Heart's pounding...
Arms shaking...
Your breath is struggling to keep up...
I love this feeling and this workout is a great cardio blast with weights and a very cool piece of equipment... battle ropes.
To do this workout to it's full expression... you will need a gym... BUT... I'll give a cool modification at the end of this post. Keep reading.
5 Minute Battle Rope Workout - Noodles Breakdown
Noodles is a kettlebell arm workout. It's a simple workout with only two exercises.
Don't let this fool you... while the workout focuses on your arms... your heart rate will sky rocket. It's still a total body blast.
Here's how the workout breaks down:
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20 alternating battle ropes
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6 double presses
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40 alternating battle ropes
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5 double presses
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60 alternating battle ropes
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4 double presses
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80 alternating battle ropes
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3 double presses
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100 alternating battle ropes
Work your way down the list and get back up the list in under 5 minutes.
Only do 100 battle ropes one time.
If you have time... finish the workout and track how long it took you.
Workout Modifications
Presses
I'd prefer if you did kettlebell presses. The workout was designed with kettlebells in mind.
However, you can easily use dumbbells for the presses.
And remember, the weights DO NOT have to be the same weight. They can be 5 to 10 pounds different... I would not go much more than that.
Make sure you put the heavier weight in your weak arm. The goal is to train for balance.
Battle Ropes
You may not have access to a gym... and your gym may not have battle ropes.
Here's what I want you to do instead. You will have to do the workout on your own though... I only filmed the battle rope version.
Do shoulder taps.
Shoulder taps are a great exercise you can move incredibly fast with. Almost as fast as battle ropes. Plus they are killer on the arms... and this is what we want to mimic.
5 Minute Battle Rope Workout - Exercise Breakdown
Battle Ropes
There are many types of battle ropes. In our studio... we have a long and light set and a short a heavy set.
In most cases... you have to use what you can.
But the lighter the ropes the faster you can go. The heavier the slower. I prefer to use heavier ropes for the extra challenge.
Step 1
Take a wide stance. Definitely wider than shoulder width.
Just like using good deadlift form ... slightly bend your knees, push your hips back, keep your core tight and your torso tall (no rounded spine). This is your athletic position.
You are not squatting down... you are in a hip hinge position.
Step 2
Start with one arm high and the other arm low.
If you're new to battle ropes... start a little slower to get your rhythm.
Starting with your arms staggered really helps. As one arm moves up the other is moving down. As you get the hang of it... go as fast as you can while keeping good posture.
Count when each arm "hits" the bottom. You'll be counting FAST.
As you get better... you can move faster... and as you move faster... your form will breakdown a little. Don't worry too much... the goal here is speed.
As you get tired... you'll want to create waves with both arms moving together. Don't do this if you can help it... keep alternating.
intensity tip
One thing I do like to do is with the last 3 to 5 "reps" with battle ropes is...
I'll switch to smashes.
This is where you lift the battle ropes up really high. Over your head. And slam them down hard.
It gets your heart rate even higher... and it's really fun!
If you're stressed out... slams are a great way to expend stress energy.
Double Presses
For this workout... we're going double kettlebell presses, keeping your arms moving at the same time.
Remember you can easily swap out for dumbbells. Kettlebells are preferred.
intensity tip
For this workout you can use different weighted kettlebells for each rep range to make things more intense.
For example...
For 6 reps choose a lighter weight.
As the reps move down to 3... see if you can increase the weight so all 3 reps are tough but you can still maintain speed.
This is how you improve strength!
Step 1
Rack your two kettlebells.
Stand tall. Work hard to keep your feet flat on the floor. Also keep your core tight so you don't end up arching your back as you press.
Slightly squeeze the handles before you press.
Step 2
Keep good posture and slightly rotate your arms out to the side... while you're also pressing the kettlebells up to the sky.
In rack position your palms are facing each other.
At the top of the press your palms are facing forward and if you can lock out your arms at the top.
Read my post about the kettlebell press . This will breakdown the movement. It's simple but there are some intricate details you need to know about.
Remember...
As you lower the weights... don't just let the fall down. Lower them with control. This is the eccentric phase of the exercise... probably the most important phase.
Ready To Workout With a Trainer And Get Better Results?
If you get to do this workout with battle ropes... let me know how it goes.
It's a really fun one.
I love and hate battle ropes. I'm not very good at them. And part of my personality is to avoid doing things I'm terrible at.
But fitness is one of the few things life where it's better to focus on your weaknesses.
You'll improve faster... by fixing your weakest links.
I think I just motivated myself to go do some battle ropes.
If you want to get stronger...
Improve your form and technique...
And learn new skills...
Join me in Fit Women's Weekly LIVE. This is my private online personal training group . In the group I...
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Stream one 60 minute LIVE workout each day
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Stream one 30 minute LIVE workout each day
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Stream one 30 minute coaching and training session each day
But it's more than workouts. It's about coaching and building a consistent fitness lifestyle with a heavy focus on strength training.
If you're interested... you can get a 14 day FREE trial .
But keep in mind... membership is very limited to this group. I can only personally help so many women.
If spots are all gone... go check out Habit. This is my collection of 30 day strength training programs that cover many different fitness levels and styles of training. These are pretty amazing too!
Now go get this battle rope workout done and let me know how it goes.
You can follow me on my social accounts below and message me there. I hope to hear from you!
