Battle ropes can be used for HIIT workouts and routines to burn fat and tone your overall body, while incorporating the necessary rest periods in between each set. Creating a circuit of various battle ropes HIIT workouts to target different muscles in your body, while increasing your average heart rate to burn fat, will give you the best results possible in the shortest period of time.
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Benefits of Battle Ropes HIIT Workouts
The major benefit to using battle ropes in a High-Intensity Interval Training circuit is that because battle ropes are both a strength and cardio exercise, you will build and maintain muscle throughout the workout, while also shredding fat in your entire body. This, combined with the fact that your muscles will use a full range of motion, will give you a great fat-burning and muscle-building routine. The same can’t be said for a cardio routine like running.
How Do You Use Battle Ropes for HIIT?
To use battle ropes for HIIT, work out for 30 seconds using battle ropes, then immediately rest for 30 seconds. Once the 30 seconds of rest are up, proceed with another 30 seconds of battle rope exercises, followed by another 30 seconds of rest. It’s best to perform battle rope HIIT workouts in a circuit of 5-8 exercises total.
A battle ropes HIIT workout can be built with exercises like:
- Alternating Waves
- Arm Circles
- Lateral Whips
- Jump Slams
- Russian Twists
An example circuit would be to perform each of the above exercises for 30 seconds, with 30 seconds rest in between, for a total of 5 minutes. After the last 30 seconds rest of the circuit, repeat the first exercise again for another total of 5 minutes. Repeat the HIIT circuit for a total of 10-30 minutes total.
Alternating Waves
One of the best arm workouts with battle ropes is Alternating Waves, or Double-Arm Waves. To perform Alternating Waves:
- Start in a standing position, and grab the battle ropes like you’re giving a handshake and straighten your back.
- Retract your shoulders and keep your eye pointed forwards.
- Wave the ropes up and down, in a wave motion, making sure to keep arms extended and slightly bent.
To make this workout even more challenging, grab the ropes closer to the anchor to increase resistance on each rope wave. You can even work your legs by getting into a squat position while performing each wave pattern, or focus on one side at a time with Single-Arm Waves.
Arm Circles
Another great workout for arms, and also your chest, is battle ropes Arm Circles. To perform Arm Circles:
- Grab hold of each battle rope and adjust your feet shoulder-width apart, with your knees slightly bent.
- Put your chest up, straighten your back, and keep your eyes forward.
- Slightly bend your arms and move the ropes in circle motions, opposite of each other, with the idea to mirror the ropes in a corkscrew motion.
You can also perform Arm Circles in the reverse motion as well to give your arms and chest continued variation.
Lateral Whips
A great workout to add to your battle ropes HIIT routine to target your back and shred fat is Lateral Whips. To perform lateral whips:
- Grip the battle ropes similar to if you were going to do Alternating Waves while getting in a similar stance to Arm Circles with knees bent and feet shoulder-width apart.
- With your arms to your sides, create waves outwards and parallel to the ground.
- It’s important to spread your arms out as wide as possible, almost as if you’re trying to touch your shoulder blades together at the peak movement.
- Bring your arms and hands back to where you started, and repeat.
Similar to the above exercises as well, the closer to the anchor point you grab, the more resistance and tougher your workout is going to be.
Jump Slams
If you want to target your lower body and legs during your HIIT routine, consider adding Jump Slams. To perform Jump Slams:
- Hold the battle ropes in the same position as if you were doing Alternating Waves or Lateral Whips.
- Get into a squat position.
- Leap upwards, using your legs to push off the ground.
- While in the air and keeping your arms extended, raise them over your head, creating an arc shape with your battle ropes.
- As you land back down on the ground, slam the ropes down hard on the ground.
- Repeat the process several times.
Be sure to always bend your knees as your jump and land. You never want to land with a stiff, straight leg, as this can lead to a serious injury. Also, if you get into a deep squat before jumping, you will really target every part of your lower body. Alternatively, if you’re new to resistance training or HIIT, a quarter squat might be best to start.
Russian Twists
If you want a great finisher to your battle ropes HIIT circuit, add Russian Twists. These will develop your abs and core strength, while also shredding fat. To perform Russian Twists:
- Sit on the ground, with your knees slightly bent in the air, and your heels planted on the ground.
- Lean back, so you are at a 45-degree angle, and your body forms a V-shape, while keeping your core tight.
- Grab hold of the battle ropes so the handles point towards the ceiling.
- With the ropes to the left side of your body and your upper body slightly twisted left, raise the battle ropes over your left and twist them, and your upper body, to the right.
- Repeat this process several times, bringing the ropes back and forth from left to right.
You should feel this workout directly in your abs and core. Increasing the speed at which you twist the battle ropes will increase the intensity of your routine. It’s important to also keep your core tight throughout the entire movement.
Should You Do Battle Ropes HIIT Fasted?
The idea behind doing battle ropes HIIT fasted is that without any carbohydrates available for your body to burn during your workout, your body will resort to burning stored fat. This, combined with a high-intensity interval workout is a great 1-2 punch when it comes to fat loss.
With that being said, everyone is different. We all store and use energy differently, while also being at varying fitness levels. If you find your effort levels during your HIIT battle ropes workout to be marginal due to a lack of energy, then it might be best to consume a pre-workout snack.
Putting in maximum effort for every battle ropes HIIT routine is the most important thing at the end of the day.
Can You Use Battle Ropes for HIIT?
Battle ropes are a great option for a HIIT workout because they incorporate both cardio and strength training elements. The intense exercise movements can easily be added to any circuit, while adding more time working out or even resting, can quickly be incorporated.
The unique patterns in which you move battle ropes will give your body the burn it needs during a HIIT workout.
