Exercise of the Month: Battle Ropes

Battle ropes have been around since the mid-nineties and for good reason. Throwing these thick, heavy ropes about does more than look impressive – it’s a ruthlessly effective workout. Battle ropes provide an intense cardio workout and suit Tabata training, circuits, boxing and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) training and develop muscular endurance. Battle ropes offer full-body strength training as well as cardio and are good for targeting your core and upper body.

Battle ropes are a must for a full body workout. Rubber ends make the rope easier to grip, especially when you’re sweaty.

Exercise Options

Wave
Make sure your feet are shoulder-width apart, tuck your elbows into your sides and alternate pumping your arms up and down, creating alternate waves in the rope. You can also do a double wave by using both arms in tandem.

Slam
Bring the rope up overhead and slam the rope down as hard as you can onto the ground. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and maintain good posture.

Circles
Holding an end in each hand, start by moving both arms outward and inward. You can also bring both hands together and do the circles together.

There are many more exercise variations you can perform with the battle ropes, so get creative!

Consider throwing them into your next workout for a finisher or superset them (moving from one exercise to another, without a break) in between sets.