Benefits of battle rope exercises

Battle ropes are great and they are one of my favourite pieces of equipment that I use in my own workouts and with my personal training clients.

Battle ropes offer a way to break up the monotony of training and they are surprisingly versatile. For instance, they can be used as the main part of your workout, or at the end of a workout to finish off.

They are used by a range of different groups from professional athletes to recreational or hard core gym users.

I love battle rope training and in this article I am going to share some of the benefits of battle rope training as well four workouts you can use to get started, so lets jump in.

Benefits of battle ropes and how to use battle ropes in your workout.

1) Improves upper body strength

If you want to get stronger toned shoulders and arms then battle ropes are perfect.

They will strengthen your upperbody and core at the same time providing you use proper form to reduce the risk of injury.

2) Improves your heart health and muscular endurance

Battle ropes combine strength training and high-intensity exercise to improve stamina.

Most exercises we do to improve are cardio fitness involve using your legs. We generaly think to ourselves that we have to go for a run or a bike ride to get are cardio in.

However, with battle ropes it is one of the best cardio exercises you can fo for the upper body.

3) Increases your grip strength

I spent a lot of time rowing so my grip strength is pretty good, but I have trained clients with poor grip strength.

Poor grip strength can be detrimental to exercises that train the back, so if decreasing back fat is one of your goals training with battle ropes can indirectly help.

4) Use battle ropes to burn fat

They are a major calorie burner. Battle rope training uses a large amount of muscle mass as it is a full body workout. Exercises like battle rope slams can really get the heart rate up which leads to many calories being burned.

Also, becuase battle ropes build muscle they increase your metabolism in the long term making it easier to burn fat.

5) Versatility

Battle ropes can be used in many different scenarios. If you are training back and you want to finish your workout with some cardio, then battle ropes are a good option.

You can also use them as part of a HIIT workout if you choose some of the more explosive exercises.

Beginner’s guide to battle rope workouts

I have written four battle rope workouts, which have been taken from my pool of battle rope exercises. These workout use different systems of training. Enjoy!

Workout 1

Exercise	Work Interval	Rest Interval	Circuits
Ultimate Warrior (left)	20	10	8
Ultimate Warrior (right)	20	10	8
Outward Circles	20	10	8
Inward Circles	20	10	8
Alternate Mountain Climbers	20	10	8

Benefits of using battle ropes and tabata

Tabata training is a type of fitness interval training that lasts for four minutes. Tabata training was invented by the Japanese scientist Dr.Izumi Tabata and his research team.

During Tabata training you do an intense bout of exercise for 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds.

In order to get the most from Tabata training you want to choose exercises that work large muscle groups, which is why battle ropes training is an effective way to do Tabata training.

The Workout:

Each of the exercises in a given Tabata will last for an extremely intense four minutes. The workouts being:

• Exercise as hard as you can for 20 seconds
• Rest for 10 seconds
• Repeat 8 times (4 minutes)

As mentioned above, make sure you push your body to its limits during the 20 second work period. When that is complete rest for 10 seconds.

These 30 seconds will be the end of round 1. Repeat as needed. Here are the workouts to do in this order:

Workout Explained

The first of the battle rope exercises you will do is The Ultimate Warrior on your right side. Do as many of these as you can in 20 seconds and as intensely as you can. Then rest for 10 seconds.

Once you have done this cycle of work and rest 8 times rest for one minute, move onto the next of the battle rope exercises which is ultimate warrior left side.

Next you’re going to move onto outward circles.

Once you have done eight 20 second work intervals followed by 10 seconds rest, do the same with the inward circles and then alternate arm waves with mountain climbers.

This whole workout should take 24 minutes.

Full description of these battle rope exercises for beginners:

Ultimate warrior (left/right)

Start with your body in a sideways position to the anchor point. Your feet should be wider then shoulder width. Keep your legs at a slight bend. Make sure that the rope is fully extended and that your arms are also fully extended. Move your arms in an upward and downward direction. At the highest point your hands should go to your forehead and at their lowest point they should go to your hips. Try your best to create enough force to create a ripple effect all the way down to the anchor point.

