The Ultimate Guide to Training with Battling Rope

Battling rope is a unique option for a workout that helps define both arms equally, as well as strengthen your core.

What Are Battle Ropes?

Battle ropes are very thick, heavy ropes that are used for workouts. These ropes come in several sizes, ranging from 35-50mm in diameter. They’re often referred to as heavy ropes, exercise ropes, or even muscle ropes.

You’ll find battling rope anywhere you can purchase rope, as well as in the gym. You’ll need to choose a length, since they are definitely heavier the longer they get. The standard lengths are 10, 15, and 20 metres, though you can find other sizes, as well.

Benefits of Training with Battling Rope

Why use rope? There are actually quite a few benefits to using a battling rope.

They Offer Variety

If you spend much time in the gym, you already know that it’s necessary to change your workouts around to ensure you don’t get bored. It’s also important as your muscle development can plateau with just one type of exercise.

You Work the Entire Body

Battle rope lets you build up not only your arms and shoulders but also the rest of your body. It’s an ideal exercise tool to work on your core and back strength, as well as the muscles throughout your body and your balance.

It’s Portable

With a battle rope, you can really work out anywhere you like. You just need to have the rope and a place to attach it. Then you can do a variety of workouts and keep up your training, even on the road.

It’s a Joint Safe Workout

While it may not look like it, ropes are quite gentle on your joints. If you have a rough time doing most lifting exercises because of your knees and other joints, you’ll find that battling rope is much easier for everything.

Which Battle Rope Exercise to Do

Wondering how to use battling rope? It’s not difficult to learn the different options for battle rope exercise and it’s well worth the learning curve.

First, you’ll need to anchor your rope. There are a few ways to do this:

• Have someone hold the other end
• Wrap it around a tree or post
• Add an anchor to a wall

You’ll loop the rope around whatever you’ve chosen, then hold both ends of the battle rope in your hands. Hold on tightly, or you’ll end up throwing the rope instead of moving it.

Now that you know how to anchor it, let’s look at some of the most common choices when it comes to a battle rope exercise regimen.

To begin, you need the proper posture, which is facing the rack or anchor point and keeping your head level. Feet should be shoulder-width apart and the knees slightly bent, with your arms directly in front of you, palms facing while holding the rope.

Double Wave

You should leave quite a bit of slack in the rope for this one, so stand relatively close to the anchor.

Lean forward a little and move your arms up and down at the same time, snapping the rope to get waves rolling down it. It’s important that your hips do not move and your arms move together. Your arms should be in front at all times, so don’t lift them above your shoulder height.

Sidewinders (Horizontal Wave)

This method requires you to move your hips in a swivelling motion without moving your feet, aside from lifting your heels a little. You’ll swing the rope back and forth so it wriggles on the floor like a horizontal wave or a snake motion.

Alternating Wave

Like the double wave, this involves snapping the rope, but this time you will alternate snapping with each arm, so each side of the rope moves in an alternate motion to the other.

Roping Jacks

This method simply requires you to do jumping jacks where you hold the rope ends, jump and land with legs apart, arms above your head. Then jump again, bringing your legs together and whipping the rope as you bring your arms to your sides. The battle rope should create waves as you do this.

Power Slam

If you want to really get your muscles going, lift the rope quickly over your head and then slam it down as hard as you can, dropping into a squat as you do so. Leap back upright and repeat.

Russian Twists

This requires a very different starting position. You’ll sit on the floor, knees shoulder-width apart and your heels together, but just off the floor. Hold the rope ends in front of you and swing the rope to the left while twisting your hips to the right. Continue, switching sides for the rope and hip turns, but always in opposite directions.

Outward Circles

For this workout, you’ll need to lift your arms above shoulder height and widen them slightly. You then move your arms to make clockwise circles until the rope spirals. Alternate between clockwise and counter-clockwise movements. This will help build your shoulders more than your arms.

Each battle rope exercise will help your arms improve their strength and you will find it easier to manage the rest of your body, too. It all comes down to repetitions.

Where to Find the Best Battle Rope

When you’re looking for a good gym rope, you need to look at where gyms purchase theirs. A rope store or a workout store is often the best choice. They’ll offer everything from black rope and white rope to the various sizes of battling rope.

With the best battle rope in hand, you can begin to do your exercises and reap the benefits. These ropes are available in a range of sizes and are provided at Rope Services UK. We offer a full range of choices so you can begin your battle rope exercise sooner, rather than later. All you need to do is pick the right one.