Aerobic exercise is essential for helping keep your weight under control, as well as preventing the onset of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. In fact, aerobic exercise should find a place in your routine about 30 minutes a day, five days a week, suggests the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Aerobic exercise is any exercise that causes a significant increase in your heart rate. One way to change up your routine and meet these aerobic recommendations is through jumping rope.
Leg Muscles
Heart rate is affected by the amount of resistance being placed on your muscles. Jumping rope works mainly the muscles of your limbs and upper body. In the legs, muscles are used to propel your body off the ground and over the rope, as well as help absorb the impact as your feet come back into contact with the ground. This works muscle groups such as your calf muscles, the quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings.
Upper Body Muscles
Jump rope exercises also work most of the major upper body muscles as you swing the rope over and under your body. Increase the intensity of the workout on your arms by using a weighted jump rope. Jumping rope works the triceps and biceps of your arms, as well as the shoulder deltoid muscles and your pectoral muscles.
Aerobic Effects
As you use the different muscles in your body to jump rope, the amount of energy your body consumes is increased significantly. To continue jumping rope, adequate amounts of oxygen and nutrients must be available for the cells of your muscles to continue making energy. To supply the additional oxygen, as well as increase how quickly your blood can carry the nutrients to the muscles, both your heart and respiratory rates increase. The increased heart rate is also important to help remove carbon dioxide from the bloodstream, which is created as a byproduct of the energy creation process. As you stop exercising and energy demand decreases, your heart and respiratory rates also decrease.
Benefits
The increased heart rate you experience from jumping rope has a beneficial effect on your overall cardiovascular health. When you jump rope or perform other aerobic exercises on a regular basis, the increase in heart rate strengthens your heart muscle. A stronger heart muscle can more effectively pump blood through your blood vessels with less pressure. This effectively reduces your overall blood pressure. A lower blood pressure reduces your risks for cardiovascular damage and heart diseases.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Physical Activity Guidelines
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Exercise - Exercise's Effects on the Heart
- Rope Sport: Benefits of Jump Rope Exercise
- MayoClinic.com: Aerobic Exercise: Top 10 Reasons to Get Physical.
- American Council on Exercise: Jumping Rope -- Not Just for Kids Anymore
Member Comments