There is a new fitness tool in gyms for people who are seeking tough workout that is also fun and engaging.

This fitness tool is battle ropes, the thick and heavy ropes that look as if they could tether a ship to shore.

Slamming, whipping, drumming and dragging the long, anchored ropes have long been used in training for sports like football, but fitness experts said that they have gone mainstream in gyms as an efficient workout routine.

Jonathan Ross, spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise said, “It’s a little like running with the upper body, it’s not just using different muscles but training muscles in different ways.”

The ropes workout engages the body and the mind with what the Washington D.C. area trainer and author of the book Abs Revealed calls the grace of the wave.

He said, “The ropes show you how you’re moving, you see the physical manifestation of the body movement as you watch the ropes. If you do them well, your body is moving well.”

Ross said posture and coordination are inherent element of the workout.

Battle rope workouts also pack a calorie burning cardio punch.

According to study, 10 minute bout of rope training resulted in high heart rates and enough calorie loss to increase cardio respiratory fitness.

Rope classes include warm up segment followed by teams competing to see who can keep the wave or movement of the rope, going the longest time.

Battle ropes comes in various diameter and lengths, require shoulder mobility and stability, so people dealing with shoulder issues should use them with caution.

Ross said, “The longer the rope, the more challenging because you have to generate more force, you want to see that move travel all the way down to that anchor point.”

Another mistake is pulling the ropes too tight. “You can’t make a wave if the rope is tight.”