Total Health Breakthroughs: Free Natural Health Newsletter and Alternative Health Articles

As a fitness trainer, I am always happy when I have a little free time to train myself for a change. The other day as I walked into Cincinnati Functional Fitness (CFF), a gym where I train clients.  I had about an hour or so before my clients would begin arriving, enough time for a great cardio workout. As I walked towards the treadmill looking forward to running intervals, Scott a fellow trainer and owner of the gym stopped me and said, “I have a new cardio workout that will challenge you like no other.”

He then pointed to the other side of the gym and said, “Go over there and pick up the rope.” Anchored to the base of a very heavy piece of equipment was a 40 foot long, 1.5 inch beast of a rope! How would I jump this rope?

Scott then coached me through a series of patterns and combinations of undulating and rotating motions, and I was gasping for air in a matter of minutes without lifting a foot from the ground!  So you don’t jump; with this workout you pick up the ropes and hurl these monsters!

I had just had my first introduction to a new workout called “Ropes Gone Wild!” Developed by personal trainer and entrepreneur Anthony Diluglio, this program pushes your heart and lungs to anaerobic levels by recruiting the muscles of the core and the upper body, sparing the lower body from yes, treadmill torture! So this is a great way to condition at high levels and keep your legs fresh.1

Voted the best new cardio tool in April’s edition of Men’s Health, this workout is definitely something you have to experience to believe. To begin, there are two types of rope: manila, which is a natural fiber best for outdoors, and nylon (recommended for indoors).  The ropes are 30, 40 and 50 feet in length. The length has nothing to do with the fitness ability of the client.

You can get quite a workout from any length, but longer ropes challenge your strength and coordination a little more. The diameter of the ropes is 1.5 inches or 2.0 inches, the larger being the more challenging. The ropes are anchored with hardware at the floor edge of a wall that allows the rope to slide through a ring.  The rope is pulled through to the middle, which allows you to grip both ends; or you can simply slide the rope through the handle of a heavy kettle bell (if available).2

Now the fun begins! Gripping the ropes with both hands, standing straight, knees slightly bent and core engaged, you begin moving the ropes in various patterns, keeping your elbows fairly close to the body. The first pattern I did was called a “double wave.” As you move the ropes in unison, creating a wave-like pattern, your body becomes part of that wave pattern.

I continued the “double wave” for 30 seconds and then changed to an “alternating wave” followed by a “figure eight.” Wow! By 90 seconds into the workout my heart rate was anaerobic and I was completely breathless. After a brief recovery we continued for several more patterns until I was pleasantly exhausted! What a workout! High intensity, no impact, intense core training, maximum heart rate in minimum time — and your legs get a rest — all at the same time!

If you haven’t already seen ropes at your gym, you probably will soon.  As far as I know, CFF was the first to get them in our area, but I’m looking for them to appear in more and more fitness centers.  And if you do see them, don’t hesitate to try them.  These ropes are a fun and challenging way to add some variety to your workout.  For more information on “Ropes Gone Wild” visit artofstrength.com.

References

1. Westen, K. April 2009. The Best New Fitness Gear. Men’s Health, 90-92
2. www.artofstrength.com.

[Ed. Note: Melissa Hawthorne, RN, BSN, CSCS is the owner of Priority Fitness Personal Training and Wellness.  She is a Master Trainer for the Resist-a-ball Company, ISCA Personal Training, Kick-boxing, and Beamfit.   Melissa serves as a fitness consultant for the LaValle Metabolic Institute.  To learn more, click here.]