Jump Rope Strengthen Knees

Jumping rope builds the muscles of your legs and strengthens your connective tissues, including your knee joints. In addition to providing cardiovascular exercise, jumping rope also improves your balance and footwork. Jumping rope allows boxers and martial artists to improve their conditioning and maintain the ability to move quickly long into a fight. Consult a healthcare professional before beginning any exercise program.

Quadriceps

Your quadriceps, which are the muscles on the front of your thighs, are critical for maintaining knee strength. Your quadriceps extend, or straighten your leg, so every time your knee straightens after your foot hits the ground, you are working your quadriceps. At first, you should jump rope with both feet together, but as you become more advanced you can begin to alternate feet. This will force your quadriceps to bear more weight and strengthen your muscles and connective tissues more.

Hamstrings

One of the functions of your hamstrings, the muscles on the back of your thigh, is to protect your knee joint every time your quadriceps flex. Your hamstrings activate every time your knee bends, so by continually jumping rope, you are continually flexing your hamstrings. While there is not a great deal of knee flexion occurring while you are jumping rope, your hamstring flexes slightly as your foot strikes the ground; a stronger hamstring is better able to protect your knee joints and keep them strong.

Calves

Your calves contribute to knee stability, and they maintain the strength of your knee joints. Your calves are worked every time your ankle flexes, so each time you push off of the ground, you are working your calves. You will increase the workload on your calves by landing on one foot at a time. There are two muscles that comprise your calf -- the soleus and the gastrocnemius. Jumping rope primarily works the gastrocnemius.

Knees

To strengthen your knees, you must primarily strengthen the muscles surrounding your knee joint. Your connective tissue, which holds the bones of your knee joint together, and your bones themselves strengthen as a result of weight bearing exercise. A 2002 study published in "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise" showed that early postmenopausal women who had osteopenia were significantly able to increase their specific bone mineral density. This increase took place following 14 months of jumping rope.