When you think about doing cardio, you think about endless rows of cardio equipment. Or you think about going outside for a run or ride.
But what if you find these workouts, well, boring?
Ok maybe you turn to some bodyweight interval sessions.
However, even many of these are very lower body focused.
Or they include a ton of jumping.
And it can be hard if you have a lower body injury to find options to work around!
So how can you get in a killer cardio workout that even targets your UPPER body more while allowing you to work on everything from building power to your aerobic capacity and conditioning?
The answer?
With BATTLE ROPES!
Battle ropes are the perfect way to work your entire body with lower impact moves or even take your cardio training up a notch.
You can use them for longer intervals of work to improve your aerobic base or you can use them to build explosive power.
They can be great to target literally every muscle of your body, whether you choose a basic wave to just work your upper body, a plank variation to target your core or even a full body movement including shuffling, lunging or squatting.
Learning To Use Battle Ropes:
So how do you do the basic battle ropes alternating arm wave?
A fundamental wave to learn on the battle ropes is the basic alternating arm wave. To do this movement, hold a handle in each hand and walk back so there is some slack in the rope but they are pulled out straight. You do not want them stretched tight.
Holding a handle in each hand, pull one hand down toward your hip as you raise the other hand up. Then quickly alternating, swinging the other arm back as you raise the other arm up.
You can play around with a straighter arm movement or slightly more of a bicep curl.
There are also multiple ways to create this basic wave based on how you want to isolate and work areas. You can make it super arm intensive, holding a very still body and doing more of that curl.
You can also use rotation a bit more swinging from your hip. This is more of the “gunslinger” wave allowing you to use rotation to power the movement more.
You can also do more of a Frankenstein movement, slightly marching in place as you create the wave with straighter arms.
All of these can be used based on how you want to target areas so even play around with them!
But make sure you aren’t just shrugging as you create the waves, feeling your upper traps really becoming overworked.
Think quick fluid movements allowing the waves to push each other down over trying to lift the entire rope up and down each and every time. It’s why you want a bit of slack in the rope.
Make sure too you’re standing tall with your chest pressed out and focused on moving as quickly as possible.
Once you’ start using the basic alternating arm wave…How can you spice things up a bit?
Battle Ropes Modifications And Progressions:
Not only are there different waves you can create, from the double wave to sidewinders to rainbows, but you can even vary up that basic alternating arm wave exercise by the posture you perform the movement in and the involvement of your lower body.
You could add in a side shuffle as you perform the alternating arm wave, side to side lunges or even a reverse lunge.
If you need to modify around a lower body injury, you could even do the movement seated on a bench or on the ground.
With any of the waves you can really implement different postures and movements to work your entire body and work around lower body aches and pains.
You can do a single arm wave from a plank position if you wanted to work your core more and get in an anti-rotational movement during your conditioning workout.
Or even the rainbows balanced on your butt to work your obliques more.
If you want to add in impact and work on explosive power, you could combine a double arm wave even with a squat jump.
Battle ropes are simply a great way to target not only your upper body but adjust to meet your conditioning needs for that day and work a variety of muscle groups!
But now that you have all of these options, how can you create a workout?
Battle ropes are a great tool to use whatever energy system you want to target.
You can include them in an interval workout, whether you want a quick high intensity interval session for something quick, like 30 seconds on, 10 seconds off or you want to work on your aerobic conditioning and perform longer intervals of work on the ropes, even up to 10 minutes straight.
You can honestly even include them in a lifting session if you wanted the workout to be more metabolically focused. You could include even something to work on your strength and power by doing reps of the Snake wave or outward circles during your chest, shoulders and tricep session.
Just remember, you want to include tools in a way that matches your needs and goals. We don’t just want to put things in to feel more worked and train harder!
But if you’re looking for a way to improve your conditioning and create a new progression, give battle ropes a try!
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Battle Ropes are a versatile tool that you often only see used for Wave Exercises. And while Wave Exercises with the Battle Ropes are a great way to improve your strength and conditioning so are Rope Pulling Exercises.
Rope Pulls are a great functional exercise to strengthen your arms, back, core and legs while getting your heart rate up to improve your conditioning.
If you want strength and endurance, you need to include Battle Rope Pulls in your workout routine.
Battling Ropes are popping up at gyms everywhere now. However, many people have never used one or even seen one before.
And while Battling Ropes are an easy-to-learn piece of equipment great for exercisers of all levels, there is still some form required and key movements to learn to get the most out of your Battling Ropes workout.
Battling Ropes can be used to work your entire body and improve your cardiovascular conditioning. You can use the ropes to build an aerobic base, improve your lactic threshold or even increase your power.
