You should do battle ropes four times a week. Another way to think about how often to use battle ropes is to compare your use against recommended guidelines. For example, the Federal Advisory Board for Sports and Health recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise.
Five 30-minute workouts will give you the recommended minutes. Further, you could work up to 30-minute workouts four times a week, and add some variety through running, biking, or swimming.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when working out is to repeat the same workout too often. Daily repetitions lead to the dreaded plateau, such as working harder without additional benefits.
Lopsided training, where only one mode of workout is used, won’t let you hit all three areas of fitness, including aerobic, strength training, and flexibility work.
When Should You Do Battle Ropes?
You should do battle ropes whenever they best fit into your routine. For example, you can use the ropes to build strength, increase cardio capacity, and help with weight loss. In addition, you can use them as one exercise of a circuit, a warm-up, or a cool-down.
Perhaps you could build an entire workout by combining warm-up, strength, or cardio and cool down in one session.
However, to be successful with battle ropes, knowledge of a variety of exercises is essential. Instructional videos or classes at your local gym can be excellent resources to help you get the full potential of the ropes.
How Long Should You Do Battle Ropes For?
If you want to add battle ropes to your fitness routine, these simple workout tools are an excellent addition to your routine. But you have questions, right? What are some battle rope routines and when and how long should you use them are two of the most common.
You can do battle ropes at any time during a workout, depending on whether you use them for a cardio warm-up or cool-down. Battle ropes can also be used as the main workout for strength or cardio training. Flexibility is one of their biggest selling points.
If you are a beginner Start with 15 seconds, rest 30 seconds, at least for a couple of weeks. Then increase gradually the time, you can do 30 seconds, rest 30 seconds (interval training), then do it for 45 seconds, rest 30 seconds, and when you finally hit 1 minute, you can rest for one minute as well.
Our guide will answer the question of when and how often you should use battle ropes. Read on to learn more about them and which battle ropes we recommend.
Is It Okay To Do Battle Ropes Daily?
It is okay to exercise with battle ropes daily if you follow some guidelines. However, doing high-intensity workouts, such as HIIT, daily can lead to injury. You can also hurt yourself by daily strength training.
So the first guideline, and the most important, is to alternate your training focus. If Monday, Wednesday, and Friday will be your HIIT days, then do strength training on the others.
To add more variety, focus on different muscle groups or do shorter sessions on the weekend. Watch out for mental burnout, though. Trainers and coaches often recommend taking a day off to keep yourself motivated.
If you notice that your workouts drop from every day to every other day, then consider taking a day off or taking a bike ride, jogging, or doing yoga on day seven. Otherwise, the battle ropes will be gathering dust.
So although you can use battle ropes every day, you should consider varying them with other forms of exercise.
What You Should Look for in Battle Ropes
You need to look for three things in battle ropes:
- Diameter
- Length
- Materials
Also, you need an anchor for the rope.
Diameter
A 1.5” (3.81 cm) diameter battle rope is lighter and ideal for cardiovascular and aerobic endurance workouts, as well as for HITT and circuit training.
The heavier 2” (5.01 cm) diameter ropes should be used for high-intensity exercises in which the focus is strength. However, for most people, they are too heavy for cardio and endurance workouts.
Check out the weight differences between two 30’ (9 m) ropes:
- 30’ (9 m) 1.5” (3.81 cm) rope: 16-18 lbs (7.25-8.16 kg)
- 30’ (9 m) 2” (5.01 cm) rope: 27-30 lbs (12.24-13.6 kg)
The extra half-inch almost doubles the weight of the ropes, which is true even for longer ropes. If you plan to buy only one rope, get the 1.5” (3.81cm). You will appreciate their versatility.
Unless you have large hands or are experienced with battle ropes, avoid the thicker ones. Forget about 2.5” (6.35cm) ropes, as they are hard to come across, and few battle ropers use them.
Length
If your workout space won’t allow anything longer than a 30’ (9 m) rope, then that’s what you should get unless you have outdoor space for a longer rope. In that case, you should opt for the popular 50’ (15 m) length.
One advantage of longer ropes is their versatility, as they provide more fluid motions, which are vital for most battle rope exercises.
Materials
A battle rope should be strong and durable.
