In this blogpost we’ll share with you an intermediate and an advanced workout plan that combines battle ropes with bodyweight-exercise based circuits. If you’ve been doing basic bodyweight training consistently anywhere between six to twelve weeks, pick the intermediate plan. If you’ve been training consistently for more than 12 weeks, you can also give the advanced plan a try. For those just getting started, check out my previous beginner plan: 15′ Beginners Bodyweight Workout With Gymnastic Rings
Workout details
Both plans consist of two workouts – Workout A and B which will be alternated every time you train. Recommended training frequency per week is four times. If you want to increase training frequency you can also train six times a week with the same plans. Just make sure you have a deload week (cut volume training and frequency by 50%) or even a week of complete rest at least once every two months.
Each workout is structured into a circuit. During a circuit, you perform one exercise after the other with a ten to fifteen-second break in between. Between each circuit, rest 2-3 minutes. Circuits are short in duration, but they can also be very intense. This makes them ideal for people with a limited amount of spare time, looking to train whole body and take the edge off a busy day. Overall, I find that circuits are the type of training most people enjoy and stick to nowadays. As always, before you dive into the programs, make sure you warm up properly. Check out my latest tutorial on how to warm-up properly for such workouts if you haven’t seen it yet.
Intermediate vs Advanced workout
The only difference between the intermediate and advanced plans is an extra station of jumping rope that is performed in the beginning of the advanced plan. Although this might not sound like a big difference, adding a high-intensity station such as jumping rope at the beginning of the workout makes a big difference. For starters it increases your heart rate, not just for that one station, but for the whole circuit. It also increases overall muscle-fatigue (especially if you use weighted ropes as I recommend) in an accumulative way throughout the whole set.
Intermediate Workout A starts with Pull-ups and continuous with plyo-burpees, push-ups, the hollow body and ends with battle rope waves. Advanced workout A begins with jumping rope and continuous with the same exercises. Intermediate Workout B starts with and continuous with inverted rows, the assisted One-arm Plank, plyo-lunges and ends with battle rope waves. Advanced workout B begins again with jumping rope and continuous with the same exercises.
If you also enjoy your morning jog, hill sprints, going for a swim or whatever aerobic or anaerobic activity is your thing, you can also combine these with circuit workouts. Ideally, pick the four workout/week frequency plan and place them during the none-circuit training days. You can start your battle rope sets at twenty seconds and build it up to forty-five. For the rest of the exercises, I recommend starting these circuits with 30 seconds of work per station and 10-12 seconds of rest in between.
Questions?
If you have any questions feel free to visit the video version of this blogpost on YouTube and post them in the comment section below it.
Until next time… keep on training!