3 Most Powerful Battle Rope Movements

What is power?

Power output is force times distance over time, or put in a simple way it is how much force you can generate over a specific distance within a certain amount of time. Think about a squat repetition...if you load more weight on the bar, squat deeper, and do it faster, it will create far more power output than if you take weights off of the bar, do quarter squats, and do the rep slower, your power output will be drastically reduced.

The same physics works with battle ropes.

If moving more slack in the rope makes me produce more force, and I move over a greater distance, and I do each repetition faster, I am going to produce far more power output, than if I have too much tension in the rope, move it just a short distance per rep, and move the rope slower, my power output will be drastically reduced.

With that in mind, why would we use arc movements like rainbows, smiles, and figure eights to help produce more power output?

On top of the physics of power output, we must also take into consideration the body’s physiological interaction with those physics. If we can get more tissue to engage with the movements, and force that tissue engagement to contract and relax with vectors of force changes, it will demand more from the musculature and other tissues...this will help generate more force (which is a major part of the physics equation).

Enter the 3 Most Powerful Movements with a Battle Rope

Rainbows - Smiles - Figure 8’s

We have the opportunity to generate more force and more power output through more tissues, because arc-like movements, like the rainbows, smiles, and figure 8’s, require more tissue and more vectors (directions of movement) of force engagement.

As you step forward, you create more slack in the rope, which is just like adding plates to a bar for squatting, forcing you to generate more power output through increasing force, distance, and reducing time (which is increasing speed).

Add one or all three of these exercises to the front end of any workout, if you are looking to create adaptations in power. Just make sure they are max or sub-max effort for short periods of time (think 5 to 10 second outputs) with longer rest periods for 3 to 10 rounds.

You should start to see power gains in approximately 3 weeks if you are performing these powerful Battle Ropes moves correctly.

Let us know how it works for you in the comments, and check out the Battle Ropes programs here:  https://www.living.fit/battle-ropes-virtual-certifications#section-1583633724068

Check out more interviews and articles from Marcus Martinez and Aaron Guyett in the blog, or get full versions by subscribing to our membership here:  https://www.living.fit/kettlebell-workout-plans-and-memberships