Jumping rope is an effective way to work many different parts of your body, with the added bonus of being fairly inexpensive. All you need is a rope and some wide open space. Jumping rope properly is both a cardiovascular workout and a muscle-toning exercise.
Leg Workout
Athletes who rely on vertical explosiveness and jumping ability, including basketball and volleyball players, can benefit greatly from a jump-rope workout. As the name "jump rope" implies, you work mostly the same muscles you use during jumping, especially your calves and hamstrings, from the repetitive contraction and springing of these muscles. Jumping rope also works the muscles in the upper part of your legs -- your quadriceps and glutes. By jumping from the balls of your feet, your muscles stay active, burning calories the whole time.
Wrist and Forearms
When jumping rope, focus on spinning the rope around your body using your wrists and forearms. This will allow you to whip the rope around yourself more quickly, and the repetition of this motion will strengthen your forearms, wrists and hands.
Abs and Core
Your abdominal muscles are worked the entire time you are jumping rope, as they act to balance and stabilize the rest of your body. The stronger your abs and core, the better your balance, coordination and stability will be. The next time you are jumping rope, focus on keeping your abs tight and flexed to give yourself an extra benefit from your workout.
Biceps, Triceps and Chest
When you become skilled at jumping rope with your hands close to your body, you can work on extending your arms away from your body. If your rope is not long enough, you can hold the rope in one hand, simulating the jumping motion, but just spinning the rope in a circle next to your body. This forces your chest and arm muscles to support your arms while the spinning motion of your wrists and forearms works out your upper arm muscles.
Heart Health
The longer and more frequently you jump rope, the better cardiovascular exercise jumping rope becomes. It is easy to tire out while jumping rope, but if you aim for 5 minutes at a time to start, slowly increasing as you get in better shape, you'll find yourself burning calories and working muscles throughout your body. If you jump rope at a high level for an hour straight, you can burn up to 1,000 calories.
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