And while you improve your cardiovascular conditioning, you can also develop functional full body strength doing the Battling Ropes Exercises.
There are two basic movements we do in our Battling Ropes Training – Waves and Pulls. In this post, we’ve focused on only Wave exercises.
Including the Battling Ropes Wave Exercises in your workouts is important because they not only help you develop greater power, but they also help you become stronger so that you can maintain that power and intensity for a longer period of time.
These Battling Ropes Exercises are a great way to get in a full body workout. And if you get your own Battling Rope, you can do these exercises anywhere you can find something to wrap your rope around!
Learn how to use the Battling Rope today with these 22 Exercises and 5 Battling Ropes Workouts.
Battling Ropes Exercises – The 22 Moves
Below are all the 22 Moves demonstrated in the video.
The first 8 moves are what we consider the Essential Movements. Master these moves before moving on. With just these first eight you can get in a great workout.
Moves 9-12 are great unilateral moves. Each of these moves forces you to work one side at a time, which allows you to correct imbalances because your dominate arm can’t take over.
Moves 13-22 are great full-body movements that require more coordination and incorporate a few of the Essential Movements. These are more advanced moves that are sure to get your heart rate up!
13. Switch Stance Stage Coach
14. Alternating Arms with Side Shuffle
15. Stage Coach with Reverse Lunge
16. Alternating Arms with Side to Side Lunge
17. Alternating Waves with Get-Up Lunge
18. Sidewinders with Forwards and Backwards Walk
19. Rainbow With Lunge
20. Rope Russian Twists
21. One Arm Plank Waves
22. Jumping Jacks
The 5 Battling Ropes Workouts:
These 5 Workouts are a great way to use the 22 Battling Ropes Moves above to improve your conditioning and even strengthen your entire body.
Workout #1:
Battling Ropes Interval Workout
Perform 3-6 rounds of each exercise. Rest for 1-2:30 minutes between rounds (1 minute advanced, 2:30 beginner). Rest 2-3 minutes between circuits.
CIRCUIT #1:
1 minute Stage Coach
CIRCUIT #2:
1 minute Alternating Arm Waves
CIRCUIT #3:
1 minute Sidewinders
CIRCUIT #4:
1 minute Rainbows
Workout #2:
Battling Ropes Tabata Workout
Complete 8 rounds of each exercise, working for 20 seconds then resting for 10. After completing 8 rounds of the exercise, rest for up to 2 minutes then move on to the next exercise.
Exercise #1:
20 seconds Alternating Arms with Side Shuffle
10 seconds Rest
Exercise #2:
20 seconds Rainbows with Lunge
10 seconds Rest
Exercise #3:
20 seconds Alternating Waves with Get Up Lunge
10 seconds Rest
Exercise #4:
20 seconds Sidewinders with Forward, Backward Walk
10 seconds Rest
Exercise #5:
20 seconds Alternating Waves with Side to Side Lunge
10 seconds Rest
Workout #3:
Battling Ropes Upper Body Workout
Set a timer for 15 minutes for each circuit. Complete as many rounds of each circuit in that 15 minutes as you can. After 15 minutes is up, rest 2-3 minutes and move on to the next circuit. Record how many rounds you complete and try to beat it next time!
Circuit #1:
10 reps Push Ups
20 reps Snakes
10 reps per side Rope Russian Twists
Circuit #2:
10 reps Pull Ups/Inverted Rows
20 reps Outward Circles
15 reps per side Plank with Single Arm Waves
Workout #4:
Battling Ropes 30/15 Workout
Set a timer for 30 seconds of work, 15 seconds of rest. Go from one exercise to the next, resting 15 seconds between moves. Once a round of the circuit is complete, rest 1 minute. Beginners may need to rest longer between rounds. Complete 6-8 rounds.
Work for 20 seconds on each side then rest for 20 seconds before repeating. Complete 5 rounds of each exercise. Rest up to 2 minutes before moving on to the next exercise.
Exercise #1:
20 seconds Unilateral Waves Right Hand
20 seconds Unilateral Waves Left Hand
20 seconds Rest
Exercise #2:
20 seconds Unilateral Outward Circles Right Hand
20 seconds Unilateral Outward Circles Left Hand
20 seconds Rest
Exercise #3:
20 seconds Unilateral Cross Body Waves Right Hand
20 seconds Unilateral Cross Body Waves Left Hand
20 seconds Rest
Exercise #4:
20 seconds Rope Hook Right Hand
20 seconds Rope Hook Left Hand
20 seconds Rest
Using these 22 Battling Ropes Exercises and 5 Workouts, you can get in a great functional strength and cardio workout no matter your fitness level.
What’s your favorite Battling Ropes Wave Exercise?
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