Outward circles

Start with your bum pushed backwards so that all your weight is behind you. Get a good grip on your ropes and lean slightly forwards. Begin by performing big circular motions with the battle rope. Make sure that your hands go as high as your forehead and no lower than your waist. Repeat this motion for the full duration.

Inward circles

Begin at the same starting position as outward circles. The only difference between this exercise and outward circles is that you are going in the opposite direction. Make sure that you keep your back still and straight. All the movement should be coming from your arms, not your lower back.

Alternate arm waves and mountain climbers

Start with your back straight, head forward, bum back, knees bent and arms straight. Move the battle ropes in an upward and downward direction between your hips and forehead.

Ensure that you perform this movement with your arms alternating and that your body remains still through out the motion.

Once you have performed 6 waves between your two arms perform 6 mountain climbers.

Battle Ropes HIIT Workout 2

Battle Ropes Beginner Workout 2

In this battle rope workout, we are going to use the HIIT principles. HIIT stands for high intensity interval training.

With HIIT, you can burn the same amount of calories you would in 1 hour in just 20 minutes.

This means you work very intensely for short periods. The intervals can last anywhere from 5 seconds to up 60 seconds. Exercises need to be done at maximum intensity for best results.

Battle Rope Exercises For Beginners to perform in rotation:

1. Battle rope jumping Jacks

2. Around the world slams

3. Power slams

4. High alternate waves

5. Snakes

The Battling Ropes Beginner Workout:
Perform as many repetitions as you can in the allotted time. You want to work flat out during the workout. It should feel like you’re performing a sprint during every round.

If you are pacing yourself and going at a steady intensity, then you are not performing HIIT properly. For HIIT you have to push as hard as you can to get the most you can out of it.

If this is too much for you or your body, then choose the work and rest period that matches your fitness level and experience.

Ability level

Level Of Ability	Exercise Length	Rest
Beginner	15	45
Intermediate	20	40
Advanced	30	30

Full description of exercises

Battle rope jumping Jacks
Hold the battle rope in each hand without crossing the ropes over. Stand in an upright position looking forward, arms by your side and feet together. Perform a jump and split your legs so that they are wider than when you started. Land with your feet wide while at the same time moving your arms in an upward, side way direction.

Around the world slams
Hold the battle ropes in both hands and perform a jump as high as you can. Once your feet land on the floor slam the ropes down to the floor with as much force as you possibly can. When you’re performing your jumps make sure you are jumping in a sideway direction rather than landing in the same spot.

Power slams
Start with your feet shoulder width apart and grip both battle ropes. Your arms will move between your hips and forehead. Remember to maintain both your arms in as straight a position as you can throughout the exercise. Jump as high as you can in the air and slam the rope down on the floor with your maximum force. Perform the jumps in a continuous motion. There should be no pause in between jumps.

High alternate waves
Put your feet shoulder width apart, slightly bend your knees, lean forward, push your bum back and keep your weight back as though you are taking a seat. Leaning forwards and pushing your body weight back is very important because the battle ropes will pull you forward. Alternate your arms between your head and waist. Maintain your back in a straight upright position at all times. Make sure the movement is only coming from your arms and that your body is not moving.

Snakes
Start by leaning forward and pushing your bum back so that your weight is backwards to counteract the forward pulling force of the ropes. Pull your belly-button in and maintain a straight back. Start with both hands touching each other, and then move your hands in a side to side motion to about shoulder width and a half. Make sure that your hands do not move up or down. As you get stronger, the ropes will ripple all the way to the anchor point.

Battle Rope Workout For Beginners 3

Battle Rope Workout For Beginners 3: Peripheral Heart Action Training (PHA)

Exercise	Work Interval	Rest Interval	Circuits
Side To Side Waves	30	10	5
Burpees	30	10	5
Ultimate Warrior (right)	30	10	5
Burpees	30	10	5
Ultimate Warrior (right)	30	10	5
One Minute Rest			5

I have mentioned before that battle rope exercises for beginners are a great way to burn fat and tone the upper body.

