"At the End of My Ropes..."

 

 There’s a commercial out now for Oscar Mayer's P3 Portable Protein Pack that shows different methods people use to get healthy. The last scene shows a guy at the gym  furiously whipping ropes up and down. When his friend asks him,

“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 low impact. There’s minimal stress on the joints, with all the force  being applied to the muscular system. Although battle rope workouts can be intense, you can tone them down to any fitness level. Whether you’re just starting out, recovering from an injury, or even if you have bone and joint problems, there’s a battle rope routine that can    benefit you without pain or discomfort. Because the workouts use your body’s natural range of motion, you don’t have the negative restrictive aspects of common weight machines.

      -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.

 

 So if you’re new to the gym or you’ve been working out for years, using the battle ropes can add intensity and fun without the dangers of some machines. And, it’s a great calorie burn!