No, for real though!
Rope climbing is one of those oft-reviled, rarely practiced staples of your old-school gym class where actual physical activity and development of a wide variety of strength and athletic movements was a requirement. I remember doing these in gym as a kid, as well as in gymnastics. Of course, we always used our legs to help us up, and there's no shame in that. But you're a big boy or girl now and there's no need for that.
The ultimate sign of body mastery is your ability to manipulate your body to conquer any and all surroundings. The innie and outie machine in the gym isn't going to prepare you for anything you'll encounter in real life, but your body is legit designed to brachiate (hang by the hands) and climb, and any program that includes brachiation and climbing as a part of it is destined to make your forearms give Popeye a run for his money and will make your back look like a Cobra's head.
I just posted a tutorial on my YouTube channel that will take you from literally nothing to climbing a rope like it's your damned job - you'll even learn how to take your rope climbing a step above and beyond by adding weight the RIGHT way. If you're able to work up to a heavy weighted rope climb, I'm pretty sure that'll put you on the next level of man-/womanhood and will qualify you for the title of Ubermensch, but don't quote me on that until you get there.
Here's a quick rundown of the principles behind the video:
- Improve the leverage with 1 easy regression to speed ahead
- Use static holds to build up the position-specific strength
- Take advantage of gravity to build more strength with negatives
When you get a sec, check the video out and put those poor battered Battling Ropes to second use once in a while.
Video ==>
Have fun and happy training!
Aleks "The Hebrew Hammer" Salkin
alekssalkin.com
Upvote/Follow/Resteem for more simple fitness tips!
PS: Don't have a rope but still wanna get stronger? Have you tried the 8 week kettlebell and bodyweight challenge? It's 20 minutes a day, and destroying weakness is a guarantee: http://bit.ly/21a00ex