Battling Ropes
Battling Ropes is the middle rung where progress speeds up and works well after overhead pressing.
How to do Battling Ropes
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
- Hold one end of the rope in each hand, with your palms facing each other.
- Raise your arms to shoulder height, keeping your elbows slightly bent.
- Begin making alternating waves with the ropes by rapidly raising and lowering each arm.
- Continue for the desired duration or number of repetitions.
Battling Ropes Sets and Reps by Goal
Strength
4 sets of 6-8 reps at your hardest clean leverage, resting 2-3 minutes. Settle a little deeper on each exhale.
Hypertrophy
4 sets of 12-18 reps with 60 seconds of rest. Hold the position longer before you pull harder.
Endurance
3 sets of 25-30 reps with 30-45 seconds of rest. Keep steady tension rather than yanking into range.
Common Battling Ropes Mistakes
Speeding up until the rhythm or position falls apart
Settle on a pace you can hold for the full working block.
Swinging more weight than the delts can actually control
Drop the load until the arm rises without help from the torso.
Easier and Harder Than Battling Ropes
Swap Battling Ropes For
Battling Ropes — Frequently Asked Questions
How do you do the Battling Ropes?
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. Hold one end of the rope in each hand, with your palms facing each other. Raise your arms to shoulder height, keeping your elbows slightly bent. Use a rope and keep the movement controlled through the full range. The animated GIF above shows the complete rep at normal speed.
What muscles does the Battling Ropes work?
The Battling Ropes primarily targets the delts. It is classified as a shoulders exercise and is performed with a rope.
How many sets and reps of the Battling Ropes should I do?
For muscle growth: 4 sets of 12-18 reps with 60 seconds of rest. Hold the position longer before you pull harder. Adjust the load rather than the rep target if form breaks down before the final rep.
Is the Battling Ropes good for beginners?
It is an intermediate movement. You will get more out of it once you can already perform the basic shoulders patterns with controlled form. Beginners can still use it with light load and close attention to technique.
What can I do instead of the Battling Ropes?
Try the Smith Shoulder Press, Barbell Standing Wide Military Press or the Cable Standing Rear Delt Row (with Rope). Each trains the delts with a similar movement pattern, so you can swap based on the equipment you have available.
