Table of Contents
BJJ and MMA require a very specific form of cardio.
Doing road work and going for a run or spending hours on a treadmill will help… but it’s definitely not the most effective form of training for your goals.
Overview
Remember your first grappling session. I bet it was a lot tougher physically than you expected it to be.
When training in martial arts such as grappling, your entire body is being put to the test. Not just your cardio, but your muscles and your strength.
You have to have endurance and you need to be strong but you need to be strong for as long as possible too!
Battle rope workouts are fast and brutal; you’re in and you’re out. Unlike a long and drawn out running session.
Battle ropes are a perfect form of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) that allows you to work and build your muscles as well as your cardiovascular endurance.
The rounds in competitive BJJ and MMA are short and intense, therefore your training needs to be as well. These HIIT battle rope sessions mimic these explosive rounds perfectly and will get you in the right shape for competition.
There are plenty of different battle ropes that you can buy and many will serve you well, but of course you’ll only want the best.
Below we’ve collated the absolute best ropes on the market for you to purchase and use.
Battle Ropes Reviews
h3Iron Bull Strength Battle Ropes With Anchor Kit/h3 Amazon productMost big companies sell their ropes in different sizes to suit your requirements and Iron Bull are no different.
You can buy these ropes in three lengths: 30 feet, 40 feet and 50 feet.
Gym owners and professionals might want to pick up the longer sets but for those of you that will be using them in the comforts of your own home, then the 30 foot rope will be your best option.
The Iron Bull ropes are made with the highest quality PolyDacron, which will withstand the rigours of any strength regime.
This material is chosen for both said durability and flexibility. If the rope is too tough then it just won’t have the same whip to it and will just generally feel clunky and unwieldy.
The included anchor kit is incredibly sturdy too. You attach one strap to the rope and the other to wrap around a strong anchor point and you’re ready to go. No worrying that the rope will burst loose mid exercise.
h3Zeny Black Battle Rope/h3 Amazon product
Zeny provide this rope in three different lengths: 30ft, 40ft and 50ft, but also in two different grip sizes; 1.5inch and 2inches.
We all know that grip strength is incredibly important in MMA and Gi BJJ in particular, so why not kill two birds with one stone with the 2 inch grip?
The thicker grip will make your battle-rope workout even harder and leave your forearms burning along with the rest of your body.
With some ropes, the grips and caps on the end are poorly made and will fray or fall off after repeated use, but not with this Zeny battle rope. You can use this rope outside and give it a good thrashing and the grip will remain intact.
h3NEXPro Exercise Fitness Training Battle Rope/h3 Amazon product
Like most high quality ropes, NEXPro use PolyDac material in the ropes construction.
Other inferior companies, with inferior products, will use polypropylene by itself or polyethylene.
Polypropylene is often used in a blend with other materials to make quality ropes, but by itself it is coarse and easily broken.
Polyethylene is too stiff and you’ll find it coming loose as you use your rope. So be careful when choosing a rope and make sure you know it’s made with quality materials, like the materials NEXPro uses.
All rope lengths feature a grip of 1.5”. People who have extra large hands might prefer a rope like the Zeny rope, which features a 2” grip, but 1.5” will be more than enough for most people.
h3EliteSRS Fitness Battle Rope/h3 Amazon product
If you’ve ever tried shopping for battle ropes before than you’ve probably found out that there isn’t much variation in colour and style.
The vast majority of the ropes are black. Or predominantly black with maybe some small red or yellow accents here and there.
Maybe you’re someone who appreciates equipment that looks nice or just finds the average plain black rope kind of dull.
Luckily for you, you don’t have to choose between a rope that works and a rope that looks nice.
EliteSRS offer their excellent rope in 6 different styles: the ubiquitous black, blue/red, blue/black, yellow/black, silver/black and red/black.
They also provide the choice between 1.5” grips and 2” grips for those that require a meatier grip/rope to work with.
h3Gymenist Heavy Duty Workout Battle Rope/h3 Amazon product
This rope may look familiar to you. It looks exactly like the kind of rope you expect to see hanging down from the ceiling in a school gym and you can expect just as gruelling a workout from it too.
Again, if you’re one of those people who likes their gear to look nice or a certain way than this could be the rope for you.
Especially if you like the old-school, rustic aesthetic look.
If room and space is an issue, the Gymenist rope is a good choice as it comes in shorter sizes than most other ropes.
You can still buy a big 50ft rope if you want one, but if you only need or want a shorter rope you have the option of a 20ft rope too.
2” grips are also available instead of the standard 1.5” grips.
It’s constructed with a heavy-duty, 3 strand twisted build so you can use it day after day without the thing falling apart like some other ropes.
Overall
Battle ropes are an incredibly useful and versatile tool in your fitness arsenal and you’d be a fool not to make use of them.
Whether you’re looking to improve your overall fitness or you’re specifically focused on building muscle or grip ability or core strength, battle ropes will get the job done.