Battling Ropes

I just received a 1 ½” thick 50 ft. long rope. Now I’m not going to be climbing though rope climbing is excellent. This is a Battling Rope, an exercise method created by John Brookfield.

If you’ve never heard of this then check out the video below.

While it may look odd, be careful as looks can be deceiving. This is one of the most intense cardio exercises out there.

Why is that? It’s what John calls Velocity Training. The idea behind it is that there is no point where you are not creating force or output. This makes it different from any other exercise.

Kettlebell swings and snatches, gravity and momentum take care of the force on the down swing. Any bodyweight exercises are the same with gravity pulling you down. Running looks good, until you realize you spend most of the time in the air. Same with jumping rope.

But with the battling ropes both the up and the down swing and all done by you. In order to keep those waves going you can’t stop at anytime until you stop.

For this reason when you get good at the battling ropes every other conditioning challenge will seem easy by comparison.

I’ve only started this training and since its testing well I’m doing it about every other day. Going longer and longer each time. Doing this its making those kettlebell snatches feel even easier.

Now not everyone has access to a 50’ rope. It certainly is bigger than most training tools. There are some substitutes. You can simulate the basic movement with a large towel or blanket. Though I have to say, having done the rope and that the rope is far superior (read much tougher). But if you’ve never tried it before give it a shot to see what its like.

If you decide the Battling Ropes are right for you, you can pick up a rope online here. Or if you’re lucky like myself you can find one in a local hardware store.

The training is straight-forward and hard to do wrong. But if you want more instruction on different swings and workout ideas check out some of the DVD’s available here.

John Brookfield is one of the strongest and most enduring guys out there. When he puts out a system that he says is superior to other training you ought to pay attention.