BIP.

Exercise library · Full body

Battle ropes

Explosive lift for the whole body with other equipment.

How to do it

  1. Starting position

    Stand hip-width with bent knees, lean slightly forward and hold one rope end in each hand with straight arms.

  2. The movement

    Move your hands quickly up and down in turns to send waves along the ropes, keeping your torso steady throughout.

Most common mistake

Don't jerk with your whole body, keep your hips stable and make even waves with your arms.

Muscle group
Full body
Equipment
Other
Where
Gym
Logged as
Time

Muscles worked

Battle ropes are a conditioning exercise that mostly loads your upper body. Your shoulders do most of the work, with your forearms and grip working throughout. Your legs and trunk hold you still in a half-squat, so the force goes into the ropes instead of rocking your body. The pattern shifts the emphasis: double waves bring in more of your hips and back, and slams, lifting the ropes high and smashing them down, make it full-body work.

Common mistakes

  • The rope is pulled tight. Stand so far back that the rope is taut and the waves die at once. Walk forward until there is a little slack, and aim for waves that reach the anchor.
  • Your shoulders creep up towards your ears. Tired arms make many people shrug and tense their neck. Keep your shoulders down and your chest open, and let the movement come from the shoulder joint.
  • Your intervals are too long. The waves end up small and sluggish, and you are mostly practising holding on. Do shorter bursts at full effort with rest in between.

Variations and alternatives

  • The SkiErg trains your arms and trunk in a similar way, with metres and pace to measure.
  • The slam ball uses your whole body in every throw and needs just a ball and a bit of floor.
  • Mountain climbers keep your heart rate up with no kit at all.

Sets and reps

Battle ropes are almost always done on time, for example 20 to 30 seconds of work and 30 to 60 seconds of rest, 6 to 10 times. A few short rounds also make a good finisher. Mix alternating waves, double waves and slams. For balancing work and rest, see the guide to sets and reps.

Change one thing at a time: longer work periods, shorter rest or more rounds. When time alone stops challenging you, move to a thicker rope, which is harder to grip and to get moving. That is progressive overload for an exercise with no weights to add. How many such sessions fit your week depends on the rest of your training; see the guide on how often to train. If your shoulders hurt, stop and see a doctor or physiotherapist about it.

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

Want it in a programme?

Tell BIP your goal and your equipment, and BIP builds a week with sets, reps and rest worked out. You log your weights as you train and watch yourself get stronger. The first week is free.

Create a programme →