To Level Up Your Strength-Training

Workout, Embrace the Battle Rope

These bulky ropes in the corner of the gym can look

intimidating. But it turns out they are an excellent full body
workout for beginners that’s gentle on the body.

Published Nov. 17, 2022Updated Nov. 21, 2022

Maybe you’ve seen them at the gym — heavy coils of rope

anchored at the middle to a post or the floor. They may look
like they were brought up from a dungeon or off the deck of a
boat, but they’re called “battle ropes” — and they’re an
effective and safe tool for strength training.

Despite their daunting name and appearance, you don’t have

to be a contestant on “American Ninja Warrior” to use them.
While battle ropes have long been popular with elite athletes,
they are also an excellent tool for beginners who want to build
strength
(https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/12/well/move/strength-
training-beginners-guide.html) and cardiovascular health
without being too hard on their bodies.
Lauren Weinhold, a personal trainer and yoga instructor in
Columbia, Md., uses battle ropes with clients who are martial
arts competitors and 70-year-olds with double knee
replacements. “Not everyone wants to — or can — run miles
on the treadmill,” said Ms. Weinhold. But with battle ropes, you
can get much of running’s cardiovascular punch without
hammering your joints.

That versatility is what drew Jesse Grund, a personal trainer in

Orlando, Fla., to the tool, which he credits with sparking his
interest in fitness. “If I was on a deserted island and I could
only pick one piece of exercise equipment, I’d take the battle
rope,” he said.

How do you use battle ropes?

In the classic battle ropes pose

(https://www.tiktok.com/@jannette_jose/video/70020275600
83279110?
is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7002027560083279110&lang=e
n), you grasp the ends of each rope, shaking them
rhythmically up and down — either together or alternating one
side at a time — to send waves along the rope’s length to the
anchor point. But there are endless variations on this basic
theme.
 Battle ropes are an excellent way to build upper-body strength and condition the core
with a much lower chance of injury than some other exercises. Credit...
Dave Cooper
for The New York Times

Two beginners can work in tandem, each grabbing a rope end,

and create waves together (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=kS611sROE_I). At the Training Lab, a strength and
conditioning gym in Manhattan, instructors tie battle ropes to
weighted fitness sleds — platforms that can be dragged for
resistance training — and the students pull the sleds toward
themselves, working back, legs, core and arm muscles.
Another way to use them is to add some resistance to
jumping jacks (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=3v3Ox95TF3Y) by doing them while grasping the ends of an
anchored rope.

What do they do for you?

Many people find their first battle ropes sessions challenging

— their arms tremble with exertion and effort, the ropes tangle
together, the waves stutter and peter out.

“You’re trying to create power output in a new way with your

upper body, your lower body, your core and the ropes — and
there’s a lot of coordination to that,” said Aaron Guyett, a
coach and the education director at Living.fit, a site that offers
battle rope and conditioning classes online.

Once mastered, however, battle rope workouts are an intense,

whole-body exercise that builds muscle and improves
cardiovascular fitness. Studies show there are potential gains
(https://journals.lww.com/nsca-
jscr/Fulltext/2022/02000/Physiological_Responses_to_Increa
sing_Battling.9.aspx) in core strength, endurance and how
efficiently your body consumes oxygen
(https://journals.lww.com/nsca-
jscr/Fulltext/2015/01000/Comparison_of_the_Acute_Metaboli
c_Responses_to.6.aspx). And while your shoulders, arms and
hands are the obvious parts in motion, your core and legs
must work to keep you stable as your upper body generates
power.

Battle ropes can also be used in tandem with a partner. This makes the workout easier
and also a little more social.
Credit
Credit...
Dave Cooper for The New York Times

Unlike traditional weight lifting, battle ropes also allow rapid

changes in direction while maintaining high speeds, which
trains your muscles to react quickly. Think of it like a sprint,
where the lower body can suddenly change directions in mid-
run, said Chiang Liu, a sports scientist at the University of
Taipei in Taiwan.

“This explosive power is why battle ropes training is so

popular for athletes,” he said. According to his group’s
research (https://journals.lww.com/nsca-
jscr/Fulltext/2018/10000/Eight_Week_Battle_Rope_Training_I
mproves_Multiple.4.aspx), an eight-week battle rope regimen
with a small sample of college basketball players in Taiwan
translated to faster passes, more accurate shots and
increased agility. That power has also improved Maurice
Allen’s golf game. Mr. Allen, a two-time World Long Drive
(https://golfmonster.com/long-drive-competition/) champion,
said battle ropes had dramatically increased his club speed.
“In golf, I’m holding my body in place while my arms are
moving; I need to recruit strength from a stable position,” Mr.
Allen said. “Battle ropes allow me to work on stability and
strength at the same time.”

