HIRTS Bands Benefits: The Savage Ropes Developed for Olympians

If you’ve been following over on Instagram, you’ve likely noticed that I’ve recently been working with a specific type of band system called HIRTS. Aside from allowing for some epic flow movements, this system has provided an absolute killer workout for so many reasons.

These are more than just another pair of ropes, so I wanted to dive into what HIRTS is and how it can benefit you.

What is HIRTS?

HIRTS stands for high-intensity rope training system. The idea was first conceived by wrestling coach Ivan Ivanov when he was working with young wrestlers in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1999. He then created and improved the HIRTS while working as a wrestling coach at the Olympic Training and Education Center in Michigan.

Based on his coaching results with elastic resistance bands, Ivan created the HIRTS trainer mostly for pulling and pushing exercises for the lower and upper body.

As you can see in the clip below, the HIRTS is extremely versatile, and this has made it an incredible tool both for world-class wrestlers, athletes, and even beginners looking for a comprehensive, holistic flow tool.

WATCH: HIRTS Savage Work with Jiu-Jitsu World Champ

As you can see, the HIRTS adds a unique form of resistance to punches, pushes, pulls, jumps, and more, taking a standard bodyweight HIIT workout to a new level.

The HIRTS is also split into different types depending on your training goals. For example, there is a HIRTS Climber, featuring the signature pieces you need to perform exercises that benefit rope climbing. There is also the Battler, which features exercises for battles movements (aka: MMA), and others for standard workouts.

Benefits of HIRTS

As I mentioned, the HIRTS has provided remarkable results to world-class athletes. But what exactly is it that makes it so unique? Let’s look into the structure of the HIRTS and how it affects your physique.

Mobility

The epic element of the HIRTS is that it requires you to move through all planes of motion while under resistance. In traditional resistance and endurance training, we typically move through only one plane and in one direction (think of running, which propels the body straight ahead, or squatting, which moves strictly up and down).

With things like primal flow movements and the HIRTS, your body is allowed to rotate, bend, push, and pull through various planes, which increases whole-body strength. Not to mention, when this is under the resistance of ropes, we begin to seriously strength our smaller stabilizer and core muscles that air in balance and explosive power.

You’ll also notice that this system is used heavily by wrestlers due to the pushing and pulling nature of the HIRTS, which mimics the pushing and pulling that occurs when you’re facing an opponent. By utilizing HIRTS, you’re able to strengthen the actual muscles being used in the match, and also becoming familiar with how they feel.

To SAVE 10% on your own set of HIRTS bands, visit Suples Training Systems here and use code: PRIMAL at checkout!

Plus, the stretching, pulling, and twisting encouraged in the HIRTS is also excellent for whole-body flexibility, and mimics many movements you’ll find in sports.

Overall, through rotation under tension, your body becomes more stable across all spectrum of movement, which lends power and reduces chances of all types of injuries.

If you’re familiar with time under tension, you know that the amount of time a muscle is under resistance until fatigue determines its growth, with greater time under tension stimulating more growth. The great thing about HIRTS is the high resistance through various phases of movement, increasing time under tension.

Resistance + Cardio

If you’ve also ever used resistance bands, you know that while they may “look” easy, the reality is they are far from it. Quality resistance bands can add serious mass if used correctly, due to their continuous tension effect.

However, one limitation of standard bands is they are only typically used for mimicking standard exercises like bicep curls of push-presses. The unique angle of HIRTS is the fact that they allow you to jump, twist, punch, and pull, which can result in a high-intensity interval training workout.

In other words, these can be epic for cardio + resistance, combined.

Studies have shown that high-intensity interval resistance training (HIRT) results in a significant increase in resting energy expenditure compared to traditional resistance training. This means that you’re essentially burning more calories at rest following a session due to the metabolic increase following the workout.

Muscle repair and restoring your oxygen levels after an intense workout takes energy (aka: calories, and even fat). This makes HIRTS an amazing system for getting or staying shredded.

Speed

If you’re an athlete, the HIRTS also offers a speed package to help increased speed alongside strength. This can improve efficient reaction time, allowing for more accuracy and agility.

WATCH Another Brutal Combat Conditioning Session with HIRTS here

The HIRTS speed pack creates a simulation of high-speed drills in wrestling such as leg and upper body attacks. It allows you to sprint and lunge under resistance, which can improve standalone power output during matches and races.

Remember: to SAVE 10% on your own set of HIRTS bands, visit Suples Training Systems here and use code: PRIMAL at checkout!

Overall, if you’re looking to seriously condition your entire body, the HIRTS is unparalleled. And did I mention fun?