The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Muscle Ropes. All opinions are my own.
Have you ever heard of battle ropes, otherwise known as workout ropes or heavy ropes?
My guess is that most of you have actually seen some type of exercise ropes at your gym or on TV. (Muscle Ropes are going to be on 3 episodes of an upcoming TV show this fall so keep your eyes peeled!)
Before using Muscle Ropes for the first time, my clients usually ask me what muscles they are going to feel. That’s when I smile and ask them to give it a try and have them tell me what muscles they feel. (Hint: it might be easier for them to tell me what muscles they don’t feel…)
When my Muscle Ropes showed up at my door a few weeks ago, I had visions of designing a super creative workout using all new-to-me exercises, but then I realized that you can already find those types of workouts right on the Muscle Ropes website. Look at some of the videos on their home page…what awesome ideas and exercises, right? You better believe I have already tried a few new things and will be introducing my personal training and group clients to some new fun soon.
You may or may not have guessed by my “slow-down” in blogging lately that life is a little crazy and stressful (albeit great) right now. Not only that, but I’m dealing with a few nagging injuries which are forcing me to keep my own workouts really simple for the time being. I thought it might be nice to share something with you all that is right up my alley these days… simple, yet not easy. Remember, you can keep it simple (again, not easy) and still burn loads of calories, build muscle and improve endurance in a short amount of time.
The workout below is great for newbies checking out Muscle Ropes for the first time or for more seasoned Muscle Rope users who just don’t feel like thinking today. Who wants to think on a Monday, right? 🙂
Give it a try and let me know how it goes!
- START: Wrap the Muscle Ropes around a pole, tree or anything else heavy that won’t move. Set a timer for 10 second intervals. Use a Gymboss timer or download an app on your phone.
- Stand with soft knees (a slight bend), tighten your core and hold the Muscle Ropes, one in each hand. Start undulating, or waving, the ropes with alternating hands to create ripples or waves that flow towards the anchor point. Do 10 seconds of smaller waves.
- After the first 10 seconds, continue waving the ropes, but move your arms further up and down to create bigger waves.
- After the next beep, lift both ropes over your head and slam them down as hard as you can at the same time you jump slightly off the ground. (These ones feel like a medball slam if you have done those before).
- Next, keep your chest tall, core tight and stay facing forward. Move your right arm only…then left arm only. (10 seconds each)
- Finish up the 60 seconds of work by pointing the rope handles down and completing 10 seconds of jumping jacks with the ropes in your hands.
- REST: Drop the Muscle Ropes and walk around for 60 seconds of rest before going through this 4, 5 or 6 times.
You can make this easier and/or harder by increasing or decreasing the work and rest times or changing the number of rounds. Play around with it!
This is a great workout that you can do almost anywhere. Take the Muscle Ropes outside and loop them around a pole or a goal post at a field/playground. Loop them around a pole in your basement or a cage at the gym. If you’re in a gym setting, Muscle Ropes are also awesome when used as part of a circuit that includes additional exercises like medicine ball slams, sled pushes, jump rope and bike sprints.
About Muscle Ropes
Unlike other fitness equipment companies, Muscle Ropes sells ropes, and only ropes, so they are able to offer a wide variety – starting at 30 feet and going all the way up to 100 feet in length. They come in 1.5″ or 2.0″ diameters. This difference in circumference may not sound like a big deal, but at our gym we have clients who literally fight to get the “good ones” that are easier to hold (smaller in diameter). This is especially true for the ladies (and gents) with smaller hands.
(Okay…maybe not that small!)
Each muscle rope is assembled by hand in the US and has the handle installed by hand in the United States. With customers like Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, SEALS and NCAA teams I’d say there’s a good chance this company is here to stay.
Wanna learn more? Connect with Muscle Ropes!
facebook.com/muscleropes
Twitter: @MuscleRopes #MuscleRopes
Instagram: @muscleropes #MuscleRopes
Have you ever trained with ropes?
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