Battle Ropes: For Cardio and Bigger Arms

Battle Ropes are Awesome

Battle ropes should be a part of any garage gym or home gym. They can be used anywhere and when done take up very little space.

Cardio

The ropes can be used on their own as a cardio option. Simply doing a 20 minute session of 30 seconds of battle ropes, with 30 seconds of rest will tear you up! Battle ropes get the heart pumping and are a fantastic option for wheelers as there is nothing in our way to wheel up to them and start pumping our arms.

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Warm Up or Finisher

My primary use of battle ropes is to use them as my warm up and finisher on any day I lift. I will do the ropes for about 5-8 minutes as a warmup and then at the end of the workout for another 5 minutes or so. As a warmup I will do 3 sets of the ropes where each wave should get to at least shoulder high. I will do the first set for around 100 waves per arm, which takes about a minute and 20 seconds. The next two sets are at 60 waves per arm for around 45 seconds each. This gets the blood pumping and I can go right into my toughest lift, which is typically my first lift. Whether that is incline benching, pull ups, dips, etc. I am more than ready after this warmup.

For a finisher, I will typically do about 2 sets of 50 waves per arm. This takes about 40 seconds. I don’t really need any more than that!

Grip Strength

A side benefit of battle ropes is the improvement to your grip strength. As you build up endurance on the ropes your grip will greatly improve. And in turn your forearms and grip will benefit greatly. I have tried a ton of things for grip, including Captains of Crush grippers (which work great by the way), and I am not sure anything tops the battle ropes.

Arm Size

I could write up an entire article or program on more effective ways to build arms than what most folks actually implement, which is typcially a ton of curls that lead to nowhere. The arms develop with tons of frequency and time under tension. You get both with Battle Ropes if you use them multiple times per week. If you start using battle ropes for 2-3 times per week, for at least 8 minutes each time you will instantly begin to see improvement in your arms.

Wheelchair Cardio: The SkiErg Workout Log

Concept 2 SkiErg

I just received my Concept 2 SkiErg this week. And after only a couple days I am addicted. Today was my second attempt at 5000 meters. Today’s time was an improvement of 1 minute and 2seconds. Continuous improvement from workout to workout is vital for long term fitness. Keep getting better, even if the margin is small. Small improvements over time accrue into large improvements!

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Today’s 5000m SkiErg Workout

Wheelchair Cardio: The SkiErg

Concept 2 SkiErg

I just received my Concept 2 SkiErg this week. And after only a couple days I am addicted. The cardio options for wheelers can be a bit limited. I’ve mentioned in other posts that Handcycling is among the best options out there, which I participate heavily. But after that the options get limited in a hurry. We can just simply wheel, which is akin to walking or jogging. To step that up a notch, we can wheel up hills, which is a fantastic workout. But to be honest, as pure cardio options these are extremely boring. I take my dogs for a walk or walk to the beach with my wife as a recreational active recovery activity. It is not a hardcore energy system enhancer. We can also use indoor Hand Peddled Bikes but a lot of these are junk. And really good ones cost way too much for not having any competitive benefit, which I drill into below. We can do Battle Ropes which I find to be among the very best low cost option out there, but again, there is no competitive aspect to these so monotony can set in.

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Why The SkiErg?

As mentioned above, the options for cardio for wheelers is extremely limited as most are geared towards the use of one’s legs. Rowing can be utilized by wheelers, but you are pulling hard against your gravity and nearly pulling yourself out of your wheelchair. The range of motion is also extremely limited with the rowers as they are geared towards pushing off with your legs and then performing the pull. So the rower can work, but its not ideal, in my opinion.

The SkiErg lets you use gravity in your favor as you pull down and a bit behind you. There is no risk whatsoever of pulling yourself out of the chair. And the SkiErg is meant to primarily target the upper body, which is ideal for wheelers. I had been looking at the SkiErgs for a while but never pulled the trigger as I had never had the opportunity to try one out. However a Private Facebook Group I am a part of, Virtual Peers for Paras and Quads, had made a post about adding a SkiErg to their gym. Based on Erik Kondo’s recommendation, plus supporting recommendations for numerous group members, I bit the bullet and ordered one.

Competitive Benefit

One amazing benefit of the SkiErg is you can get plugged into the Concept2 challenges and training log. You can create a profile and begin recording workouts in your log. You can then select workouts you want ranked and they will then get ranked. Whats even better is there already exists Adaptive divisions so you are competing against peers and not against able bodied crossfit all stars. This is an AWESOME benefit for wheelers as there is nothing really like this out there beyond actual handcycle races.

Wheeler Recommended

I will provide more info and a review in the future once I have had a few weeks on the machine. But for wheelers I would already highly recommend. The workout variety is great and the competitive aspect is a nice wrinkle. I have no idea if I am any good at it yet but I don’t really care. My time is hovering around 3:14 per 500 meters, but hopefully will go down as time goes on. I just completed a 5000meter workout and feel amazing. A similar “runners high” that I get from going outside on my handcycle.

Purchase a Ski Erg

If you are interested in a Concept 2 SkiErg, shop now at Rogue Below!

Today’s 5000m SkiErg Workout

Boxing for Cardio with Quiet Punch

You gotta get your cardio in and its ideal to NOT have to go to any gym to do so.  If you go to a gym for strength sessions 3-4 times a week it would be nice to do 2-4 energy sessions from your home.  Any form of cardio that involves any stationary device is mind dumbingly boring torture.  Whether this is on a treadmill for folks that walk or run, an ergonomic hand pedaled machine that fellow wheelers can spin with their hands, or any other eliptical or stationary bike.  If you are stuck inside, moving but not going anywhere, over time boredom will ensue which is why boxing related workouts do so well. And... ITS FUN TO PUNCH STUFF!!!

Quiet Punch

I had been investigating getting a heavy bag to hang in my garage, but the space it would eat up just doesn't exist anymore in my already crowded garage.  Enter Quiet Punch, an at home boxing device that anybody can set up.  The device is better termed a mobile bunching device as this could easily be brought along with people and used in any hotel.  All the device requires is a doorway, simple.

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Great Variety

I am really hoping the Quiet Punch is a long term option as an active wheeler like me NEEDS VARIETY!  My hand spun ergonomic device that I am able to use inside the house is ok, but its so boring if it is the only in home cardio option.  Since i have a garage gym I am able to manipulate some workouts with lighter weights that can act as a cardio/energy session, however, meatheads like me have a tough time keeping the weight light enough to keep the workout more cardio than strength.  

Future Results and Workouts

I just got the Quiet Punch in last week so I need some more time with it to provide some honest feedback but so far I am a big fan.  There is no need for a wheeler like me to get a large heavy bag so this replaces that burden quite nicely.  I will say in just a few workouts that 10 minutes on the Quiet Punch provides an easily elevated heart rate and a quick sweat.  

Boxing certainly seems to mimic the High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) style that is extremely popular right now.  Go hard for 30-60 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds.  Do 10 rounds of this and you certainly feel as though you put in a tough workout.  Short and hard workouts are ideal to fight off any boredom and so far I really look forward to each workout on the Quiet Punch.