Battle Rope Slams

Raise both rope ends overhead and slam them down with full body extension. The most forceful rope variation and the closest to a med-ball slam without the ball.

DIFFICULTY
Intermediate
EQUIPMENT
Battle rope
PRIMARY MUSCLES
Lats · Abs · Deltoids
ALSO WORKS
Glutes · Quads · Obliques · Triceps
HOW TO DO IT
  1. 01Stand tall holding both ends, feet hip to shoulder width.
  2. 02Extend the hips and reach both arms fully overhead, rising onto the balls of the feet.
  3. 03Slam both ends into the floor, hinging the hips back and exhaling hard on impact.
  4. 04Let the arms finish below the knees before immediately rising for the next rep.
  5. 05Work sets of eight to fifteen slams or timed intervals of fifteen seconds with full recovery.
COACHING CUES
  1. 01Reach tall, then throw the rope through the floor.
  2. 02Exhale on the slam.
  3. 03Hinge to absorb, do not fold at the spine.
COMMON MISTAKES
  1. 01Slamming with the arms while staying upright, which removes the lats and hips from the movement.
  2. 02Rounding the back to reach the floor, which loads spinal flexion at maximum speed.
  3. 03Grinding out long sets, which degrades the slam into a soft drop with no training value.

Note: Reference material, not a prescription. Load, volume and whether this movement suits you at all depends on your assessment — if something hurts, stop and get it looked at.

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