Battle ropes are an often overlooked and less talked about tool for building muscle. They are an excellent choice to add to your workouts. From the latest school gymnasium to your local health club, you can find different types of battle rope workout classes. “Battle ropes” or “SRG handles,” as they’re sometimes called by trainers, build strength, endurance, and power equally in the upper and lower body.
Battle ropes will make you strong, but what exact muscles do battle ropes work? Battle ropes primarily target upper body muscles, including the deltoids, rhomboids, upper and lower back muscles, arm muscles, and grip. Here’s a quick rundown of the best battle rope exercises that work specific muscles to give you a head start on a killer total body workout.
What are Battle Ropes?
Battle ropes, also known as heavy or battling ropes, are used to increase strength and conditioning. The rope is made from a heavy-duty material such as nylon and weighs about 25 pounds. The length of a combat rope is 30 feet, and its thickness is 2 inches. The rope is fastened in the middle, giving the user 15 feet of rope in each hand. It is also lightweight and affordable.
There are two main types of battle rope exercises: high rep training and low rep training. High rep training involves performing several repetitions at a relatively quick pace - between 40 seconds and one minute. Low rep training means performing fewer repetitions at a slower pace - between 60 seconds and three minutes.
The Benefits of Different Battle Rope Exercises
Here are some major pluses of using battle ropes in your fitness routine:
Full Body Workout
Battle ropes are an excellent full-body workout because they work for multiple muscle groups simultaneously. For example, if you were doing a squat with battle ropes, you would simultaneously work your legs, back, arms, and shoulders. This is why they are such an effective exercise tool!
Improve Strength
Battle ropes improve strength, especially regarding your core and upper body muscles. They can help build muscle mass and increase lean muscle tissue. Not only that, but they improve muscular endurance and increase explosive power as well.
Cardiovascular Health
Battle ropes can help improve cardiovascular health by increasing your heart rate and blood flow throughout the body. When you use battle ropes in a workout routine, you’ll get more oxygen into your lungs and muscles to work harder for longer periods without becoming winded or tired. This helps you become stronger and more fit over time, which is key to a healthier lifestyle.
Easy Workouts
Battle ropes are ideal for short workouts because they take less time than other exercises like running or weightlifting. While some people spend hours on their battle rope workouts, most people typically use them for 20 minutes or less. The best part about this is that it doesn’t matter how fit you are — even if you’re just starting with exercise, you’ll still see results from using battle ropes because they work the entire body.
More Functional Strength
Functional strength is important because it allows you to perform daily tasks more easily and efficiently. Battle ropes require you to stabilize yourself while moving your arms through space, which increases overall functional strength so that you can move more efficiently when playing sports or lifting objects around the house.
What Muscles Do Battle Ropes Work?
As a total-body workout, battle ropes target your entire body, including your arms, legs, abs, and core. When you execute combat rope exercises, your core, arms, shoulders, back, glutes, and quads face most of the strain. The exercise engages almost every muscle in your body.
Many people think this is primarily an upper body-focused workout routine, but you can easily make it a lower body-focused one. As long as you are in the upright standing position, the lower body will be in play to keep your upper body balanced as the ropes create ongoing forces that you must once again withstand.
Battle ropes are also useful for addressing imbalances because your arms function separately. You’ll need to maintain high performance on both sides of your body during this exercise. As a result, your core will have to stabilize your entire body.
Are Battle Ropes Cardio Or Strength Training?
Battle ropes are one of the most effective weapons in any fitness arsenal. They are both cardio and strength training workouts in one! You’ll burn calories while your heart rate increases during your workout session. You’ll also be strengthening your arms and shoulders while working on your overall endurance, making this exercise great for anyone who wants to lose weight or get in shape quickly.
You can use battle ropes to perform various strength and conditioning exercises, but the basic idea is to hold onto one end of a rope and swing it around your body. The rope will naturally twist up in your hands as it moves around your body, so you’ll need to keep a firm grip on it at all times. The rope should also be moving at high speeds throughout each exercise.
