“What does that work?”
He
says, “I don’t know, but it looks cool!”
 |
| Harry rockin' the ropes (He's 72) |
And
that’s kind of how most people feel when they see the ropes wound around in the
corner of their gym. They look kind of interesting, but intimidating, so many
people avoid trying them. But they’re a fantastic, low impact workout that
raises your heart rate and burns calories quickly.
Battle ropes come in all shapes, sizes, and weights, depending on the rope’s thickness
and length. The major benefit of training with battle ropes is the application
of upper body power, combined with endurance. The rope is wrapped around an
anchor point, and you hold it at the very end of the rope's length. The amount of slack in the rope
determines the load. Moving away from the anchor point decreases exercise
intensity, while stepping toward the anchor point increases it. And there are
so many benefits to your body:
-It’s
a calorie torch. You
can burn just as many calories as sprinting, high-intensity interval training,
and heavy resistance training.
-It
helps improve athletic
performance. Using ropes trains the neuromuscular system to apply
force that begins at the core and extends through both the arms and legs. If you watch the movements carefully,
you will notice that one side of your body may move differently than the other.
With rope training, over time, these differences go away. Slowly, you will
notice your right and left sides start to balance out.
-It’s a great core workout. They work the entire core from above your knees to below your chest by both applying power from the core, and stabilizing and bracing back movement.
-They’re
safe to use and fun.
Just drop them when you can’t go any more.
Using tools like the ropes is a breath of fresh air
for most people; it creates excitement, it is unique, and it gets people
“playing” again. This is another benefit of
rope training unseen in many other forms – the more effort or intensity you put
into the rope, the more you get out. There are also different weights of
battle ropes so you can start light, and build up as you get stronger by
choosing a longer length, a larger diameter, or a combination of both.
Every time I
use the ropes, I feel more comfortable with them, and I’m always amazed at how
much using them raises my heart rate. There’s not a huge learning curve to
using them, but some things to be aware of are:
Posture- The feet are spaced about shoulder
width and toes slightly pointed out. Dip into a squat stance with the weight on
your heels and not the toes. Your hips are hinged and the knees are slightly
bent so the shin is vertical. Back straight; core tight.
Grip–Many people grip the ropes hard and
tense up their bodies, leading to quick exhaustion. Grip the rope lightly,
relax your arms, shoulders, torso, and even your face. That way, you’ll be able
to move faster and maintain intensity for longer periods of time.
Breathing-People new to rope training tend to
hold their breath, which can hurt their performance. Try and match your
movement with your breathing pattern; as speed and intensity increase, so
should your breathing.
Body Utilization– While most rope exercises seem to be
upper body movements, the entire body should be utilized to increase power and
efficiency. The legs and hips play a very important role in generating power into
and through the arms. Be conscious of your feet, legs, hips, and shoulders. Try
to avoid standing too stiffly, and make sure that all areas of your body are
active.
You can
just whip the ropes up and down, but some specific battle rope exercises follow:
-Alternating
Waves: Alternate moving your arms up and down. Hold the ends of the rope at arm's length in front of your
hips with your hands shoulder-width apart. Brace your core and begin
alternately raising and lowering each arm explosively. Keep alternating arms
for 1 to 20 minutes.
-Double Arm
Waves: Instead of alternating your arms up and down, move them up and down
together.
-Battle Rope
Crossovers: Instead of making waves, slam the rope to the ground. Keep both
feet flat on the floor as you move the ends in an arc above your head, lifting
them to your left and slamming them down hard to your right. Repeat in the
opposite direction.
-Snake: Swing
your arms together side-to-side and make your rope slither like a snake.
-Claps: Move
your arms in and out like you’re clapping your hands together.
-Outside
Circles: Make big circles with your arms. Your right arm circles clockwise and
your left arm circles counter-clockwise.
-Slams: Lift
the rope and slam down
-Figure Eight
Circles: Make a figure eight shape in the air while holding the ropes. Feel
free to reverse direction in the middle of your round.
A great way
to begin using the ropes is by using both hands to hold one side of the rope
until you feel comfortable enough to lift both sides of the rope.
And the same
goes for when the two ropes get too heavy. Drop one side and grab onto one rope
with both hands. It still gives you the benefits of training with both sides of
the rope.
I’ve even
seen people sit on a bench with their feet planted on the ground while they use
their upper body to move the ropes.
