Battle Ropes for CrossFit & Functional Training

What are Battle Ropes?

Essentially a battling rope, or battle rope, is a high quality weighted rope used in fitness workouts. They are tied to an anchor point, which can be a telephone pole, a railing, in fact anything that is sturdy enough to keep them stable. Battle ropes come in a range of different sizes including different weights, different lengths and diameter so it is an exercise tool that will grow and develop with you.

There are however two primary sizes available - 25mm and 44 mm. Most ropes also come in the standard length of 5m, 10m and 25m.

They were developed by John Brookfield initially for his own benefit before he rolled out his ideas to others.

What Are They Good For?

Battle Ropes are a fun way to exercise your arms, back, legs and your core. They are also a good way to get interval training into your workout that is different and fun. The key thing to remember is not to worry if you notice how heavy they are when you lift them!

When you get going and the momentum kicks in you will be fine! The most common exercise that people use battling ropes for is alternating arm swings, lateral arm swings and overhead slams for the core.

Common Exercises

The most common exercises are the 'wave', 'battle rope slams', 'side to side pulls' and 'jumping jacks'.

• The wave is basically where you create a continuous wave with the rope, alternating if you wish between the right and left hand
   
• The battle rope slams involve you slamming the rope down (great for working out any aggression)
   
• Side to side pulls involve you pulling the rope towards you as quickly as possible
   
• Jumping Jacks are what you remember from your childhood, but this time you will be working your shoulders like you’ve never worked them before!
   

Why Use A Battle Rope?

Battle ropes are great if you don’t have a huge amount of time as you can achieve a huge amount, in a relatively short amount of time. In effect, you can work out all your muscle groups in legs, shoulders, biceps and abs in one relatively quick session. See what other advatanges there are :
 

• They are great for burning off the calories. If you use them properly you could burn 300-500 calories per half an hour and if you add the ‘afterburn’ effect in they are a really effective way to burn off fat
   
• They combine the benefits of building muscle and burning fat at the same time
   
• They are portable, even the biggest battle weights only weigh about 30lbs so you can take them on holiday or even to your work
   
• There are a good variety of routines to suit all levels
   
• They increase stability throughout your entire body including your spine and lower back
   
• And finally they are great to use with someone else, 4 people can easily be working out with one rope which you may find more motivational than working out on your own