For a person who exercises a few days a week, battle ropes

can build fast twitch power that can be useful in everyday life.
“When we duck to avoid a flying ball, grab a runaway shopping
cart or catch ourselves before we fall, we’re using the fast-
twitch muscles battle ropes target,” Ms. Weinhold said.

And as one of the few upper-body exercises — kettlebells

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS7XkRwerAw) are
another — that have cardiovascular
(https://journals.lww.com/nsca-
jscr/Fulltext/2015/01000/Comparison_of_the_Acute_Metaboli
c_Responses_to.6.aspx) benefits, battle ropes are ideal for
people recovering from lower limb injuries like stress
fractures or torn Achilles’ tendons. Since having a knee
replacement, Susie Mabie, 66, a retired nurse in Orange
County, Calif., has been picking up the ropes more frequently
to maintain her endurance while she heals. “I sit doing the
battle ropes, but I’m still able to get a great workout,” Ms.
Mabie said.

How do you get started?

Because of the physical and mental demands of battle ropes,

many people use them in a high-intensity interval training
(HIIT) fashion — short bursts of moving the rope full tilt,
interspersed with periods of rest. At the beginning, aim for
moderate effort — elevating your heart rate and breaking a
sweat — and a one-to-three work-rest ratio, following every 10
seconds of activity with 30 seconds of rest. As you improve,
shorten the rest time until you hit a one-to-one work-rest ratio
— for example, 30 seconds of activity and 30 seconds of
recuperation. Start with four to six of these intervals and then
increase.

Credit...
Dave Cooper for The New York Times

When the ropes hit the ground, the resounding echo can be
loud. Natalie Orozco, 39, an advertising executive in
Manhattan, finds this aspect strangely satisfying. “It’s been
cathartic to slam the battle ropes during a workout when I’ve
had a particularly challenging day at work,” she said.

It’s best to get guidance at first from a personal trainer or in a

class. If you go looking for trainers online, look for credentials,
such as C.P.T., for certified personal trainer, after their names.

But you can also buy your own battle ropes and start at home.
Ms. Weinhold takes hers to the park, looping them around a
tree or a telephone pole, or uses them in her garage. Ropes
come in different lengths (30, 40 and 50 feet) and widths (1.5
to two inches in diameter), but Mr. Guyett prefers the longer
ones, because they’re more adaptable.
“The 50-foot, inch-and-a-half ropes are the go-to — from the
strongest strongman to the absolute beginner, because you
can always tie it off shorter,” he said. Whether with a trainer, at
the gym or in your backyard, there are two basic moves that
are good for beginners.

Alternating waves

It’s good to get professional instruction the first time you use the workout tool. But
once you get the hang of it, you can set them up in your back yard or even a city park.
Credit
Credit...
Dave Cooper for The New York Times

Grab the ends of the ropes — one in each hand — and hold
them in front of you at about hip level and shoulder width
apart. Make sure there’s sufficient slack in the ropes by taking
two to three steps forward toward the anchor point. Mr.
Guyett suggested a firm but relaxed hold. Think about
gripping your pet hamster. You don’t want it to escape, but you
also don’t want to crush it, he said.

Stand tall with your knees and hips slightly bent, your torso
tilted forward, your back straight and your core muscles
engaged. With battle ropes, the chances for injury are low
compared with other strength training regimens, but bad form
slashes the exercise’s effectiveness. The ropes can only push
back as hard as you push them. Begin the exercise by raising
one arm up and bringing it down to create a vertical wave
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwojJ5IQVxU). Alternate
sides — as one arm goes up, the other comes down — to
generate this move’s signature patterns. Be sure the ropes
contain waves the entire time you’re moving them.

Lateral Waves

Lateral waves involve sweeping the ropes from side to side while parallel. If you are
new to the workout, start slow and get the rhythm before speeding up.
Credit
Credit...
Dave Cooper for The New York Times

It’s not crucial to master different moves, though other

motions work slightly different muscles. Lateral waves work
the shoulders, core, and hips through their twisting motion.

Start in the same stance you did for alternating waves. With
both hands, sweep the ropes together
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3gYNZW83gY) from
side to side, rotating your torso slightly while keeping your
arms straight and your hips square. The waves should look
like sinuous snakes, slithering in unison. Intensify the exercise
by forming larger waves and stepping closer to the anchor
point, which increases the weight you have to lift.

Connie Chang is a freelance science and parenting writer in

Silicon Valley.