If you are interested in giving your fitness a boost, one type of equipment you may want to consider using is the battle ropes. These are relatively new to mainstream fitness centers however they offer a wealth of benefits that you can’t afford to miss out on.
Battle ropes are fast becoming one of the most popular pieces of kits for gyms to purchase, and it’s not difficult to see why. They’re exotic looking, they can be used in circuit training, or as a high-intensity finisher to an exercise program. They can also be stored quite easily and make your gym look badass.
But as a gym member, you might not be familiar with how to actually use them.
In this blog post, we are going to identify four of the most popular battle rope exercises and explain how to perform them. They are all fairly simple to learn, but they are difficult – as they should be for a high-intensity exercise.
Exercise #1. Alternating Waves
Stand in a half squat position (knees slightly bent) holding a rope in each hand, there should be some slack on each rope handle – if not then walk forward slightly to create some. Flick your wrists to make the rope perform a ripple, and time it so that first one hand creates a ripple and then the other. Increase speed as you get used to this movement and soon enough you’ll be creating alternating waves.
Exercise #2. In & Out Waves
Stand almost upright (smaller bend in legs than in the previous exercise) and hold a rope in each arm, for this exercise you are going to be creating a clapping motion while the ropes swing into each other. Try not to let your hands smash into each other, because it will hurt!
Exercise #3. Double Waves
Basically the exact same exercise as alternating waves but this time you perform them both at the exact same time. What’s great about this exercise is that you can mix it up with alternating waves, which can help you recover slightly mid-way through a set.
Exercise #4. Slams
A really enjoyable battle rope exercise that will definitely help you find an outlet for some stress or aggression. Start in the same position as you would for a double wave, but instead of flicking your wrists you are going to create a massive wave! Throw the rope up into the air and slam it down into the ground. Another great exercise that you can perform in combination with the waves.
What Muscles Do Battle Ropes Work On?
Learning what muscles battle ropes work effectively will help you discover how you should incorporate them into your workout routine.
Let’s take a closer look at this question and give you some answers.
The Muscles Targeted By Battle Ropes
Core
The first main muscle group you’re going to hit with every battle rope workout you do is the core. The core muscles will become actively engaged with each and every movement pattern you do because of the fact they are going to be required for stabilization purposes.
With each movement you make, you’ll be throwing the body slightly off balance and it will be up to your core muscles to help you regain control and support.
They are going to help counteract the forces that you create with the rope with each slam you do.
The Lower Body
Your lower body will not be put to sleep when working the battle ropes. Many people think that this is primarily an upper-body focused workout routine but you can very easily make it a lower-body focused one as well.
As long as you are in the upright standing position, the lower body is going to be called into play to keep your upper body balanced as the ropes create ongoing forces that you must once again withstand.
Think of them as your pillars of balance.
In addition to that, as you perform your battle rope exercises, you can incorporate front and back lunges along with side to side lunges into the mix. In this manner, you’ll hit your glutes, hamstrings, and quads as well.
The only time you won’t hit your lower body when doing battle rope training is if you choose to sit down while performing the exercises. Do this and then you will take the lower body out of things.
The Upper Body
Finally, let’s not forget the primary focus of battle rope training – the upper body. With each exercise you do, you are going to be holding the battle ropes and creating ‘waves’ as they’re called, working the muscles in the upper body as you go.
You’ll be hitting the chest, the shoulders, and even the back as the back is used to help direct the movement as well. On top of this, you’ll also work the biceps and triceps as they work as synergists to help you complete the movement.
Certain exercises you do with the battle ropes will work some muscles more intensely than others so note that you can target muscles specifically.
For example, if you are doing in and out waves, this will really hit the chest muscles, bringing out maximum muscle definition.
On the other hand, up and down waves will focus more on the shoulder muscles, so that’s also important to note.
By changing the exercises you do in your battle rope workout routine, you can be sure to hit each muscle as you prefer.
So keep these points in mind and remember, battle rope training can easily replace a full body weight lifting workout if planned out properly. And even better, it can also work your cardiovascular fitness level as well, giving you even better progress towards reaching your fitness goals.
Whether you want to burn fat or build muscle, battle rope training can help you achieve success.