A battle rope workout is fun, effective, and can help you burn a lot of calories.
A battle rope workout is low-impact but involves high-intensity training using ropes. It allows you to strengthen muscles, improve cardiovascular endurance and burn a lot of calories, all at the same time. John Brookfield designed battle rope training in 2006 in his backyard. The battle rope training regimen is for fitness goals such as increasing strength, power, and muscular endurance.
Types of Material Used for Battle Rope
Material is your most important consideration. You have essentially three material options when buying a battle rope:
1.Good Poly Dacron
2.Cheap Poly Dacron
3.Manila
Size and Length of Battle Ropes
There are three standard lengths of battle rope, i.e., 30-feet, 40-feet, and 50-feet, with 1.5-2-inch thickness. The length of the battle rope depends on the available space. The most famous battle rope lengths are 50 feet, 40′ and 30′, respectively. The 2 inch ropes are 35% larger than the 1.5 inch ropes and require a firmer grip to maintain and control the battle rope.
The intensity of battle rope workouts varies by changing rope length, thickness, wave velocity, amplitude, anchor position, and muscle mass used. It is best to start with a lighter and shorter rope which is usually 3 metres long and 3.8 cm thick. As one gains strength, longer 6-9 metres length and 5cm thickness ropes are ideal. To target different muscle groups, performing a variety of battle rope exercises is essential.
Benefits of Battle Rope Workout
Battle ropes training can help building muscular strength, enhancing athletic performance, and increasing cardiorespiratory fitness. It improves the stability of both the upper and lower body. It is also an excellent alternative to cardio exercises.
Some of the other benefits are as follows:
Full Body Workout
Regular training with battle rope workouts can improve grip strength, stimulate the aerobic energy system, work on targeted muscle groups, and help lose fat. Ropes create a dual force dynamic effect; one uses the force of gravity and the force created by rope waves to amplify and improve physiological response.
Fat Loss
High Intensity Interval training burns 25-30% more calories than other individual forms of exercises such as weight training, running, and biking. Battle rope HIIT is perfect for boosting your workout efforts as it increases the heart rate, breathing rate and energy expenditure. Battle ropes can also be combined with other traditional body weight exercises such as squats, push ups, lunges, and triceps dips etc., for added fat loss benefits.
Increase in Metabolism
As discussed, the battle rope is a part of the HIIT workout. Several studies have shown that HIIT increases the metabolic rate for hours after exercise. Even after completing your workout, your body burns out more calories than usual. It boosts your BMR(basal metabolic rate). BMR means how many calories your body burns if kept in complete resting mode. And a higher metabolism means more calorie burning when you are even at rest. Higher metabolism can also shift the body’s energy derivation towards fat than the carbs.
Increased Oxygen Consumption
Battle rope training can increase the ability of the muscles to use oxygen. This in turn increases the oxygen consumption in the body. Following a 20 minutes of battle rope exercise 3-4 times per week for 4-5 weeks, can improve oxygen consumption by up to 9%.
Enhanced Athletic Performance
Battle ropes are known for their strength-building and cardio benefits. Battle rope exercises do not make muscles get too much load at once. Rather, it works on creating continuous tension in the muscles. Research has shown that adding battle rope exercises into sports training improves athletic performance. For example, an eight-week study of basketball players has demonstrated significant improvements in speed, jump height, core endurance, and shooting accuracy. It also increased aerobic capacity and upper body strength.
Things to Remember About Battle Rope Exercises
Mastering the proper form is essential before increasing the speed and weight of the rope. The key to a successful battle rope workout will be how you move the ropes, not how fast you move them.
While targeting different muscle groups, try various movements of battle ropes.
Keep the shoulder blades down to strengthen the shoulder stabilisers. Elevated and hunch forward shoulders put excess strain on the neck, which results in pain and stiff muscles.
Don’t forget to breathe. Beginners are likely to forget to breathe while swinging ropes which can hinder their performance.
Only use a heavier rope if you’re comfortable with it. For example, beginners could start by choosing a lighter rope, while more experienced people could try out some heavier options.
Consulting a professional trainer is necessary before starting this workout to avoid injuries.
Conclusion
A battle rope workout is an excellent way to lose weight and gain strength. It helps in burning extra calories and enhances the metabolic rate. It decreases body fat, heart rate, and blood pressure and may help in lowering blood sugar and improving insulin sensitivity as well. The best part about this workout is that you can do it almost anywhere as it is adaptable at home and gym. However, start slow and steady. You might jump into potential injuries without adequately warming up beforehand.
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