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Forging a Stronger You: Mastering Battle Rope Workouts

Battle ropes are becoming increasingly popular among fitness enthusiasts. Despite the equipment's seemingly fun and simple design, the resilient lifting and moving of its hefty, long ropes will blow your mind.

What is a Battle Rope? It is a type of fitness equipment used for aerobic workouts that resembles a jump rope but is more substantial and made of heavier, thinner rope. It was created to be weighted, swung, or connected to a pulley.

It comes in a range of thicknesses and lengths but serves the same basic purpose. These convenient heavy ropes workout combines cardio and strength into one workout to help you slam, build up, and burn your way to full-body muscle building. 

A man and woman in their sportswear uses battle rope in their gym workout routine.

Preparing Battle Rope Wave

Yes, the battle rope seems to be just like an ordinary rope, but these ropes are designed specifically for training. It could seem effortless, but there are certain key factors you should not overlook, like you would with any workout.   

The Handle: When you fold the rope over, you have to hold twice as much of it, which makes it trickier to handle.

Distance from the Anchor: You should begin with a little leeway in the ropes. Moving closer to the anchor point makes it harder to get the waves to the end, requiring more force to be applied to the rope to bring it all the way down.

Size of the Rope: Battle ropes typically come in 1.5" and 2" diameters, although they can also be up to 2.5" thick. Light ropes are for cardio and stamina, while heavier ropes are best for high intensity workouts.

Wave Size/Pace: The way you do your waves can also be counted in terms of size and speed. Pacing yourself for jogging or lifting kettlebells is the same as doing so. This gets harder and more intense the faster you go. Try to maintain 120-150 alternating waves every minute and see how you do.

Basic Battle Rope Workouts 

If you're unfamiliar with battle rope workouts, you'll probably need to visit a gym to check them out. You can try this exercise at home with confidence once you've become used to it. 

Here are some of the best beginner rope workouts you should try:

Unilateral Waves             

  1. As you begin, place your feet hip-distance apart while grasping a rope in each hand. There should be a little space on the ropes.
  2. Bring your shoulders back, slightly flex your knees, and then tighten your core.
  3. With your right hand, raise one rope. Swing the other rope up with your left hand as you swing the first one back down. It is ideal for the ropes to move against each other.
  4. For 30 seconds, continue doing it. Stop after a 30-second; either continue with the following exercise or repeat for 3–4 reps.

 Jumping Slams

  1. Begin with your feet hip-width apart and one rope in each hand at your sides.
  2. Squat down, tighten your abs, and push off the balls of your feet to extend your legs and jump into the air. Then swing the ropes as high as you can.
  3. Returning to the ground, lightly touch the heel of your feet before squatting down while slamming the ropes against the floor at the same time.
  4. Do this for 30 seconds, and then pause. Either continue with the following exercise or repeat for 3–4 reps.

Bilateral Waves

  1. Place your feet hip-distance apart while holding a rope in each hand. There should be a bit of space between the ropes.
  2. Bring your shoulders back, slightly flex your knees, and engage your core.
  3. Swing both ropes together to an elevation slightly below the shoulders, and then swing them both back down. It will come up along the ropes as a wave.
  4. Bring the ropes back up right away. Continue the action without pausing.
  5. For 30 seconds, keep up your motion. Take a 30-second pause and repeat for 3-4 reps until continuing on to the next workout.

Reverse-Grip Wave with Lunge

  1. Stand with your feet together. Grip the ropes with palms facing upward, keeping elbows close to the rib cage.
  2. Begin single-arm waves, then step your left leg back into a lunge.
  3. Step your feet together and lunge on your right leg with your arms still moving. Continue alternating while moving your arms.
  4. For 30 seconds, keep up your motion. Take a 30-second pause and repeat for 3-4 reps until continuing on to the next workout.

Figure 8

  1. Bring both hands over the left side of your body and down, maintaining a strong core.
  2. Move the battle ropes up and down to your right side while crossing your arms across your body.
  3. Raise the ropes and slam them down to the left in the same way.
  4. Consider using the ropes to create an infinite sign.

A blonde woman in her black sportswear uses red and black battle rope in her workout.

Tips for Battle Rope Workout  

To incorporate this workout smoothly, consider these tips: 

  • Practice your form. Like any workout, in order for you to perform bottle rope effectively without causing injury, you must do it in proper form
  • Explore different moves. Battle rope may look simple, but it is so versatile that you can use it in different moves and target different muscles.
  • Try a longer rope. The longer the rope, the farther you are from the anchor, which will increase the difficulty of moving the ropes all the way. 
  • Engage your core. Always keep your core engaged to get the best results from your workouts. 
  • Stabilize your shoulders. Sometimes it's difficult to maintain good posture while slamming and swinging on the battle ropes, which puts tension on your neck. As you move, keep your shoulder blades down and gently slide them back and forth.
  • How Long Should a Battle Rope Workout Last?

    When there is no standard on how long a battle rope workout should last, the most common duration used by fitness experts is 10-15 minutes. Better heart rates and calorie burn were seen after a 10-minute battle ropes workout, which met early guidelines to improve cardiovascular health. 

    Consistency is the key to all workouts, so if you commit to a 5 or 10 minute workout every day, you can achieve your fitness goals. 

    Battle Rope Recommendation

    Bilateral waves, unilateral waves, sitting slams, and many others are among the wave movements and techniques she used for her power training workout video. Her workout is extraordinary since she performs these battle rope exercises in short bursts without breaking a sweat and with grace.

    Karina Nicoldine, a professional athlete and one of the local influencers, showed how a champion uses their battle ropes in the gym.  This is an outstanding representation of an efficient battle rope workout.

    Key Takeaway 

    Battle rope workouts are now an innovative and activating technique to build stronger muscles. These weighted ropes, which come in a wide variety of sizes, mix cardio and strength training into one extremely rigorous workout routine. Although the heavy-duty ropes seem to have a simple form, lifting and controlling them is not as easy as it seems. 

    When you're working and sweating out, focus your attention on your form and posture to complete these exercises correctly. Pay attention to a tight core and firm shoulders. There are many different ways to use a battle rope, and when done properly, you can even do your own experiments to target specific muscles. 

    Are you ready to slam into it? Grab a battle rope now and start slamming it towards your fitness goal!

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