Do Battle Ropes Help to Build Muscles?
The Battle Ropes are a great tool for building muscles. In fact, it is one of the most beneficial workouts for strengthening and sculpting your body. This is because it works on every muscle in your body at once. This means you will use all muscles in your arms, shoulders, and legs.
It’s important to gradually stress your muscles using combat ropes to gain muscle over time. You may achieve this by reducing rest time, increasing work time, or increasing the difficulty of the combat rope workouts.
Overall, using battle ropes will help you grow muscle, but not in the same way as using a barbell or a wide variety of dumbbells. This is because you are constrained by the amount of resistance you can utilize and your ability to apply progressive overload. Consequently, combat ropes will aid in the development of lean, firm muscle.
4 Battle Ropes Exercises to Try
Here are 4 most effective battle rope exercises you should try adding to your routine:
Rope Slams
- Begin by standing with your feet hip-width apart and one rope in each hand. Having slack in the ropes is necessary.
- Make a small knee bend, lower your shoulders, and involve your core.
- As you hoist the ropes with both arms over your shoulders, press into the balls of your feet and stretch your legs.
- As the ropes reach their highest point, slam them as forcefully as possible into the ground.
- Reverse the motion as soon as possible by pulling the ropes back up.
Repeat the exercise for 30 seconds at a time.
Alternating Wide Circles
- Place your feet hip-width apart and grab a rope in each hand to get started. The ropes ought to have some slack.
- Bring your shoulders back and involve your core while bending your knees slightly.
- Swing the rope to the side with your right hand in a circular motion.
- Your left hand should be in the same position as the rope when it returns to the beginning point.
Continue switching hands without pausing for 30 seconds. Do three to four sets of three to four repetitions, then rest for 30 seconds. Reverse the circles for a new level of difficulty and a new focal point for your muscles.
Unilateral Waves
- Begin by standing with your legs hip-width apart and holding a rope for each hand. Slack should be allowed in the ropes.
- Make a small knee bend, lower your shoulders, and engage your core.
- Using your right hand, swing one of the ropes upwards. As you swing it back down, use your left hand to pull the opposite rope up. The ropes should be traveling in the opposite direction to each other.
Repeat this motion for 30 seconds. After taking a 30-second pause, repeat the exercise for 3 - 4 repetitions or go on to the next.
Bilateral Waves
- Holding a rope in each hand, stand with your feet hip-width apart. The ropes ought to have some slack.
- Make a small knee bend, lower your shoulders, and involve your core.
- At the same moment, raise and lower both ropes to a height slightly below your shoulders. The ropes will appear to be swaying in the wind.
- Immediately raise the ropes. Repeat the motion continuously.
Repeat this movement for 30 seconds at a time. After taking a 30-second pause, repeat the exercise for 3 - 4 repetitions or go on to the next.
Tips to Wrap It Up
As one of the most popular home fitness equipment pieces, battle ropes are a worthy place in your exercise routine. Here are tips for maximizing your time and effort working with these ropes. Put them to good use, and you’ll do more than develop formidable forearms. Actually, you’ll be on the path to better overall fitness!
- Make a sluggish start by having a warm-up and gradually increase your pace. It’s tempting to go full-throttle right out of the gate, but you’ll probably get tired quickly and have to stop early. Start with a slow rhythm and work up to it over time.
- Don’t swing the rope too high above your head unless you want to risk hitting yourself in the face or elsewhere on your body! Keep it at chest height or below if possible.
- Keep your abdominal muscles tightened when using a battle rope, so you don’t lose your balance during the exercise.
Battle ropes are ideal if you’re looking for a way to torch calories, improve overall fitness, and build up your endurance. They’re easy to set up, use and store, and they put minimal strain on the joints. But mastering the ropes takes practice - and perseverance.