DANGEROUSLY FIT – BATTLE ROPE AUSTRALIA
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Battle ropes are an incredible training tool. They’re portable, cheap, easy to use, simple to store, high intensity but with low risk of injury and offer a huge range of fitness benefits.
The goal with battle rope training is to send fluid, consistent, rhythmic undulations through the rope and towards the anchor point. This is done with co-ordinated movements through the arms and shoulders with the core stabilising the trunk.
Depending on how you grip the rope, position your body and move the rope, all of the body’s major muscles can be targeted making them an excellent full-body workout.
Throwing in lower body exercises like squats and lunges is a sure way of hitting the legs and core and an excellent workout that challenges both the upper and lower body simultaneously.
The battle rope is one long piece of rope that is secured by an anchor point and has two ends that are held in each hand.
They come in a variety of sizes, the most common are 38mm or 50mm thick and 10-metres or 15-metres long.
The length of rope you use will largely be depend on the size of your training area, if possible go with the 15-metre rope.
If at first you’re unable to move the wave all the way through to the anchor point, use that as motivation and make that your training goal until you can.
A great tip is to mark where your wave ends using a visual cue like a cone, each week as you become stronger you’ll begin moving the marker closer to the anchor point until you can move the entire rope.
We recommend beginners start with a 38mm thick rope and advanced lifters use a 50mm rope, thicker ropes are heavier whilst thinner ropes allow for more fluid movements.
Battle ropes are a fantastic full body strength and conditioning tool that will drastically boost your fitness results. They are suitable for people of all ages, have an easy learning curve and offer significant training benefits no matter your current level of fitness, below is a list of the top benefits.
Battle rope exercises that require your body to move through full range of motion opens up tight problem areas such as the hips and shoulders improving strength, mobility and athletic performance.
Developing strength through full motion enhances your body’s ability to be strong whilst you move and when in unstable positions which ultimately helps you to avoid injury.
Regular battle rope training, especially when performing dynamic movements will gradually boost your range of motion helping you to move optimally.
After mobility comes stability, then ultimately durability. These three important pillars are essential for minimizing the risk of injury and boosting athletic performance.
Most battling rope exercises require your arms to work independently of each other which forces your core, back, glutes and legs to stabilize the dynamic movements.
A failure to control and stabilise the ropes will result in the ropes controlling you. Therefore, your body’s balance and coordination will improve and any muscle imbalances will be highlighted and helped by the unilateral movements.
Furthermore, performing battling rope exercises with your feet planted on the floor also improves stability. The force of the rope coming back at you after you wave forces you to stabilise and maintain a strong stance. This is known as the ‘dual-force dynamic’ effect which is a combination of gravity and the force being generated by the rope wave.
Durability is your bodys ability to resist injury. Durability is a combination of strength, mobility and stability. As discussed above, the battle rope is excellent at improving these three key areas which in turn builds your bodys resilience to injury.
Most people are dominant on one side of the body, this is especially true for athletes and for people that perform repetitive tasks on one side of the body for work.
The unilateral movements of battling rope training quickly highlight these muscle imbalances whilst strengthening the weak areas.
If you notice one side of the body fatigue faster, keep pushing through. Training both sides of the body for an equal amount of time, reps and sets will help fix these imbalances.
Overtime, the unilateral movements performed with battle ropes will help the weaker areas to catch up and neutralise any of these imbalances that you’ve developed.
Battle ropes offer high-intensity workouts without the negative impact of straining joints.
People that suffer from overuse injuries from too much running can reap the cardio benefits of battle rope training with low impact movements that have little chance of causing injury.
Many training tools create a large amount of compressive force causing joints to become compacted, battle ropes allow you develop strength without compressing the joints.
If your’e unable to exercise standing up, you can sit down using battle ropes and still get a challenging workout.
Battle ropes are excellent for developing core strength with many exercises targeting the obliques, rectus abdominus, erector spinae and glutes.
The core is forced to engage in rotation, anti-rotation, flexion, extension and resist against anti-lateral flexion through unilateral loading.
Furthermore, many exercises require your arms to work independently of each other which engages the core to stabilise the trunk.
Your core and entire kinetic chain has to work hard to control the force that comes back at you through the rope to prevent you from being thrown off balance.
Battle ropes are not just for the gym, they are easily transported to the beach, park or can be used at home without damaging the floors. All you need is a little space and something to anchor them to like a tree, a fence or a heavy kettlebell and you’re all set. They also don’t take up much storage space like other training tools do. Keep your ropes tidy after training by packing them away into a bag, box or throw them over a storage hanger.
