Battling Ropes

Setup

1. 01Anchor a heavy rope at its midpoint and walk back until there is light slack in each strand.
2. 02Hold one rope end in each hand with a firm handshake grip.
3. 03Set feet shoulder width apart in a quarter squat, hips back and chest up.
4. 04Brace the trunk so the waves come from the arms, not the lower back.

Execution

1. 01Drive the arms up and down alternately to send continuous waves down each rope.
2. 02Keep the waves fast and even, letting the knees absorb the rhythm.
3. 03Maintain the athletic stance and breathing cadence for the full interval.
4. 04Finish the interval, then rest before the next round; do not let the waves die off early.

Checkpoints

• -Waves travel all the way to the anchor point on every rep.
• -Hips stay back in the quarter squat; the torso does not bob up and down.
• -Shoulders stay away from the ears despite fatigue.
• -Rhythm stays consistent from the first second to the last.

Common mistakes

• -Standing tall and whipping the ropes with the lower back.
• -Making big slow arcs instead of fast tight waves.
• -Gripping so hard the forearms fail before the shoulders and lungs.
• -Letting the wave size shrink as the interval drags on.