Battle ropes are quickly becoming one of the biggest fitness trends.
For those who are not familiar with this piece of equipment, battle ropes are thick ropes that are either looped around a pole or anchored with a strap.
You can use these ropes for individual exercises, as a finisher, or complete an entire battle rope training routine.
Battle Ropes Target the Whole Body
A battle rope is one of the few pieces of equipment that targets almost every major muscle group. You get a whole-body workout with a single item.
The basic rope exercise is called ‘waves’. You do this by holding the ropes whilst maintaining a solid stance and waving the ropes up and down.
Obviously, the ropes mostly work the upper body, as you are swinging the ropes using your arms. However, you are also working your legs and hips, as you need a good stance to maintain your balance while performing rope exercises.
Of course, you can also add other movements to the exercise to target specific areas. Adding jumps, lunges or squats brings more intensity to the exercises and ensures that you get your legs more involved.
Ropes Help Improve Balance and Coordination
Most people favor one side of their body. When performing a curl, you may find it easier to lift with your dominant arm. You may also have more coordination with one side than with the other.
The ropes help eliminate this imbalance. With regular use, battle ropes may improve your coordination, as the ropes force you to work each arm independently.
As I previously mentioned, you can also add lunges, jumps, and squats to your battle rope exercises. Adding these movements further aids your coordination and timing, which is beneficial for improving your overall athletic performance.
You may gain better results by alternating your grip on the ropes and by moving the ropes in different directions.
Instead of simply waving the ropes up and down, you can move the ropes in circles, for example, to work different muscles and focus on your coordination.
Battle Rope Exercises Help Improve Cardiovascular Health
When you are mostly concerned with developing muscle mass, it is easy to forget about your cardiovascular health. Without doing cardio, you will start to lose the endurance needed to complete intense lifting sessions.
Battle ropes may improve cardiovascular health. In fact, this is one of the first
advantages that was discovered when the ropes were first developed.
Performing exercises with the ropes will keep your heart rate elevated, much like when you perform a cardiovascular exercise. You are getting a cardio workout whilst using resistance training to work your muscles.
Battle ropes also provide a low-impact alternative to typical cardio exercises. Running and jogging can put stress on your knees, hips, and lower back. If you suffer from joint problems or mobility issues, you may even have to avoid these cardio exercises, all together
When you use battle ropes, you are using a full range of motion with limited impact on your joints.
Battle Ropes Help Strengthen Weaker Body Parts
If you struggle to build strength in your feet, knees, hips, or grip, battle ropes may provide the best solution. Remember, battle ropes give you a total body workout.
Each time you wave the ropes, you are producing a force that returns to your arms and moves through your body. You are ensuring that areas that often receive less attention get a full workout.
With battle ropes, you naturally develop a stronger grip as you produce stronger waves and add more speed or movement to your exercises. You are also strengthening your hips, knees, feet, and ankles, whether you remain stationary or perform additional movements.
Ropes Help Improve Stability and Mobility
Rope exercises require constant motion and stretching, which helps to increase your mobility. This further helps reduce your risk of injury, and may improve your athletic performance.
With continued use of the ropes, you may increase your overall mobility. This is especially true when performing dynamic rope exercises.
When performing rope exercises that keep your feet planted, you are working on your stability. The force you create when you wave the ropes comes back to you, forcing you to maintain a solid stance.
These benefits may help you in other areas. For example, improving your stability is useful for lifting in general, while improved mobility is beneficial for playing almost any sport.
Conclusion
Battle ropes allow you to target your whole body while improving your coordination and adding a little excitement to your workout routine.
The ropes are normally incorporated in our INFUSION class but in general, you can use these ropes for a variety of exercises and workouts, including high-intensity interval training. With battle rope exercises, you may increase your cardio capacity, burn more calories, boost your mental fortitude, and improve your coordination, along with many other fantastic advantages.
If your regular workout routine is getting stale, you should consider using battle ropes. They are fun to use and provide an effective workout for developing lean muscle mass, burning fat, and improving your fitness levels.