If you’ve ever been to the gym, you’ve probably seen someone swinging thick, heavy ropes up and down. These ropes are called battle ropes, which are also called war ropes. Types of battle rope are used for strength and calorie-burning exercises. We have written everything you need to know about this sport in this article.
What is Battle Rope?
A battle rope is a thick, long rope tied to a wall or a strong bar using a hook. The string passes through the theme and is divided into two equal parts, and the head of each piece is placed in one hand of the athlete. This straightforward sports equipment has excellent performance, and you can increase your physical strength and control your body weight by performing its exercises.
What are the benefits of battle rope exercise?
If you’re thinking, “What is Battle Rope good for?” We must say that the rope and battle rope exercises are often used for slimming. Of course, in addition to weight loss, this exercise has many other benefits, which we will examine below.
1. Strengthen the whole body
The battle rope exercise involves most of the body’s muscles, including the abdominal muscles, shoulders, arms, upper and lower back, and lower body. Of course, if you want to strengthen a specific part of your body, you can do movements suitable for that part.
According to research, doing battle rope three times a week for six weeks strengthens the upper body and core muscles. After six weeks, athletes, both men and women, can perform 7 to 10 times more Swedish swimming.
2. Improve cardiorespiratory function
To move these thick cords, the blood pumping speed to all your muscles has to increase so the heart works faster. According to numerous studies, even 10 minutes of training with battle rope in each exercise session improves a person’s heart and breathing performance. In addition, battle rope increases the heart rate so much that it should be included in brutal strength sports. This exercise not only makes you burn a lot of calories in a short period but also strengthens your heart.
3. Improve sports performance
Because battle rope exercises improve physical strength and cardiovascular condition, they can significantly increase athletic performance. The state of 30 university basketball players who also performed battle rope exercises was investigated; after eight weeks, it was found that their performance in basketball, chest pass speed, jump height, core endurance, and ball-throwing accuracy had improved significantly.
Of course, these exercises may cause muscle fatigue and pain caused by complex sports movements and prolong recovery. Therefore, athletes should consider this point when designing their sports training.
4. little damage
The risk of injury in battle rope exercises is shallow, so this sport is the best choice for people with lower body injuries or looking for more straightforward strength exercises.
You must stand firmly on the ground against the ropes to perform most battle rope exercises. So you get your heart rate up without putting too much pressure on your lower back.
5. Ability to do Battle Rope exercises while sitting
If, for any reason, you can’t exercise standing, don’t worry. You can also do the Battle Rope while sitting.
In a study, the participants were asked to do the Battle Rope exercises while standing or sitting. According to this research, both groups of athletes benefited equally from the cardiorespiratory benefits of Battle Rope.
Five movements of battle rope
If you’re new to battle ropes, you must hit the gym. Most clubs have a place to use Battle Rope. Of course, if you want to do this exercise at home, getting lighter and shorter ropes first is better. For example, consider the length of the string to be about 3 meters and its thickness to be 3.8 cm. Later, when your physical strength improves, you can use lines of 6 to 9 meters with thicknesses of 5 centimeters.
When you have prepared the suitable rope, do the following five movements. The best movements of battle rope are waves or kicks.
1. A two-way wave
To perform this move:
- Spread your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold one end of a rope with each hand. The string should be loose, so don’t pull it too tight.
- Bend your knees a little, lean your shoulders back, and use the central core part of the body.
- Hold both ends of the rope below your shoulders and move them up and down.
- Do the movements of raising and lowering the rope repeatedly without stopping.
- Do this movement for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds and start the exercise again. After doing this exercise 3 to 4 times, move on to the next battle rope move.
2. A one-way wave
- Spread your feet shoulder-width apart. Grab one end of the rope with each hand. The string should be loose, so don’t pull it too tight.
- Bend your knees a little, lean your shoulders back, and use the central core part of the body.
- Hold one end of the rope with your right hand and move it up, and at the same time, move the other end of the rope with your left hand in the opposite direction of your right hand, that is, down.
- Do this movement for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds and start the exercise again. After doing this exercise 3 to 4 times, move on to the next battle rope move.
