The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Muscle Ropes.
Our kettlebell small group is a tough crowd. While most of our workouts focus on kettlebell exercises and bodyweight exercises, we love to mix in some other simple tools from time to time.
One of our collective favorites is a battle rope like the one pictured above which was sent to us for review by a really cool company called Muscle Ropes. (Photo taken in the box as I was certain we’d never get it back in that box the same way again… it happily lives in the trunk of the car now) Since the material and construction of the Cyclone rope from Muscle Ropes was so nice, I have decided to make it our “indoor rope”. Pleased to report that after multiple fairly heavy duty sessions and in the hands of very strong men and women the rope from Muscle Ropes has NOT shed, frayed or shown any sign of wear. Let me also say that using battle/muscle ropes in our workouts has been a great “finisher” both physically, but also for those days when stress relief is a priority. There’s something to be said for a socially acceptable way to SMASH things INTO THE GROUND, while being cheered on by your fellow exercisers—at least the ones who can because they aren’t performing another maximal portion of the circuit.
After class, I couldn’t resist giving it a whirl too. This particular’s construction quality is especially impressive. The heat shrink handles are not only thicker than normal, they’ve been glued to the rope before the industrial-strength heat was applied. No chance of one of those handles coming off mid-exercise, which is awesome because I can’t begin to understand how disorienting and annoying that would be! Not surprisingly these were carefully crafted in the USA—a nice change! Anyhow enough babbling as I will be posting a more “formal” review of the Cyclone from Muscle Ropes shortly (and will update this blog post with a link to it).
Here’s what we did—a redux of an old favorite with some different additions. I’m planning a more “rope-centric” workout to accompany the review, so watch for that. In the meantime, here’s an example of how Muscle Ropes can be added for variety, fun, and of course for their seriously heart-poundingly profound intensity.
We began with our Primal Move warm up, and continued with the Trifecta (bridge, l-sit, twist sequence) from Convict Conditioning 2 (we’ve got a mobility experiment going, and the easily scaleable Trifecta is great for everyone).
Next was a continued ramp up with 5 Get-Ups per side (choice of kettlebell was up to each client, with option of no weight available too – I think of weighted and unweighted or “naked”—as some folks like to say—get-ups as actually 2 different and distinct exercises. I personally practice both. With focus, intention, and timing, get-ups without weight can get very interesting.)
First circuit done three times with a “medium” kettlebell (which for our women tends to be 14kg to 16kg+ for the guys 24kg+)
- 20 kettlebell swings (choice of 2 hand or alternating 1 arm swings)
- 6 kettlebell rows per side
- 6 slow, safe and powerful goblet squats
A short rest and reconfiguring of the area then three times through this circuit, choice of kettlebell for swings and long press, heaviness encouraged:
- “Long Press” 3 per side
- 30 Muscle Rope “Up Downs”
- 10+ paces crawl or bear crawl with great form
Finally they took turns cycling through the following 4 minutes of extreme fun by completing this combo 4+ times so that everyone got in on the fun:
- 20 seconds Seated Russian Twist with Muscle Rope
- 10 seconds rest/transition
- 20 seconds Kettlebell swings (choice of weight)
- 10 seconds rest/transition
We finished up with another visit to the Convict Conditioning Vol 2 Trifecta and Primal Move.
After leading class, I couldn’t help but play with the new Muscle Rope some myself:
While this is definitely not the lightest rope Muscle Ropes offers, I’m seriously curious about getting something heavier from them soon.
This post has been sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Muscle Ropes.
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