Week 3 Workout Wednesday: Tabata with Battle Ropes
Tabata with Battle Ropes: HIIT at its Finest
10/11/17
Tabata workouts are a great way to finish off a workout or to help you get in a quick one if you are strapped for time. Tabata is a HIIT (high intensity interval training) workout that lasts four minutes. Tabata training was discovered by Japanese scientist Dr. Izumi Tabata and a group of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sport in Tokyo. They conducted research studies on two groups of athletes testing for improvement in aerobic and anaerobic systems. One did moderate intensity exercise, one group did Tabata style (HIIT) training. In the athlete group that did Tabata style training, they saw a greater increase in both aerobic and anaerobic systems than the group that did moderate intensity training. So if you want to improve both cardiovascular systems, Tabata should be included in your training. You can change up the time lengths depending on the skill level of your clients. For example, you could do 20 secs of work and 40 secs of rest or 30 secs of work and 30 secs of rest for your beginner clients while you can do 40 secs of work 20 secs of rest or 20 secs of work 10 secs of rest for your more advanced clients.
A popular Tabata style piece of equipment to use is battle ropes. Battle ropes are great because they work each arm independently which eliminates strength imbalances and they offer a full body workout for both strength training and cardio. The ropes create forces and tensions from different angles that are harder to achieve with basic weight training which confuses the muscles leading to new gains. You can pick up nylon battle ropes for cheap online or at a local retailer which makes this a workout you can do anywhere because all you need is the ropes and a place to put them around.
Two basic battle rope movements you should master first before you move on to more advanced moves are waves (top small picture) and slams (bottom small picture).
Waves: The waves you should start with a slight bend in the knees, chest up, and core tight. Move your arms as fast as you making small waves that move all the way down the rope.
Slams: Start in the same position as the waves. Moving both arms at the same time, lift both ropes to about the top of the head or a little bit above, and then in a a powerful motion slam both ropes back down to the ground as hard as you can going back down to the starting position repeating for as long as possible.
There are many exercises you can do with the ropes. In the video below, I demonstrate four compound rope exercises, meaning there are multiple exercises in one working both the upper body and lower body at the same time. These are a little more advanced but they really test your muscular strength and power and also give you a great cardio workout. Feel free to add them into your rope training.
So feel free to try out different exercises with the ropes. Remember if you are new to the ropes get the basics down first and then work on the more advanced moves. If your cardio needs work start with a shorter work period and longer rest period (ie. 20 secs work - 40 secs rest) and work up to a more advanced time sequence (ie. 20 secs of work - 10 secs of rest.)
See you tomorrow for Tip of the Day Thursday, where it will be a nutrition based tip!
Best,
Ryan
10/11/17
A popular Tabata style piece of equipment to use is battle ropes. Battle ropes are great because they work each arm independently which eliminates strength imbalances and they offer a full body workout for both strength training and cardio. The ropes create forces and tensions from different angles that are harder to achieve with basic weight training which confuses the muscles leading to new gains. You can pick up nylon battle ropes for cheap online or at a local retailer which makes this a workout you can do anywhere because all you need is the ropes and a place to put them around.Two basic battle rope movements you should master first before you move on to more advanced moves are waves (top small picture) and slams (bottom small picture).
Waves: The waves you should start with a slight bend in the knees, chest up, and core tight. Move your arms as fast as you making small waves that move all the way down the rope.
Slams: Start in the same position as the waves. Moving both arms at the same time, lift both ropes to about the top of the head or a little bit above, and then in a a powerful motion slam both ropes back down to the ground as hard as you can going back down to the starting position repeating for as long as possible.
There are many exercises you can do with the ropes. In the video below, I demonstrate four compound rope exercises, meaning there are multiple exercises in one working both the upper body and lower body at the same time. These are a little more advanced but they really test your muscular strength and power and also give you a great cardio workout. Feel free to add them into your rope training.
So feel free to try out different exercises with the ropes. Remember if you are new to the ropes get the basics down first and then work on the more advanced moves. If your cardio needs work start with a shorter work period and longer rest period (ie. 20 secs work - 40 secs rest) and work up to a more advanced time sequence (ie. 20 secs of work - 10 secs of rest.)
See you tomorrow for Tip of the Day Thursday, where it will be a nutrition based tip!
Best,
Ryan
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