There’s no two-ways around it: Battle ropes look fierce. Varying in thickness, weight, and length, the fitness training tool is right up there with kettlebells and dumbbells as a must-have for gyms and trainers everywhere. 

But it's not just because using them can make anyone feel like a warrior—they’re super effective for total-body conditioning. “The ropes are a great tool for fat loss and overall strength because it allows anyone, at any level, to spike their heart rate in short bursts improving cardiovascular output; giving you a whole lot of bang for your buck,” Rachel Prairie, NASM-certified personal trainer at Anytime Fitness, tells Health. She adds that often times you’ll see battle ropes anchored to a wall, beam, or pole. (Just FYI: For this story, Health used the Hyper Rope, Hyper Wear's unanchored battle rope.) 

Before you start eyeing battle ropes, though, you'll want to get acquainted with proper battle-rope position: “Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, knees bent in a half-squat, and hold one rope in each hand," says Prairie. "If you’ve played sports in the past, this is often referred to as the ‘ready’ position.”

Typically, battle rope exercises involve dynamic, fast movements. The range of these movements is wide, but you’ll want to get comfortable with the basics before moving on to more advanced work, says Prairie. “For beginners, keep it simple,” she says.

To help, Prairie came up with a great beginners routine for anyone looking to add battle ropes into their workout rotation regularly. Here, four moves you can do in the gym for a quick, heart-pumping battle rope workout. 

The Workout

Beginners: Two to three sets of 15 reps, resting 90 seconds between each.

Intermediate: Four to six sets of 15 reps, resting 90 seconds between each.

Advanced: Eight sets of 15 to 20 reps, resting 90 seconds between each.

Alternating Speed Wave

Grappler Toss

The Wave

Jumping Jack

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