You can do many exercises with battle ropes and perform them either as a standalone training session or at the end of a session.

However, when we combine using battle ropes with peripheral heart action training (PHA) the workout goes to a different level.

Peripheral heart action training was developed by Doctor Arthur Steinhaus.

It involves switching from the upper body to the lower body during different intervals to prevent the build-up of lactic acid in one area of the body.

The Workout
This battle rope workout routine will involve you doing different battle rope exercises for your upper body followed by a trainin rope exercise using just your body weight to work the lower body.

Your exercise period will be 30 seconds with a 10 second rest period. After every 5 heavy rope exercises you will rest for 60 seconds. You will repeat this 3 times.

The work out should last 16 minutes. These are the exercises:

Full description of  battle rope exercises for beginners

Side to side waves
You must maintain a straight back at all times and make sure that you don’t rotate your back as the rope sways side to side.

You must also sit with your bum back so that your body weight provides a counter pull to the rope which will be trying to pull your body forward.

Move your arms in a side to side motion making sure that your arms go towards the outside of your body.

Burpees
Start with your arms straight and hands on the floor. Have your feet on the floor also, with your back nice and straight as though you are about to perform a push up.

From this position jump your feet in towards your chest.

From this position, you will then bring your body up so that you can perform a jump. Jump as high as you can and when your feet hit the floor bend your knees and crouch down as low as possible.

Place your hands on the floor and jump your legs back into your start position. Repeat.

Ultimate Warrior
This battle rope exercise is the toughest exercise to perform due to how much it strains your shoulders. Start with your feet wider then hip width and your hands in front of your waist.

Be sideways to your anchor point. Start by lifting the rope up to your forehead and pushing it back down towards your waist. Use as much force as you can during your bout of exercise.

Battle Rope Routine4

Battle Rope Routine 4: Lower body Battle ropes

This battle rope cardio workout can be performed at the end of a workout or as a stand alone workout.

Although it is suggested that you do this workout for 20 minutes you can start with just 5 minutes and build up to the full 20 minutes. Here is the full workout.

The Fitness Rope Workout
This is a 20 minute workout. You will need a interval timer app to use on your phone. Set the rest period and work period according to what is recommended for your training ability and experience.

You will need to set the timer for 20 rounds. Perform the 5 exercises 4 times.

Ability level

Level Of Ability	Exercise Length	Rest
Beginner	15	45
Intermediate	20	40
Advanced	30	30

Here are the 5 battle rope exercises for begginers:

1. Alternate arms with squat

2. Burpee slams

3. Alternate arms with jump squat

4. Alternate lunge jumps with alternate arms

5. Alternate arms with side lunges

Full description of exercises

Alternate arms with squat
Grip the battle rope with your preferred grip. You must move your arms between your waist and hips at all times while keeping your arms fully extended. Perform a squat movement by squatting as low down as you can. Repeat the squats as many times as you can while maintaining continuous movement of your arms.

Burpee slams
Unlike alternate arms you will be moving both your arms together at the same time. Raise your arms up to the fore head and slam your hands down towards the floor as hard as you can with as much power as possible. Perform six slams and then do two burpees. Do as many reps as you can during the work period.

Alternate arms with jump squat
Squat down as low as you can and then perform a jump. Jump as high as you can. As soon as your feet hit the floor continue your arm movement. You must make sure that when your feet hit the floor you absorb the impact of your jump by bending your knees and going straight into a squat.

Alternate lunge jumps with alternate arms
Perform a lunge and make sure you get your knees as close to the floor as possible. From your lowered position jump up as high into the air as you can. Whilst in the air change your lead leg and land in a lunge position. Repeat this movement while continuously performing the alternate arm movement.

Alternate arms with side lunges
Lunge side to side while performing the alternating arm movement. Make sure that you bend your knees to 90% to work both your legs and glutes.

Summary

Using battle ropes are a great way to burn fat and improve upper body strength. I hope you found this article useful. Please leave any comments or feedback in the box below.

Topic: Battle rope exercises for beginners