Poly Dacron battle ropes are made from polypropylene and Dacron (a plastic). The poly core keeps the rope light and flexible, and the rope’s tensile strength comes from a poly and dacron outer weave for strength.
One thing you’ll notice with cheaper polydac ropes is they are not as fluid. However, regardless of the quality of the material, polydac ropes are resistant to water and rot and can be used outside.
They also don’t shred like ropes made from manila.
Manila ropes are environmentally friendly since they are made from a plant that originated in the Philippines. They are renowned for their fluidity and are more resistant to UV rays than polydac ropes, which is good since you will want to use manila ropes outside.
However, since the manila fibers shed, prepare to clean up fibers frequently if you use them inside. And if you keep them outside, they will get water-logged.
Finally, manila ropes are more expensive than their polydac cousins and harder to find.
Anchor
You will need to buy an anchoring system if you do not have a heavy kettlebell or pole in your house. This could include a separate anchor, metal bracket anchors, or strap ones. Metal bracket and strap anchors need to be bolted to wall studs, but the strap anchors can give you some flexibility on where they can be securely attached to the wall.
If you train outside, use a tree as your anchor. To protect the rope from wearing down, tie a chain around the tree and anchor your rope to the chain.
My Guide to the Best Battle Ropes
All of these recommendations can be found on Amazon.com.
This is our favorite battle rope. An 8-strand polydracon outer weave provides more strength than other battle ropes. The 8” (20 cm) long handles (most ropes have 7) give you a firmer grip and prevent chafing.
This rope will stand up to any workout and outlast cheaper battle ropes.
The included accessory package includes 2 waterproof sleeves, 2 anchor straps, and 4 anchor bolts—no need to purchase them separately.
The ropes come in 30’, 40’, and 50’ (9 m, 12 m, 15 m) lengths, but only 1.5” (3.81cm) diameter. We don’t see that as a disadvantage because that’s what we recommend.
Bottom Line: High-quality ropes that might be too expensive for a beginner, but we love them.
If you want a 2” (5.01 cm) diameter battle rope, then this should be your first choice. The rope is made from 100% Dacron, meaning it will be stiffer until worn in. The 7.5” (19.05cm) handles are still slightly longer than average.
Many manufacturers use nylon sleeves as a selling point, but a sturdy rope shouldn’t need them. However, since many ropes are sold with them, everybody doesn’t want to be the one rope without them.
Power Guidance has a heavy-duty second sleeve in the middle to prevent wear.
Even though the ropes are made from 100% Dacron, the 3-twisted design is not as strong as XGear’s superior outer weave. Also, the accessories are limited to a battle rope anchor.
Bottom Line: These strong ropes are not much less than XGear, but if you want a 2” (5.01 cm) diameter, then check these out.
These ropes are at a lower price point. The material is 100% polydacron instead of cheaper ropes with added polyester. They come in all three lengths and are both 1.5” and 2” (3.81 and 5.08cm) in diameter. The nylon sleeves provide extra protection for the rope.
If you have large hands, these ropes have 10” (25.4cm) handles that give you a firmer grip. In addition, both anchor and strap accessories are provided.
Bottom Line: These ropes are less expensive but still sturdy. The larger handle makes these stand out.
We like these ropes because they look like what battle ropes should look like. Strong rope, nothing fancy, as it has just three-strand polydac rope in standard lengths and 1.5” and 2” (3.81 and 5.08cm) diameter.
If you want a sturdy rope at a more reasonable price without bells and whistles, then take a look at these.
Bottom Line: A decent rope that should serve most people’s needs.
These are our favorite budget ropes. As with all budget ropes, they are made from a nylon polyester combination instead of the stronger polydac ropes, but that’s what you should expect from ropes at this price point.
Both anchor rope anchor and 2 straps are included for versatility in mounting.
The ropes only come in 1.5” (3.81cm) diameter, but 2” (5.08cm) is too thick for beginners, so we don’t see that as a negative.
Bottom Line: Good budget and beginner battle ropes that we and many customers trust.
Conclusion
Battle ropes can be done before, during, or after a workout. They are versatile, portable, and can help build both strength and cardio. However, it would be best to alternate between battle ropes and other forms of exercise.