The hamstrings make up the back of the upper thighs and they consist of the long and short head of the biceps femoris, the semitendinosus and semimembranosus. Having strong hamstrings will improve your performance in sports and enable you to get around with efficiency. Jumping rope is a good form of exercise for strengthening the heart and lungs, and it also has an effect on your hamstrings.
Mechanics of Jumping Rope
The function of the hamstrings is to extend the hip and flex the knee. Hip extension takes place when you move your thigh backward and knee flexion takes place when you bend your leg and move your heel toward your butt. While jumping rope, your legs stay predominately straight, but you do perform a subtle amount of hip extension and knee flexion. This in turn does work your hamstrings.
What Type of Exercise Is Jumping Rope?
Jumping rope is primarily known as a cardiovascular exercise. This type of training is performed in a repetitive motion for an extended period of time and it burns a high amount of calories. Even though the hamstrings get recruited, you will not see any sizable gains. You will in fact create lean, defined muscles.
Muscles That Get Worked
Plantar flexion is the motion that takes place when you point your toes downward. This in turn works the two-part calf complex. This muscle group consists of the lateral and medial head of the gastrocnemius and soleus. When you jump rope, you constantly bounce up and down on your toes. This repetitive motion places a high amount of emphasis on your calf muscles. You also work the hamstrings, quadriceps, abs, deltoids, latissimus dorsi, biceps and pectorals. The delts are shoulder muscles, the lats are back muscles and the pecs are in the chest. If you were to use a weighted rope, you will increase the emphasis on all of your upper body muscles.
Variations
Performing regular jumps is beneficial for your hamstrings, but you can do a variation that will increase the workload. Instead of jumping in a regular pattern, perform running steps, high knee steps and butt kicks. Running steps simulate running in place while swinging the rope around your body. High knee steps are performed the same way, except lift your thighs high in the air in front of your body. To do butt kicks, jump high in the air and quickly move your heels back toward your butt. All of these variations increase the amount of hip extension and knee flexion which causes more hamstrings recruitment.
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