Jumping rope is a form of exercise that has been around for hundreds of years and is an excellent workout that can burn fat, as well as working your legs, abs and arms. You can practice almost anywhere with sufficient space. The effectiveness and versatility of the jumping rope has made it a particular favorite with all sorts of athletes, most notably boxers. A heavy jump rope is a weighted rope, either made with a heavier material for the rope, or with weights in the handles to add resistance and place more strain on your muscles. Jumping rope improves your coordination, your cardiovascular and muscular endurance and has less impact on your joints than running.
Basic
The simplest form of jumping rope is simply to skip at a steady pace. Holding a handle in each hand out to the side of your body, swing the rope forward over your head, hopping over the rope with both feet as it passes back down under your feet. Try to find a steady rhythm. You can skip for as long as you can. A 130-lb. person skipping slowly for an hour would burn around 472 calories, while jumping fast would burn 708.
Variations
You can vary your footwork and the way you swing the rope to work different muscles. You can run or sprint on the spot. Skipping on alternate legs is more demanding on your calves and can help ankle stability. Alternating your legs and raising your knees to your chest also works your abdominal muscels more, as does jack knifing, or keeping your legs and torso straight while you bend at the waist while you skip. Other variations include criss-crossing your arms as you skip, or double unders, where you pass the rope underneath you twice as you are in the air.
Workouts
In addition to skipping for an extended period of time, you can vary the length of time you jump rope for and how long you rest for or use the rope as part of a workout. Boxing and conditioning coach Ross Enamait recommends creating a circuit with a set number of turns of the rope, with burpees, push-ups and squats that can be repeated as necessary. Other variations include interval training, such as skipping at full speed for a minute, resting for 30 seconds, then repeating this several times. Studies conducted by Dr. Izumi Tabata have shown that interval training like this can lead to large improvements in cardiovascular endurance and VO2 max, even in trained athletes.
Member Comments