With your arms working independently of each other your core, back, glutes and legs are forced to activate to control and stabilize your movements.
Battling rope training will improve your timing and coordination which will in turn enhance your sporting performance.
Incorporating explosive jumping movements, kneeling, shuffling as well as forward and backward movements and your battle rope training becomes an effective functional strength and conditioning workout.
In one scientific study, 30 college basketball players took part in an 8 week training program with either battle ropes or an aerobic endurance program.
At the end of the 8 week training program the students in the battle rope group showed significant improvements in chest pass speed, jump height, core endurance and shooting accuracy.
Whereas the aerobic endurance group only showed improvements in aerobic capacity and upper body strength.
At first sight it’s obvious that battle ropes target the upper body, but depending on how you grip the rope, position your body and move the rope, all of the body’s major muscles can be targeted.
Throwing in lower body exercises like squats and lunges is a sure way of hitting the legs and core and an excellent workout that challenges both the upper and lower body simultaneously.
When it comes to kicking goals never underestimate the value of mental toughness.
Mental toughness is the ability to push through past failures and remain positive, motivated and competitive. It gives you the strength to face challenges and overcome obstacles with grit and determination in a positive way.
People with mental fortitude use past failures to better themselves and learn, rather than letting those failures destroy them and discourage them from pursuing future opportunities.
Fitness not only develops strength, endurance and physical toughness, it also helps develop mental toughness too.
A tough workout on the heavy battling ropes will test you both mentally and physically, strengthening your mental fortitude that will help you in all areas of your life.
Research performed at Windsor University showed that training with battle ropes increases VO2 max and average peak VO2, which means battle rope workouts improve your body’s ability to perform high-intensity exercise.
Other studies have showed that a 10-minute battling rope workout can lead to significant improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and may be even more effective than traditional moderate-intensity exercise (think of battle ropes as sprinting for your upper body).
There are many ways to incorporate battle ropes into your cardio workouts including Tabata, HIIT and steady state cardio which requires less intensity but for longer periods of work.
High intensity battle rope training simultaneously targets both the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems (metabolic conditioning). These cardio + resistance training workouts have a powerful metabolism boosting effect making them excellent for weight loss, developing endurance and improving cardiovascular health.
It depends on your fitness goals.
If your goal is endurance (aerobic), a battle rope set can last up to 20-minutes.
If your goal is speed and explosiveness (anaerobic), a battling rope set might only last 20-30 seconds.
One of the great things about battle rope training is that your technique can be observed by the quality of your wave.
If you begin to fatigue or your form is lacking the wave will reflect this.
The force you generate through the rope (power output) can also be measured this way as the rope needs continued energy to keep the battle rope moving.
Battling ropes can be used to target both the upper body and lower body simultaneously which is metabolically demanding. High intensity battle rope training targets the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems (metabolic conditioning). These cardio + resistance training workouts have a powerful metabolism boosting effect making them excellent for weight loss.
A 38mm x 10 meter battle rope will weigh approx 7kg-9kg and a 38mm x 15 meter battle rope will weigh around 13kg-15kg.
If you want to reduce the weight of the battle rope, grip the rope closer to the anchor point to decrease the slack and lessen the resistance.
Wrap the rope around the anchor point so that the middle of the rope is placed at the anchor point, pull both ends of the rope together and straighten the ropes.
Your battle rope anchor point needs to be strong enough to support the weight of both you and rope.
If possible secure your ropes to the wall or floor using a purpose-built battle rope anchor, if you’re unable to use a battle rope anchor there are some alternatives.
If you’re training in a gym, they can be anchored with a floor secured squat rack, at home with a floor to ceiling support beam and outside round a post or tree.
Always ensure that your anchor point is sturdy, can support the required weight and will not move in anyway by the ropes undulations or with you leaning on the ropes.
The anchor point needs to be smooth and round, any sharp edges or rough surfaces will eventually fray and chew through your ropes.
Always make sure your rope is stored in a dry place away from direct sunlight. If you’re limited for space a simple tub or bag will do, however if you have the wall space a storage hanger is a great way to keep your battling ropes tidy.
You can safely train with battling ropes 3-5 times per week, after intense workouts allow a rest day in between to give your muscles a chance to recover.
Generally speaking no, battle ropes should not damage your floors. If possible though try to train on solid surfaces like concrete, tiles or wood.
Yes, we offer fast and affordable shipping to Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Hobart & Adelaide. We also ship to regional areas throughout Australia but please allow a few extra days.
