Jumping Rope

When you were in grade school, there is a good chance that you learned to jump rope. There is even a good chance that there was a jump rope competition or fundraiser. While that was many years ago, there’s a good chance that you could jump rope for quite a while in those days, or at least your memory would make you think so. If you grab your jump rope now, you may come to a sobering reality.

Jumping rope should not be your starting point for cardio workouts. Jumping for just 10 minutes is going to be quite difficult on your knees and legs. If you’re not already in decent shape then I wouldn’t recommend jumping rope as your introduction to cardio - it’s really difficult. Assuming you’re not carrying too much extra weight, then I’d definitely recommend you give rope jumping a try - you don’t need too much time.

If you stop to think about jumping rope for a minute, it’s pretty silly. You’re literally just jumping up and down in place while a little rope goes under you. Up and down and up and down for as long as you can go. It’s such a simple activity, but it’s going to hit you hard. You’ll be pretty tired by the end of jumping rope and your calves will probably be burning as well as your lungs from the oxygen you’ll want to get in.

While running is about the best cardio exercise in terms of burning calories, jumping rope isn’t far behind. The real benefit to jumping rope is that you don’t have to have much room and you can stay at home. This is extremely helpful for parents that can’t leave their kids at home alone. If you can’t get out of the house because of your kids to workout, then getting a jump rope is a great option.

In terms of jump ropes available, they’re all over the board. Realistically, you don’t need anything too fancy. There are some top of the line jump ropes that run for a few hundred dollars (yeah, that seems crazy to me). I will admit to never have used one of these jump ropes, but if you’re a serious rope jumper, then it may be worth it. For the rest of us, a basic jump rope will be enough.

In terms of workouts, start out with something simple. 10 minutes of jumping rope for as long as you can go. You’ll likely not make it a full 10 minutes as you get started, but take breaks as you need. Slowly work up over time to longer periods. You’ll feel it in your legs, but also in your shoulders from spinning that rope around so much. If you need a break for your arms, then bring the rope together in front of you and cross it from side to side for a few seconds.

You can get more advanced as you progress - there are a lot of videos on YouTube that will take you through some intense jump rope workouts. Double jumping is just the beginning to the workouts you can do. While there’s no reason that you have to get advanced in your jump rope exercises for it to be effective, you may find that you get tired of just jumping up and down for multiple minutes in a row.

If you need a workout that is intense, doesn’t require you to go far away from home, and will burn calories quickly then give jumping rope a try. It’s a great way to get your heart pumping.