Chances are, jump ropes have been in your life since the PB&J-and-juice-box days of your childhood. So it’s time to add a new, badass kind of rope to your fitness routine: battle ropes. You’ll usually find them anchored to a wall or sturdy beam or pole, and while they may vary in length (they can be up to 100-feet long), weight, and thickness, all battle ropes serve the same purpose: Providing a killer workout. As the name implies, these supersized ropes are heavy, which adds resistance (i.e. a major challenge) to work your muscles like never before. The benefits: You strengthen your abs, arms and shoulders, engage your legs, and get a killer conditioning workout all in one go. Better yet, waving, slamming, and whipping these hefty rope doesn’t strain your body the way high-impact activities do—but you still reap serious fitness benefits. In fact, research suggests using battle ropes for just 10 minutes can be considered a vigorous workout. Plus, high-intensity interval training with battle ropes may improve both aerobic and anaerobic capacity after just four weeks. In other words, you’ll be owning both strength and endurance workouts. To top it off, battle rope training torches about 10 calories per minute—more than both burpees and squats! So we’re not super surprised that top fitness experts, like Alonzo Wilson, founder and director of training at Tone House in New York City, are totally roped in to this workout. “They work every muscle group simultaneously and allow freedom of movement,” Wilson says. Another bonus? They can also be catered to your fitness level—whether you’re a beginner or a pro athlete, he adds. Ready to slam your way into top shape? Add these 20 kick-butt battle rope exercises (some are Wilson’s very own go-to moves) to your fitness routine! To read more click here!
Boise's Fitness Equipment Outfitter
