner of the gym, or you’ve heard of them before. A battle rope is a heavy rope that can be manipulated, swung, and moved to offer resistance-based workouts for the whole body.
Most people usually think it’s only for working out the upper body, specifically the shoulders. Still, they train and challenge the entire body, from your legs to your upper back and all that’s in between.
High-performance athletes normally use them to help them improve both their strength and endurance. However, that’s no to say regular gym goers can’t benefit from killer battle rope exercises.
How Do You Anchor Battle Ropes?
If your gym does not have battle ropes you can use to work out with, you can always go online and get some for yourself.
Once you’ve got them, you’ll need an anchor so that you can tether them. You, ideally, want something strong and sturdy so that you can concentrate on performing your workouts correctly.
If you’ll be using the ropes outdoors, then a fence post or tree should do just fine. Just wrap the battle rope around what you’ve chosen to use as an anchor and then proceed with your exercises.
If you’re going to be using the battle ropes indoors, ensure you’ve got enough room before you start training. Kettlebells and sandbags make fantastic anchors.
Make sure whatever you choose to use is heavy enough so that your battle ropes are tethered firmly. Wrap the rope around the sandbag’s handle or through the kettlebell’s handle, and you are good to go.
Battle ropes are a great investment since they’re easy to set up, cheap, and provide the user with a full-body workout. You won’t have to fill your space with bulky exercise equipment when you’ve got this multi-purpose tool.
What are the Advantages of Battle Ropes Workouts?
If you’re still not sure whether incorporating battle ropes to your workout routine is for you, then think about what you have to gain. Here are some of the reasons why you should strongly consider giving battle ropes a try.
It’s take you a shorter time burn a lot of calories.
Battle rope exercises are a kind of high-intensity interval training or HIIT cardio. Because these exercises are so intense, you can only sustain these activities for around thirty seconds or so every rep.
Furthermore, you’ll also need to have some recovery time after each cycle. HIIT has proven you can take a shorter time to burn more calories compared to steady-state, low-intensity cardio.
Fat will continue burning even after your done with your workout.
Studies have shown that workouts that incorporate HIIT cardio, such as battle rope exercises, keep the body working even after it’s no longer in the gym working out.
Because HIIT keeps the body’s metabolic rate high for long periods of time, you will be enjoying its benefits the whole day.
The ropes can help you achieve your fitness goals.
If you’re looking to gain more strength or you’re overweight and want to lose a couple of pounds, you should strongly consider trying out battle rope exercises.
You can easily incorporate them into your current fitness routine and they will, in turn, help you reach the fitness goals you’ve set for yourself twice as fast. Workouts can be done anywhere from twice to five times a week.
Are Battle Ropes Hard To Use?
Simply put, yes. These ropes are kind of hard to use. However, that shouldn’t be a reason to put you off trying them. Battle rope workouts can be adjusted to fit all levels of physical fitness.
Whether you’re just starting to exercise at the gym or whether you’re a full-on high-performance athlete, there are so many different ways these ropes can be used to provide you with a fantastic form of exercise.
Battle ropes vary in both thickness and length, offering customizable experiences for each person. They usually weigh between thirty to fifty pounds.
The shorter and lighter battle ropes are ideal for the beginner user whereas the longer and heavier ones are what the professionals need to be using.
Like with anything new, it’s normal to feel a bit intimidated. So just start slow.
Final Thoughts
As has been highlighted throughout this article, there are so many different ways battle ropes can be utilized in a fitness plan. They can help the user achieve a wide array of fitness goals depending on what they’re looking to accomplish.
They don’t need you to have previous athletic skill or experience, helps provide an incredibly stimulating kind of cardio exercise, burn calories much faster, helps build strength, and generally get you into shape.
Though most people think it only helps exercise the upper body, especially the shoulders, battle rope workouts work the whole kinetic chain. The key to getting the most out of these full-body workouts is to squat down as low as possible and keep the cores as contracted as possible.
You can superset this workout or create high-intensity drills that work for your target muscle groups.
If you want to move away from your comfort zone and try something new, you should strongly consider trying out battle ropes for a challenging and unique experience.
Hopefully, this article is all you need to help you get started with your new workout routines.
