This happened by accident. My workout partner and I really wanted to get the 50′ 1.5″ Battling rope out for part of our workout – but the ground around our usual anchor (a basketball hoop) was super mushy – and we’d tear up the grass while also getting mud all over the rope. Clearly we had to figure out something else…
The Problem of Portable Battling Rope Anchors
A Very Heavy Kettlebell…
In the past I had reluctantly used a 48kg kettlebell as an anchor by just threading the rope through the handle, but this can have a few drawbacks:
You need to have and also sometimes transport a 48kg (106lb) kettlebell in the first place. They’re pretty expensive. And honestly, not always necessary for everyone to have in their home gym. As well, even though it’s heavy, if you get particularly into it, it can topple over and make a divot in the lawn, or if on concrete it can get a bit scuffed up–or it might scuff up your concrete floor. It’s not really the end of the world with either scenario, but not ideal either. Over time, depending on the type of rope you have, you can wear down the coating on the kettlebell handle too, which is not ideal. Besides, looping the rope through the handle also puts a little bit of a twist on the rope making it never really match up in your hands. This isn’t a huge big deal, but it is a little annoying, especially if you’re really going for it.
Custom Made Metal Ideas…
I’d been brainstorming some portable anchors which I’d need to have a welder create, but which would stay put by carefully driving a car onto a small metal platform with a vertical “handle” to loop the rope through. While I have some sketches for this highly specialized piece of equipment, I need to start getting some local quotes. It also would need to be used on a driveway or anywhere that a car could park – which does limit its use somewhat.
A Silly, Cheap, and Perfect Solution
I glanced around my friend’s garage and realized we had everything we needed. There’s a sizeable collection of moderately heavy kettlebells as well as a clean, empty 5 gallon bucket. I took the bucket out to the driveway and asked for the three heaviest kettlebells (that we wouldn’t be using in the circuit). After adding a 26kg, a 24kg, and a 16kg (we needed the 20kg) to the bucket, we had a 66kb (145.5lb) anchor with a wide, solid base. I removed the bucket’s wire handle and set it aside, noting that the ridge around the bucket should work well enough to keep the rope in place even if we get particularly enthusiastic. You may need to use heavier kettlebells – and I intend to try this using a 32kg in the bottom of the bucket to start with next time. But, neither of us were able to tip it over or even come close in 6 rounds of up-downs and this kind of “up and over” move I call “the thrash” (see the video).
Obviously, I went and got my own bucket for home use. They’re about $5 at hardware and home improvement stores. If you want one like ours that comes with a “motivational quote” on it, then go to Lowes for the “Do It Right” bucket. I think that this is incredibly funny, and had to make sure to get one. I love how easy and portable these are – just add and remove the kettlebells and you’re set. I could even take it to a park or parking lot – no damage, no problems!
Let me know if you try it! We’re planning to use battling ropes in our workouts much more often now that we have this easy anchor option!
Here’s the circuit from the workout from that day which features a pretty nasty descending ladder of “throws”:
- Battling Rope Throws (1st round 50, 2nd round 40, 3rd round 30, 4th round 20, 5th round 10)
- Burpees (1st round 3, 2nd round 5, 3rd round 10, 4th round 13, 5th round 15)
- Floor Tap Lunges with Knee Raise 10/10 (you may think this is a break, it’s not)
- Heavy kettlebell swings 10x
- Kettlebell snatches 5/5
- Heavy or moderately heavy kettlebell goblet squats 10x
Find the complete workout here: Madness Descends – A Circuit Workout for Kettlebell and Battling Rope
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