Battle Ropes Workouts – How Effective Are They?

 

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Introduction

In this article I will be disussing battle ropes workouts and their effectiveness in regards to building muscle and improving conditioning. Battle ropes have made big waves in the fitness industry in recent yrs and quite a few commercial gyms now have them. Later in the article I will be introducing a very good battle rope made by a company called Synergee. Battle ropes are very convenient to own for personal use outside of the gym. 

 

What Are Battle Ropes?

Battle ropes are a tool intended to be used for functional training, they can be used to increase strength and also to improve cardiovascular performance. They also allow for a full body challenging workout that is low impact at the same time. 

In essence they are thick ropes that you can get in varying lengths – generally from 30ft all the way up to 50ft. You can also choose from ropes with a diameter of 1.5 inches or 2 inches. So the hardest battle rope workouts will be with ropes that are 50ft long and with a diameter of 2 inches.

Good battle ropes should come with a mounting kit that allows you to create an anchor point on a wooden or concrete wall. This will be the most solid setup for personal use outside the gym. However you can also anchor your battle rope using a tree in a park, a solid pole or even a heavy kettlebell. 

 

Workouts With Battle Ropes

There are many different exercises you can do with battle ropes. It must be stated that the aim should be to make progress over time using progressive overload just as you would with weight training. To do this you can make an exercise with battle ropes harder by moving closer to the anchor point, increasing the duration of each exercise or adding more overall volume. 

Now I am going to outline very effective exercises that can be performed with the battle ropes:

• Rope slams – This is where you bring the battle ropes all the way up and slam them down on every rep. This will work the core hard and tax the entire body. It has great cardiovascular benefits and strength benefits also if you move close towards the anchor point.
• Classic waves – This is the classic exercise that you would do with battle ropes, alternating single arm waves. You can progress these by increasing duration or by moving closer to the anchor point.
• Outward circles – This will hit the shoulders and upper back hard as well as work the chest. Is a brutal workout.
• Jump and slam – Similar to the normal rope slam but on this exercise you would jump up with the rope and then slam it down. This will engage the legs and core heavily and be great for improving your cardio.
• Jumping jacks – You would do standard jumping jacks but while holding onto the battle ropes. Great for overall conditioning and improving your cardio. Would hit the shoulders hard as well. 

 

How Effective Are Battle Ropes Workouts?

Now onto the question “how effective are battle ropes workouts”? The research on battle ropes isn’t extensive, however from the research it has been shown that the short term effects of battle rope training can elicit moderate to vigorous cardiovascular responses (Fountaine & Schmidt, 2015). Therefore short term bouts of training with the battle ropes followed by rest intervals can be very effective for cardio.

In addition, battle ropes are a useful way of training functionally that utilises all the muscle groups in the body. You can target muscles that may not be activated as effectively in isolation bodybuilding exercises. The fact that you can apply progressive overload through performing the exercises closer to the anchor point, doing more volume or using heavier ropes means that this way of training can induce muscle gains over time.

I believe that battle ropes workouts are very effective for cardio and also for adding lean muscle when progressive overload is applied and a consistent approach is taken. I would say it shouldn’t take the place of weight training but as an added extra for functional training and improving cardio and work capacity. It can save time as well as quality workouts using battle ropes can be done in the space of 30-40 minutes maximum. 

 

Synergee Battle Rope

Synergee is a family business that started in 2011 by Joey and Gina Huneau. They started as a family run gym and later expanded into the online arena, selling fitness gear that would impact as many people’s lives in a positive way as possible. 

Fast forward to today and they are now a leading online retailer of fitness products. One of their quality products is the Synergee battle rope. They have battle ropes ranging from 30ft to 50ft long and with diameters ranging from 1.5 inches to 2 inches. In addition, their battle ropes are made from strong Dacron material that are wound together and covered in nylon. They can withstand even the most brutal of workouts and won’t fray.

Each of their ropes comes with a protective sleeve and a mounting kit that allows the user to create an anchor point to a wood or concrete wall. The overall quality of their ropes is hard to match by competitors, this is why they have so many customers that are very satisfied with this product.

If you are looking for a similar experience or better than any battle ropes you will find in a commercial gym I would recommend the 50ft Synergee battle rope. It would give the best and toughest workouts!

 

Conclusion

To conclude, in this article I have examined battle ropes workouts and how effective they are. I have used them myself and from my research and analysis, I believe battle ropes to be highly effective for cardio and functional training. They provide a unique challenge but can also add slabs of muscle and slash fat over time when used in a consistent manner and applying progressive overload. 

The research shows that for cardiovascular purposes short bouts of high intensity effort with the ropes followed by short rest intervals is the most effective way of using them. 

Synergee battle ropes are one of the best on the market at the price, their customer service is great and the product quality is very high. 

If you have any questions about anything I have written in this article, please leave me a comment below. As always, stay safe and enjoy your training!

 

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References:

Fountaine, CJ and Schmidt, BJ. Metabolic cost of rope training. J Strength Cond Res 29(4): 889–893, 2015