Sometimes battle rope are called "heavy ropes." For a long time, the battle rope has been a training tool used by football players, mixed martial arts (MMA) athletes, and other athletes. It is a high-intensity full-body exercise that can mobilize your muscles in a whole new way.

Unlike relatively static exercises, such as lifting and lowering the barbell, the battle rope is a dynamic and constantly changing form of exercise. It has an additional benefit, which is to let you know whether your actions are correct.

The action of the battle rope includes whipping, power drop, or dragging, but the most popular activity is to make the battle rope undulate up and down like a wave. A typical battle rope exercise may involve a group of people competing with each other to keep the waves up and down, or the battle rope training may be part of a high-intensity circuit training.

Battle Rope Training Benefits

The battle rope is usually regarded as a training tool for the upper body, and it is true. But its benefits don't stop there. The battle rope can exercise the muscles of your abdomen, back, and buttocks. You can also combine other movements, such as jumping, lunge and squat, to exercise your legs at the same time.

Jonathan Ross, a spokesperson for the American Athletic Association (ACE), said in an interview with Channel News Asia:

"It's a bit like running with your upper body... it will not only exercise different muscles but also exercise muscles in different ways."

Donna Cyrus, vice president of programming at Crunch, went on to add:

"This is a very ideal core training method. Abdominal muscles, back muscles, and gluteus maximus (muscles of the buttocks) are all involved... This can increase the tension of the upper body muscles and consume a lot of calories. ."

A survey published by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research even found that just 10 minutes of battle rope training can significantly increase heart rate and energy consumption, thereby helping to improve cardiorespiratory health.

Moreover, battle rope training is unisex! Don’t simply think that only boys can play, and girls can also play with the ropes. Many Victoria's Secret Angels especially like battle rope training. Because it is so cool and useful. 

How to Use Battle Ropes?

The gameplay of Battle Rope is flexible and changeable. Because rope throwing is a high-intensity and rapid force action, it is usually based on interval training. It can be combined with adjustable barbells, body solid kettlebells and other equipment for combined training.

The longer and thicker the battle rope, the more strength you need to keep its waves up and down. The degree of relaxation it allows will also affect the intensity of training. The closer you are to the anchor point, the greater the resistance generated.

Here are three common methods of battle ropes, but you can also try other methods. Part of the charm of the battle rope is that it allows you to move in many different directions. The more movements you use (such as from side to side, swinging up and down, or moving in a circle), the more likely you are to exercise different muscles and improve shoulder mobility and range of motion.

• Wave-an alternating mode of action, the main direction of force is towards the anchor point.

• Power throw-an offensive action, the main direction is to throw hard to the ground.

• Whiplash-a symmetrical mode of action, the main direction of force is towards the anchor point.

When using the battle rope, you can choose between two grips, one is the upper hand (the action of shaking hands) and the other is the lower hand (the action of holding the microphone). As for which exercise is best for you, it depends on the specific exercise and the results you expect.

Battle rope can be used as a form of high-intensity interval training

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has always been one of the best forms of exercise that have been proven by multiple studies, both in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. There is evidence that by focusing on endurance-type exercises, such as jogging on a treadmill, you may miss many of the most far-reaching benefits of exercise.

HIIT can also provide health benefits that cannot be obtained through regular aerobic exercise, such as a significant increase in human growth hormone (HGH, also known as health hormone). Perhaps the most important benefit is that HIIT only takes a few minutes a week, instead of hours like other exercises.

For HIIT training with a battle rope, you may need 30 seconds of "two-handed whip" and "alternate whip" exercises as intense as possible, followed by 60 seconds of recovery time. This set of training only needs to be repeated 8 to 10 times, sticking to it two to three times a week.

Men and women will increase their maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max) after participating in this HIIT training for four weeks. Maximum oxygen uptake refers to the maximum amount of oxygen that can be absorbed during exercise, and it is an indicator of cardiovascular health. Someone pointed out that the battle rope HIIT showed the potential to improve aerobic and anaerobic capacity in just four weeks.

Both two-handed whiplash and alternate whiplash are suitable for beginners, so if you are new to battle ropes, these are simple and effective entry-level HIIT exercises. Greatist issued two clear instructions on how to do this:

• Two-handed waves "First, stand facing the anchor point with your feet shoulder-width apart. Grasp the ends of the rope with your hands, palms facing each other. Bend your knees slightly, tighten the core, and move your arms up and down quickly to make the rope form waves.

• Alternating waves: "Stand facing the anchor point, with feet shoulder-width apart, and knees slightly bent. Grasp both ends of the rope with both hands, palms facing inward. Raise one arm to the shoulder level, then back Start the movement quickly downwards, and at the same time raise the other arm to a position flush with the shoulder. Complete the alternate movement as quickly as possible, and the movement should be standardized."

What muscles have been trained on the battle rope?

You can exercise the arm muscles, shoulders, chest, waist and abdomen core, back and buttocks. Almost all the main muscles of the whole body are covered, and the lower body muscles can also be adjusted to achieve the purpose of the exercise.