The undulating rope to build muscle and improve cardio fitness

The undulating ropealso known as the battle rope, is a fitness accessory that has proved its worth in recent years. Popular with crossfit and cross-training enthusiasts, it is also increasingly used in the weight room. It's true that this training rope offers many advantages, particularly in terms of muscle strengthening of the whole body and development of the cardio. Find out in this article how to integrate the undulating rope into your training program.

What is a battle rope?

The undulating rope was invented by John Brookfield, a well-known fitness entrepreneur.

It is also known as battle ropeThe rope is also known as a battle rope, heavy rope, power rope or muscle rope.

All these names refer to the same material: a long rope of around ten metres, with a diameter generally between 30 and 50 millimetres, and a weight of between 5 and 15 kilos. Each end of the rope is covered with handles for easy gripping.

The battle rope has been widely democratized in crossfit boxes, before gradually appearing in weight rooms.

It is highly effective as a complement to traditional muscle-building exercises, as it burns a maximum number of calories. As part of a physical preparationThis high-intensity training method stimulates a wide range of muscle groups, while offering the opportunity to work on your cardio.

It can be used for the warm-up to raise the heart rate, or as part of a physical workout.

The benefits of undulating rope

The undulating rope is a versatile bodybuilding accessory. It offers numerous benefits for athletes wishing to optimize their training. general physical condition :

• It develops power
• It improves cardio
• It burns calories
• It's accessible and risk-free

Let's look at this in more detail.

Power development

The fitness rope is an excellent way to develop your power.

The aim is to move the rope explosively. Numerous muscles in the upper and lower body come into play to promote movement (more on this later).

It represents a functional exercise that will find its place in your sports program to gain strength and power.

Improved cardio

In concrete terms, performing exercises with a battle rope increases muscular endurance and stamina. cardiovascular.

This is the conclusion ofa study conducted by Chinese researchers in 2018 on basketball players.

Training with an undulating rope reproduces the effects ofHIIT-type training (High Intensity Interval Training). Because of the intensity of the movement, the aerobic is extensively used (around 80 %), helping to develop cardio.

Increased afterburner effect

The fitness rope is also particularly effective for burn calories and reduce body fat.

In fact, an undulating rope exercise works the muscles of the entire body at high intensity, which increases the energy level of the muscles. energy expenditure and facilitates weight loss.

This is also true after a workout, thanks to the famous afterburner effect (EPOC, for excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). In other words, you continue to burn calories, even when the workout is over. According to an American study, this energy expenditure can reach up to 11 % of total volume, which is far from negligible.

An accessible, risk-free tool

Finally, one of the special features of this fitness accessory is its ability to train bodybuilders without the risk of injury. injury during physical activity. The joints are not subjected to any strain, and there is no need to manipulate heavy loads to sculpt your body.

The undulating rope is easy to use if you're looking to tone up or slim down. The risk of poor posture is greatly reduced.

Which muscles are involved in the undulating rope?

If the wave chord alone is not enough to gain in muscle massIt offers a complete intensive training program.

These are mainly upper body muscles which are solicited: biceps, triceps, forearms, shoulders, pectorals and lumbar.

The battle rope is also excellent for strengthening muscles absWhether you're working the obliques or the rectus abdominis. In fact, you'll need to contract your abdominal muscles throughout the exercise to stabilize yourself.

However, the legs are not left out. Exercising with a battle rope involves maintaining a squat or half-squat position, which also strengthens the lower limbs (quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes).

How to make a wave rope?

You are convinced of benefits of battle rope ? You'll be able to perform several exercises with this body-building accessory, either in isolation or in sequence.

There are a number of different movements, all of which allow for intensive muscle development through rope movements.

For the beginnersget inspired by the Tabata method and start by alternating between 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest, for a total duration of 10 minutes. Remember to vary the exercises.

After a few weeks of training with the undulating rope, you can increase the difficulty by increasing the work time (1 minute of work and 1 minute of active rest in a gainage position, for example).

Now discover the different exercise variations.

The wave

This is certainly one of the best-known exercises.

Stand with legs bent into a squat position, then grasp one end of the rope in each hand. Step back far enough so that the rope is taut.

Keeping your back straight and your feet firmly planted on the ground, the aim is to move the rope up and down, alternating between your two arms. This will produce ripplesAs you can see at the end of this video, I'm testing my home gym equipment.

Power slam

In the same position as for the wave, girdle your body. abdominal belt. The exercise consists in slamming the rope to the ground as hard and as quickly as possible, simultaneously with both arms.

Unlike waves, here your arms work at the same time. What's more, you'll find it hard to keep your legs bent to give your stroke power.

Horizontal waves

In contrast to the first two exercises, the aim here is to move the sports rope. laterallyfrom left to right. This can be done simultaneously or not.

In concrete terms, move your arms outwards, then inwards, to give the rope a horizontal movement.

Circles

For this variant, you'll need to look for circles from inside to outside, or vice versa.

Last but not least, a battle rope can be used to perform many other movements, such as lunges and jumping jacks.

To go further, you can alternate between sets of waves or slams, then sets of push-ups or burpees.

How to choose your battle rope?

Beforebuy a wave ropeThere are several criteria to take into account.

First and foremost is weight. Wave ropes generally weigh between 5 and 15 kilos. If you're just starting out, it's best to opt for a lightweight rope.

For its part, diameter directly influences grip difficulty. The thicker the rope, the more difficult it is to handle.

As for length (9, 12 or 15 meters), it all depends on the space available for installation.

Last but not least, battle ropes can be designed with different types of materials Nylon, polyester or polypropylene.

Here are a few quality wave rope models that will help you achieve the results you're looking for:

• The Prozis wave rope
• SportPlus training rope
• The Blackthorn battle rope

Conclusion

The undulating rope is an accessory that is still under-used by bodybuilders during their training sessions. trainings. If you are in dryer In particular, this equipment will help you burn calories and lose fat. As part of your physical preparation, the battle rope is also an excellent way of working at high intensity to improve your cardio.

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