Battle Ropes for Beginners

Hey everyone and welcome to Top 5 Fit's Battle ropes video. Battle ropes have become quite popular in the fitness world due to their ability to offer functionality in a wide array of fitness disciplines. In this video we will go over 5 pattern variations that you can repeat in a gym near you.

The first of five variations is a basic Right and Left alternating wave pattern. Keep in mind that this is a total body exercise thus being mindful of body position while making waves is important. Start with a slight bend in the knees and a tight core. Grabbing the end of the ropes in each hand begin making waves by raising your one arm up followed by bringing the same arm in a downwards movement towards the ground. Try to keep the wrists loose so they can be the final part of the wave. Should feel similar to painting a fence. Increase speed once you can make waves that do not end up in knots.

"In and Outs" are another battle ropes pattern variation that involves larger muscle group movement, mostly the back and chest. Grasp the ropes with your palms slightly facing inward. You will need to flare your elbows out a bit to initiate the waves. Using you lats and rhomboids open your arms in a "bird taking flight" type motion. This should be done fairly quickly. Follow by reversing the movement and crossing wrist one over the other. Try to alternate which wrist goes over each repetition. You should feel the chest and back fill with blood in no time at all.

Clockwise and counter clockwise are great for shoulder endurance and stability. Your hands will rotate in opposition of each other so it will be a good idea to change directions during each set. Start by grabbing the ropes with palms facing slightly in. With your arms in front of you start by internally rotating the right arm at the elbow and then follow with the left. Once you have established a smooth rhythm you can widen the movement by switching to more shoulder internal rotation and create larger arm circles. Internal and external rotation can be those exercises that are easily forgotten about or only utilized when an injury is present. Warm up slowly and only increase pace once you feel you can do so while still being in control.

Single arm battle ropes in a plank position forces you to not only stabilize your core while moving but can be a great addition to any HIIT training regimens. Get into a plank position just far enough behind your ropes so they are within reach of an overhead outstretched arm. Grab both ends of the ropes in one hand and begin raising and lowering at the shoulder to create waves. It is a good idea to start with the feet wider until you are comfortable enough to bring them closer together and make the exercise more difficult. Remember to work within the range of motion you have at the shoulder and focus on control.

The hip toss variation of battle ropes gets the user to focus on quick explosive movement that originates from the core. Hold both ends of the ropes close to your chest. In one explosive movement, lift through your chest and rotate one direction and bring the shoulders down towards the ground on one side quickly. Return to the starting position and repeat to the opposite side. Because this involves a great deal of rotation at the waist, it would be wise to keep the speed down until comfortable with your backs ability to move this way.

Finally we come to Power Slams. The power slam is a total body move that brings together control of body weight and the use of gravity together. Raise your arms as high as you can while grasping each end of the rope. You will want to raise your arms in a manor that almost picks your whole body up off of the floor. At the same time bring both arms down as hard and as fast as you can to create one giant fast wave. Quickly raise your arms back to the starting position and repeat. Smooth waves are not as important here. Large fast waves along with big anterior contraction will make this a keeper training program.

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