Elevate Your Training with This Low-Impact Power Move
Where explosiveness, endurance, and full-body strength collide.
If you—like many regular gym goers—have swapped your bodybuilding routines for ones that focus more on efficiency, proper movement, and blending endurance with strength, you're probably familiar with battle rope exercises. Moves like battle rope slams target multiple muscle groups at once, helping you shed pounds and build muscular endurance like no other.
"The battle rope slam is a movement pattern that's relatively easy to learn, and somewhat low impact on the body, but still allows you to up the intensity and deliver a lot of force," says Luke Jones, a certified personal trainer at HERO Movement. "You’re moving explosively, using your whole body, and because you can reset and go again quickly, they’re great for developing that kind of repeatable, athletic power." Zach Hetrick
How to Do Battle Rope Slams
- Hold the ends of battle ropes with a handshake or overhand grip.
- Come into a squat position, then generate power from the ground up, extending your arms overhead before you slam the ropes onto the ground.
- Perform one set of 20 reps.
Muscles Worked During Battle Rope Slams
Although battle rope slams may seem like an upper-body exercise, the real power starts from the ground up. The force begins with your legs and hips, flowing through your core, and then radiates outward to your shoulders, biceps, and triceps. Think of it as a whip-like motion traveling from the ground and moving rapidly through your body, transferring force to the ropes. It’s this chain reaction that makes battle rope slams a full-body workout, engaging muscles from head to toe.
"Because you're slamming the ropes over and over again, especially when you're tired, your stabilisers have to step up," Jones adds. "Your core’s working hard, but so are the hips and shoulders to keep everything in sync."
Common Form Mistakes
If you've watched someone perform battle rope slams, you might think it’s all about whipping the ropes. But to truly activate your muscles and get the most out of the exercise, proper form is key.
Jones explains that many people instinctively rely only on their arms during battle rope slams. While it might feel easier to do so, this actually makes the move much harder. Engaging your entire body not only helps maintain stability but also ensures that all your muscles get in on the action, making the exercise more effective overall.
He states that you should feel like you're launching the movement from the ground and letting the arms essentially act as extensions of the ropes. To perform this move correctly, Jones says to “hinge back, root through your feet, and let the slam travel through you.”
