Guest writer Finlay Mead joins me again for the lowdown on a simple but effective exercise accessory – the humble battle ropes!
Rope Puns? I’m a Frayed-Knot…
It would be stating the bindingly obvious – perhaps even understating it – to point out that 2020 has changed the way we live. The way we work, the ways we interact and the ways we unwind have all drastically altered in recent months. However, one area of life that has changed more pointedly than the rest is the way we exercise; the sights, sounds, and (often questionable) smells of the public gym that were etched into our minds are quickly fading into a distant memory.
The home workout is in the ascendancy, with each of us having to revolutionise our personal exercise regimes in line with the square footage of our homes. Resistance bands were my first investment, followed quickly by a yoga mat. I’ve invested in kettlebells and other weights; medicine balls have become the new-normal!
One piece of gym equipment that still doesn’t receive enough attention considering the plethora of health benefits it can offer is the humble rope, or ‘Battle Ropes’ to those in the know; this post seeks to correct that imbalance. Having become a focal point of strength and conditioning training for Olympic Wrestlers, American Footballers, and Special Forces units around the world, ropes aren’t just for sailors and boy scouts anymore. Here are the main benefits of battle ropes and why you should work them in to your new routine.
Life is Balance
Though one should always be wary of one-stop solutions to your health and fitness needs – laced as they often are with the familiar whiff of snake oil – the battle rope truly does offer a whole-body workout. Pick your moves wisely (more on this later) and you’ll be able to work both your arms, your back, chest, legs, and core all in one short session.
The ropes also add a killer dose of cardio in a novel format that will leave the monotony of endless hours on a treadmill and cross-trainer languishing in the dust. More than this, the ropes don’t just offer a whole-body workout, but a balanced-body workout. John Brookfield – the man who invented the battle ropes system – puts it succinctly: ‘The key to their effectiveness is that they work each arm independently, eliminating strength imbalances as they sculpt your muscle’. By taking a rope in each hand, you’ll notice how each side of your body handles the challenge differently. One side may be a little stronger, a little more coordinated; using battle ropes will train out these imbalances, leaving your whole body stronger, levelling up your overall fitness.
Endless Exercises
As well bringing balance into your training regime, battle ropes offer an abundance of new ways to train and test your limits. Back to Grandmaster Brookfield: ‘Try different motions to work different muscles and skills’: ropes offer-up an endless arsenal of new moves to incorporate into your routine. The two exercises to be mastered first are Rope-Waves and Rope-Crossovers.
The former involves holding the ropes at arm’s length and at hip-level with your feet shoulder-width apart; engage your core and alternately raise and lower each arm with explosive force – ‘It works each arm independently and keeps your muscles under tension for extended periods’. For the latter, keep your feet flat on the floor and move the ropes in an arc above your head, lift to the left, slam down to the right, and repeat in the opposite direction; ‘you’ll build more power and hammer your core’.
Once you’ve mastered those, the sky’s the limit. Work in lateral movements to hone in on your hips and core, building total-body stability. Move in circles to train your shoulders from every angle, increasing range of motion and reducing risk of injury. Incorporate lunges, squats, and jumps to engage those ever-important legs. Moreover, when you feel like you’ve maxed out on all the above, all you need to do is take a step forward; this increases the resistance on the ropes and lets you level-up the whole workout all over again.
A Whole New Workout
A lot of people already acquainted with the wonders of rope only see it as a finisher to a longer workout or an exercise on a larger circuit. This can leave you wondering if they’re really worth the investment for a few uses every week or month. However, Brookfield assures us that ropes ‘make for a great workout in and of themselves’, offering you whole new training option. You could do one of the aforementioned exercises for 10 or even 20 minutes; not only does this offer an incredible mental-workout, pushing your mind to new limits of focus and determination, but also flushes lactic acid out the body and increases the time each muscle is under tension, helping you to build up strength as you burn through the fat.
If 10 minutes non-stop sounds a little frightening, you can work your way up to it. Begin by resting twice as much as you work, do this in 20:40 or 30:60 second chunks. As you build your endurance, you can equal out the work/rest time, or even flip the balance in favour of work time. You’ll be cruising through 20 minutes in no time.
The Cherry on Top…
Possibly the most important benefit of battle ropes, but one so easily overlooked, is they’re great fun! They offer a new, exciting way to spice up your routine, challenge yourself, and make your workout feel more like a game than a chore. If you think you might be ready to take the plunge and get rope-ready, find an online retailer like Ropes Direct, stretch out those shoulders, and get ready for a whole new way to work out; a way that’s balanced, varied, and will push you to your limit and beyond.