What do Battling Ropes do and what are they good for? They may look impressive and are really tough but what outcomes do they produce and why?
The key principle behind Battling Ropes exercises is ‘Velocity Training’. This the constant force production that results in energy being produced and transferred into the rope. It means that the core, arms and associated stability muscles work synergistically to create these waves in a constant or varied continuum.
Where most people get the ropes wrong is that they pick them up with no real outcome in mind and just go all out. Yes, it will increase your heart rate and give you a decent workout but with the correct technique you could have programmed for a much more specific result.
The momentum of the waves will dictate the outcome somewhat. You can work the aerobic energy system by using a slower more constant pace where you move ‘like water’. The key is rhythm. You need to create a rhythm that can be maintained and where the breathing is constant.
The battling ropes are also magnificent for developing the anaerobic system and doing sprint work. The waves are far more frequent and at a much faster tempo. The end outcome is increasing the heart rate rapidly and doing these for short furious bursts.
Battling Ropes are also a wonderful tool for developing power. The movement requires more hip flexion and extension and the waves are far less constant but much larger.
All the waves are demonstrated in the sagittal plane but can easily incorporated to other planes of motion.
We teach the Battling Ropes in detail in our Level 1 ‘Fundamentals of Battling Ropes’ course. Read more about this and our other functional training courses here.
For for Newsletter