special-one1: Torch Body Fat With Battle Ropes!

Battle ropes offer a welcome reprieve from the drudgery of treadmill cardio sessions. Use this fat-burning workout twice weekly to sweat yourself leaner and fitter!

Battle ropes are more than just a passing fad; they're a valuable weapon for getting you to your fighting weight! In fact, a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that a mere 10-minute battle-rope workout increases heart rate to peak levels and should be classed as high-intensity exercise.

These long, thick ropes work your cardio levels to the max while enhancing your grip, strength, conditioning, and overall level of work capacity. They're great for cardio and general physical fitness.

When maneuvering battle ropes in a variety of both linear and circular motions, the idea is to peak your heart rate. High-intensity interval-style regimens that focus on improving your power, explosiveness, and aerobic endurance are where battle ropes really shine. They're an essential part of your recipe for creating a calorie expenditure that will have your body fat falling at record speed!

Another benefit of battle ropes is that they're a great low-impact form of training anyone can do to even out strength imbalances and improve balance.

In case you needed even more incentive to give a calorie-culling rope workout a crack, just know that they're fun as hell. Give this session a try, and trust us—you'll be back for more!

Your Fat-Burning Moves

Plank

Works: Core

How To: Start in the push-up position, placing your arms, not your hands, on the ground. As you maintain a neutral position with your neck and spine, squeeze your glutes and allow them to assist you in the move while you tighten your abdominals. Remember to breathe. As you hold the position, create a strong parallel line from head to toe.

Burpee With Double-Lateral Jump

Works: Glutes, core, quads, hamstrings, calves, shoulders

How To: Begin in a squat position with your hands on the floor in front of you. Kick your feet behind you so you're in a push-up position. Return your feet to the squat position, then leap up as high as you can, throwing your arms above your head. That's one burpee.

Next, explosively jump sideways, clearing each end of the rope individually. Make sure the ends of the rope are approximately two feet apart. Once clear of both ends of the rope, perform one burpee and continue in the opposing direction.

Single-Arm Frontal Wave With Jump Squat

Works: Glutes, core, quads, hamstrings, calves, shoulders

How To: With your left or right arm, perform a single-arm wave while holding the end of the battle rope with your arm fully extended and elbow locked. As you do each wave, you'll assist the movement with a powerful jump squat.

Double-Arm Crisscross in a Wall-Sit Position

Works: Glutes, core, quads, hamstrings, calves, shoulders

How To: Begin this exercise by sitting against a wall with your hips and knees at a 90-degree angle and your back in full contact with the wall. Keep your neck and back straight while you hold the end of the rope in both hands, maneuvering it in a crisscross pattern. Be sure to keep your weight on your heels and off your toes to avoid pressure on your knees.

Double Wave With Double Push-Up

Works: Glutes, core, quads, hamstrings, calves, shoulders, triceps, chest

How To: Begin in a deep squat, holding both ends of the rope. Drive your hips up as you extend your knees fully in an explosive standing position while using both arms in a powerful, upward-wave motion. Do two explosive squats, each with a two-sided explosive wave. Then drop straight to the ground to do two chest-to-floor push-ups.

The Workout

Approximate time: 35 minutes
Do the following exercises in a circuit rotation. Don't take a break until you've completed the final exercise in each round! Complete three rounds, resting 60 seconds between each round.

Battle Rope Workout