As one of the main finishers for upper body conditioning we do at Genesis Athletic Performance, Battling Ropes have become pretty popular. They have been around for a while, but are just now starting to take off. Someone even told me they saw it on an episode of The Biggest Loser a few weeks ago. Battling Ropes are a great exercise that have multiple variations and uses which is why they are incorporated into our athlete’s training frequently.
Here is an example of one of the ways we have used Battling Ropes at the facility.
You can use them for conditioning, as part of a Tabata style workout (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, repeat), to correct muscle imbalances (especially in the upper back), to teach glute and hip activation instead of moving the ropes with just your arms and shoulders, for grip strength (especially the thicker the rope), as a great way to work the core, and much more.
The problem is that it is hard to find a 50ft or longer rope that will last and is thick enough so your body has to work hard to control it. Your local building supply store doesn’t offer them, and if you purchase them online you are going to pay a few hundred bucks depending on the quality, length, and thickness you get and that isn’t even including shipping.
Because of this and me not wanting people to have to spend money to get results, I decided to do some hunting and brain storming and come up with a cheap or free alternative to use instead of ropes. After asking clients and friends for ideas and searching the internet, I discovered this excellent alternative.
USED FIRE HOSES
As odd as that sounds, apparently fire departments “retire” used fire hoses that have been used a certain amount of times and give them away for free. They want you to take them off your hands so they get them out of their fire stations and don’t have to pay disposal fees. The best part about it is they come in different sizes and lengths so you can do multiple things with them.
I called up my local fire station and asked if they had any they were willing to give away. They said yes and actually sounded let down that I told them I only wanted 2 or 3. They told me where to go to pick them up and when I showed up, I had my selection of about 100 different hoses to take my pick from. I picked up 2 50 ft. hoses that are about 2 inches wide and another one that is about 5 inches wide. Then we took a hacksaw to the ends to cut off the metal nozzles, after some duct tape for the handles, we had 2 different types of hoses with grips that we could use for anything a rope can be used for. We then took the other 2 inch hose and cut it into 4 10 ft. pieces so we can have partner battling rope competitions which can be seen in the video below.
Compare the first video using an actual 50 ft. rope to the one below using hoses instead and notice how they work just as well.
Check it out and let me know what you think.
D
