Rope Flow

What is rope flow?

Rope Flow is a new fitness trend that is fast gaining traction in the fitness industry. It is part jump rope, part dancing, and is a great mobility exercise that promotes rhythm, timing, and coordination between the left and right brain. It is a fun way to exercise and improve mobility and joint health and with sufficient practice, it can also be a tool to release stress and anxiety. As the name suggests, all you need is a piece of rope to get started!

Why is it getting more popular? 

• Easy access and portability. 

The best thing about Rope Flow is the portability of it. All you need is a rope and some space to enjoy yourselves. You can even bring it with you to the office and have a spin during your break to keep your brain energised. 

• Shallow learning curve. 

Rope Flow is easily accessible by many people due to its shallow learning curve. The time to invest in training and practicing is much lesser compared to other skill toys like juggling. Once you have nailed the basics, you can then move onto improvisation.

• Versatile. 

Are you more into steady state cardio exercises, or inclined towards high intensity interval training? It doesn’t matter! Rope Flow is easily adjustable to cater to your needs. You can slow it down or pick up the pace, and slowly progress to a heavier rope too. As always, know your body and your limits to prevent injuries. 

• Promotes joint health and lymph flow. 

Thanks to the dynamic movement in rope flow, it helps to maintain and even increase the range of motion in your arms, shoulders, and spine. It also encourages the lymph flow around the body as you bounce on the balls of your feet.

• Mindfulness. 

When you have learned the basics and are able to string the movements together, it’s fairly easy to enter a flow state, almost like a meditation in movement. This ultimately reduces stress and anxiety. Many people are using it to wind down from a long day at work, and even during break time!

• Physical and mental training. 

Learning a new skill stimulates the neurons in the brain, which forms more neural connections. When there are more neural connections, it allows the electrical impulses to move faster across them. Think of it as a highway, and by having more highway connections, it makes the information travel faster. Rope Flow also improves the left/right coordination.

How to get started with Rope Flow?

There are some who are selling a specially designed rope for this, however, it could be costly for those who are just starting out. DIY is an option you can explore but do keep in mind of the total weight of the rope. Contrary to popular belief, heavier may not necessarily be better. It does give some benefits but it might make it difficult to learn with one that is too heavy. A good weight to start with is around 400-500 grams. The length depends on your height. Generally, if you step on the middle of the rope and pull the ends, it should reach the bottom of your ribcage. 

How to learn?

There are plenty of resources online to begin with. One of them is Hero Movement with an in-depth explanation together with photos and videos.

https://www.heromovement.net/blog/rope-training/

And another website is www.octomoves.com , who also sells the ropes. 

 

Nomad also has walk in sessions to learn Rope Flow while enjoying the outdoors. Learning directly from someone has so many benefits as opposed to only learning from videos. You can get direct feedback from the instructors, and be able to correct your movements immediately. Besides that, it is more fun to do this exercise in a group.

 

It is essential to work the body as well as the mind to stay strong and healthy, and what better way than to have fun while doing it!