Tip Get Ripped with Battle Ropes Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip Get Ripped with Battle Ropes They' re a good tool but most people make the same mistake when using them Here' s how to properly battle those ropes by Thoren Bradley September 2, 2018March 11, 2022 Tags Fat Loss Training, Metabolic Conditioning, Metcon, Tips, Training We've all seen it, that motivational Instagram video of some "fitspo" doing an exercise over a dated Eminem song in an attempt to either motivate us or sell us some magic pooping tea we don't need. And what's the one exercise most of these videos has in common? Battling ropes. But why? My guess is because, well, they look cool. But are battle ropes a good way to improve physique and performance, or are they all fluff? Here's the lowdown. Like any exercise, if you do it hard and fast enough you're obviously going to sweat. But if sweating was your only goal you'd go for a jog outside. So the next question is, how can we make this an effective part of our routine? As a NCAA strength and conditioning coach I've seen many D1 athletes misuse battle ropes, forcing me to step in and lend a hand. The main problem? The average person grabs the ropes, walks backwards until the ropes are relatively tight, and proceeds to hammer away aimlessly with different unstructured patterns of movement. They look like drummers in a high school garage band on Adderall. This isn't doing much of anything, and it's unlikely to cause any sort of muscular adaptation. Why? Because there isn't enough actual load placed on the muscle when the ropes are pulled tight. Yes, it's easier to move those ropes like a wild banshee, but it'll prove about as effective as jogging. Grab the ropes, walk back, then take two big steps forward so the ropes are NOT taut. Take an athletic stance and an upright posture. Set a Tabata timer on your phone for 10 rounds of 20 seconds of work with a 10 second break. Alternate each round between strokes of your choosing. But once you pick a stroke, you must maintain it for the whole 20 seconds; you can't switch until the round is over. Once the 20 seconds is up, feel free to switch to another pattern. Find somewhere to escape the burn in your delts. Like any other exercise, the load matters. If you allow more slack in the ropes (by stepping forward) you'll be forced to work with the weight of the rope itself. Stretching them out tight doesn't allow for any actual weight to be loaded on the movement of your arm strokes. Small waves (alternating arms) Big waves (alternating arms) Double arm slams Jumping jacks (full jumping jacks with a rope in each hand) Outside circles Inside circles Horizontal (making the ropes move in a snake pattern on the floor by moving the handles inside to outside in a horizontal pattern) Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip Use the 40 Reps Method for Growth Stop thinking in sets. Instead, think about load and total reps. You'll get better results. Here's how. Tips, Training Chris Shugart January 16 Training Tip Do Weighted Stair Climbs for Metcon One of the best metabolic conditioning exercises you can do... if you have the guts. Check out these five brutal variations. Metcon, Tips, Training Rob King November 25 Training Tip Foam Roll AFTER Training For Fast Recovery Soft tissue work on the roller is okay before workouts, but it's best done after training. Here's why. It Hurts Fix It, Tips, Training Dr John Rusin May 31 Training Growth Explosion The 30-10-30 Technique Three young athletes gained 14 pounds in 14 days using a new training technique. Here's exactly how they did it. Bodybuilding, Training, Workouts Ellington Darden, PhD June 21