3. Hit with a rope
- Spread your feet shoulder-width apart. Grab one end of the rope with each hand. The string should be loose, so don’t pull it too tight.
- Bend your knees a little, lean your shoulders back, and use the central core part of the body.
- Stand on your toes and pull up with the rope so your hands are slightly above your shoulders.
- When the rope is as high as possible, hit the floor with as much force as possible.
- After each hit, immediately return to the position before the crash.
- Do this movement for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds and start the exercise again. After doing this exercise 3 to 4 times, move on to the next battle rope move.
4. Rotational movement between each other
- Spread your feet shoulder-width apart. Grab one end of the rope with each hand. The string should be loose, so don’t pull it too tight.
- Bend your knees a little, lean your shoulders back, and use the central core part of the body.
- Hold one end of the rope with your right hand and move it sideways (outward).
- Whenever you complete the circular movement with your right hand and return to the starting point, immediately repeat the same exercise with your other hand.
- Do this movement for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds and start the exercise again. After doing this exercise 3 to 4 times, move on to the next battle rope move.
To make this battle rope movement harder and more challenging to strengthen your muscles, this time, do the rotation movements in the opposite direction.
5. Hit with jump
- Spread your feet shoulder-width apart. Grab one end of the rope with each hand.
- Get into a squat position. In this case, the central core of your body is fully involved. Now stand on your toes and jump up. At the same time, raise the rope as high as you can.
- As you come back down, immediately stand on your toes while hitting the rope firmly on the floor.
- Do this movement for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds and start the exercise again. Do this movement like the previous movements 3 to 4 times in each training session.
This battle rope move is more complex than others and unsuitable for everyone. If you should not perform vigorous movements due to possible injuries in your body, skip this exercise.
Here are a few tips for doing battle rope exercises better
1. Consider your physical strength
Before starting Battle Rope exercises, you should know your physical strength and choose a rope that matches your weight and speed.
2. Perform various Battle Rope moves
Battle rope moves are very diverse. You can move the ropes in different directions. Do foreign and varied movements to strengthen all the muscles in your body.
3. Add the length of the rope
Once you’ve mastered the battle rope moves, increase the size of your string. The farther you get from where the line is tied, the harder it is to move it. The more effort you put into moving the lines, the stronger your muscles will be.
4. Use Battle Rope to end your day’s exercise
If you are doing other sports during the day, do some battle ropes at the end of your workout. This will increase your physical strength even more.
5. Engage your core
You must stand adequately and perform the exercises correctly during battle rope movements. In this way, the central core of your body is engaged and strengthened over time.
6. Watch your shoulder movements
Whatever movement you do, you should keep your shoulders as described in the explanation of the Battle Rope movements. If your shoulders have an excess tendency, you are more likely to get neck pain.
7. Pay attention to your breathing
Beginners hold their breath while moving the rope. This reduces a person’s performance and enjoyment of doing this exercise. Therefore, you should pay attention to your breathing during training.
Errors that should not be made during training
1. Only upper body use
Some people only use their upper body instead of engaging the whole body in the exercises, which makes the battle rope movements ineffective. To perform these exercises, the legs and core of the body play an important role.
2. Intense and excessive training
Beginners should not do challenging and intense exercises. If you are a beginner, you should start with easy exercises and gradually increase the intensity of the activities.
3. Keeping the lower body tight
Some people keep their legs as rigid as if stuck to the ground while doing battle rope movements. For the most effective of these exercises, you need to be flexible, so you don’t have to stand too tightly.
4. Keeping the rope tight
For the Battle Rope movements to have a good effect on your body and to be able to perform them correctly, you need to hold the rope a little loose. So go about three steps towards the place where the rope is attached so that the string is not rigid and has more flexibility.
last word
You can visit sports stores and online stores to buy battle ropes. Battle rope prices vary according to the type of rope, length, and thickness. You can achieve good results by purchasing this simple sports equipment and performing its movements. If you are currently practicing this sport, we will be happy to tell you about your experience and the results you got from this sport.
Warning! This article is only for educational purposes; to use it, it is necessary to consult a doctor or specialist.
