Early Retirement Extreme Forums

From the looks of it they seem like you can really kick your own ass Tabata style with ropes, and since they're sort of heavy and unwieldy I figured they could go in a duffle along with some sand for dinosaur carries and sandbag training.

Have any of you ever tried working out with these?

Also: FUN!

edit: https://www.onnit.com/academy/beginners ... tle-ropes/

Westside is now pushing battling chains, for the truly hardcore:

http://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-battle-chain

I can only imagine how loud they must be.

Battle chains are for wimps. Real men use battle sharks!

As a previous collector of various sports equipment, I'll note that adding various equipment begins to add up and that anything more esoteric than dumbells and barbells might be hard to resell. At one point I owned just under 200kg of various kettlebells and clubbells. Add bikes, hockey, sailing, ... and we're talking about 400kg of exercise equipment. This is hard to relocate with. So I recommend being real careful in considering the added utility/bulk ratio for a given piece of equipment.

If you can get them for free, go for it.

I've had a good amount of experience on them and find them to have very limited value for the size and cost. Yes, you can use them in a lot of gimmicky ways for conditioning, though mostly it's local muscle endurance. They won't do anything crazy for your abilities, and you can arguably do a lot better with bodyweight movements.

Two main benefits I can think of:

1. Some of the arm movements are nice shoulder therapy due to the odd loading and the different planes of movement.

2. Can be a useful finisher for certain sports that involve grip and upper extremity endurance, e.g. MMA.

You could get all that out of them by using them for a one month cycle and moving on to other things, and repeating that cycle once or twice per year. Which means using someone else's rope is ideal.

If you decide to buy, I recommend getting a battle rope that can double as a climbing rope. If your elbows are healthy enough for it, rows and pullups and climbs will do way more for you can shaking a rope. Not all battle ropes make good climbing ropes. Make sure it's long enough, and doesn't have the exterior wrap. Although forgoing the wrap will mean you tear up your rope a lot faster when using it as a battle rope.

The main shoulder therapy movements are: up and down (alternating or simultaneous), side to side, and circles (both inside and outside).

@scott2 I've done some sled pulling where we reeled it in with the chain, and the clinking as it piles up is ear splitting. I imagine that the sound of the battle chain depends on the ground surface, since the links shouldn't be hitting one another too much, but yeah, seems dumb.

I'm convinced Rogue employees regularly browse the shelves of Home Depot for really inexpensive things that they can market as exercise toys at a 1000% markup.

DSKla wrote:I'm convinced Rogue employees regularly browse the shelves of Home Depot for really inexpensive things that they can market as exercise toys at a 1000% markup.

They don't limit themselves to what's on the shelves. They sell the shelves too!

http://www.roguefitness.com/monster-rig-2-0

DSKla wrote:If you can get them for free, go for it.

I've had a good amount of experience on them and find them to have very limited value for the size and cost. Yes, you can use them in a lot of gimmicky ways for conditioning, though mostly it's local muscle endurance. They won't do anything crazy for your abilities, and you can arguably do a lot better with bodyweight movements.

This is all the reason I needed not to buy them. Thank you very much!
My home gym remains minimalist!

Sleds are a lot of fun. I like playing with the Prowler when I'm at a gym that has one. It's so easy to over do it, but the primal effort of pushing for all you're with is cathartic.

Buying random lifting toys is weakness of mine. Craigslist in my area is active enough that it's not a huge money waster. I do have a few thousand pounds to move should the occasion arise though.

With any gym equipment, if you can find it at close to the price you can sell it for, I say go for it. Have some fun, get in a little extra activity. Sell and get something new once you are bored.

Scott2, agreed. Ropes don't resell well, but a sled does. Especially if you got it used. As do used plates, kettlebells, etc.

Oh Jacob, bikes aren't exercise equipment!

@enigmaT120 - All bikes and shoes and socks are exercise equipment. Also, any cycling in public is subject to the Great Race where if you see another cyclist up ahead, it's your honor-bound duty to overtake them as soon as possible or take a right on the nearest side street to avoid the shame of failure.

jacob wrote:@enigmaT120 - All bikes and shoes and socks are exercise equipment. Also, any cycling in public is subject to the Great Race where if you see another cyclist up ahead, it's your honor-bound duty to overtake them as soon as possible or take a right on the nearest side street to avoid the shame of failure.

See: http://www.itsnotarace.org/

I'm glad I never see other bicyclists. I know I'm supposed to want to see them though.

Commute home by Ed Miller, on Flickr