Jumping Down a Size.

When was the last time you jumped rope? For most of you probably not since PE class, but if so your missing out on a great workout experience. What the jump rope brings to your workout is  high caloric burn, core stabilization, balance, cardiovascular stamina and calve muscle tone amongst other benefits; And all for under $25. It’s effective, easy to do and travel sized. There is a number of different rope to choose from.

The choice is the one you can keep up with comfortably. The nylon rope is light enough for anyone to handle at their own pace and any entry level. The beaded rope is also great for any entry level and has a little weight to it so to give your shoulders a good workout. The speed rope give’s you higher caloric expenditure, higher heart rate and easier to do cross-over tricks. Also the speed rope is generally the lightest, easiest to adjust and least expensive. The weighted rope take’s it all to the next level by giving you more resistance to help develop the muscles of the forearms, biceps, triceps, shoulders and chest.  Also the additional weight gives your heart and lungs an even harder go at it. I don’t suggest starting with the weighted rope, but rather build up to it at your own pace. And I do suggest you check your doctor before starting a jump rope program. 

Your next decision is length.  General rule of thumb is that rope handles should come up between nipple line and arm pits. Higher will probably be too long and below will probably be too short. You can easily adjust the length by tying a loop near a handle or both if you  need to take in a little more or the reverse if  you need to let some out.

Most people do the double bounce between rotations in the beginning . You want to jump cleanly between each rotation just barely lifting the ball of your feet off the ground while keeping your heels up throughout. Remember you only have to clear the rope, not an oncoming defensive linebacker! Your upper arms should barely move but remain loose while turning your rope. The rotation of the rope should come from circular wrists movements. If you want to increase the speed of the rotations, simply tighten the circles that your wrists is making. Also you want to keep rhythm while jumping by counting off the jumps in you head. After a while the tempo will become more natural. From here you can set a timer or stand in front of a clock and start building up your minutes.

From here you can build a program suitable to your fitness level.  For example, 1 minute jumping 1 off for 10 rounds or 3 minutes on 1 off or 5 minutes on 1 off, you get the picture. You can also integrate the rope to your weight regiment by doing Push/Pull/Jump sets where you do opposing muscle group like push-ups, pull-ups and 1 minute rope jumping 3x then dumbbell rows, dumbbell press and 1 minute jumping. The combinations are endless and the body fat just melts away at up to 1000 calories an hour. So dig out that old JHS keepsake or head over to your local sporting goods shop and give it a go! I’m sure PE class wasn’t as rewarding.