Tired of dumbbells? You could throw a big rope around instead. Fox News reports "battle ropes," those large, heavy ropes that look like they could actually tether a ship to the shore, may be popping up soon in your local gym!

The ropes have long been used in training for sports like football, but have now gone mainstream. Regular gym-goers are now whipping, slamming, dragging and drumming the long anchored ropes to get in a good workout. Jonathan Ross, spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise says, "It's a little like running with the upper body. It's not just using different muscles but training muscles in different ways." Donna Cyrus, senior vice president of programming at Crunch fitness centers adds, "It's great core training. The abs, back and glutes are all engaged. Obviously there's toning to the upper body and it burns a lot of calories."

So, what do think of adding "battle ropes" to your workout routine?

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