Let's get right to the point, you need a jump rope, it's going to be your new best friend. Ask for one for your birthday or Christmas. Need a stocking stuffer for a beginner workout buddy or your avid gym-goer friend? Get them a jump rope. I absolutely swear by a good jumping rope routine. Why? There are incredible benefits to it. I love adding in a jump rope sesh to my client's workout routines because it's just that good.
Benefits
Price
First of all, if you don't already have one, they are incredibly cheap. I love this one because it's less than $10, has a good and comfortable grip, plus you can shorten the jump rope as you need (#ShortGirlProblems). With that said, there are so many good ones out there and you don't need to get a fancy one. If you've been jumping rope for years there are weighted and tech-implemented options, but you definitely do not need this to get in an amazing workout.
If You're Doing it, You're Doing it Right
Next, onto the health side of fitness, there are so many benefits. For one, most anyone can jump rope. It does not require you to have a certain form, and therefore you do not have to worry about doing it the "wrong" way. If you're jumping, you're doing it right.
Practicality & High Cardio
Next, it is one of the best cardio options out there in which you can easily do from home, at the gym, outside, or practically anywhere (you can even throw it in your suitcase when you leave town!). Did you know in an hour of jumping rope you can burn 1000+ calories? In fact, jumping rope compares to running at a rate of 8mph. It also burns about 30% faster calories than treadmills, 60% more than high impact aerobics, 135% more than resistance training, and those percentages keep getting higher depending on what you do. What that means is that just 15-20 minutes of jumping rope can outweigh a lot of options you have if you want to keep in shape, making it one of the best choices for aerobic conditioning.
Less Stress on the Body
Another great thing about jumping rope is that it is actually much less stressful on your Central Nervous System (CNS) than other forms of interval training you can do. It also poses less stress on your muscles and connective tissue too. In addition, due to the muscles developed and the strength gained in your feet and ankle joints over time, you are decreasing your chances of injuries in both of those areas, a particularly great benefit for those who play other sports.
Other Benefits
Need some more convincing? Not only does it burn a high amount of calories making it a time-efficient activity with less stress on your body, but it also tones your entire body and creates lean muscles in all major muscle groups. It also helps you with your overall cardio, endurance, agility, coordination, and fat-burning. As you jump rope, you will be able to be faster with your feet, and if you choose, start doing tricks with the jump rope to entertain yourself and in turn, develop further coordination. The more you jump rope and develop your health and stamina through conditioning, the better you'll become with your breathing as well, meaning other aerobic exercises such as running or swimming will appear easier and you'll feel out of breath less often. So what I'm saying is, the more you jump rope, the better you'll be both a jumping rope, but also in all other aspects of your fitness or non-fitness life.
PLUS, did I mention it's FUN?! I'd much rather jump rope than do many other forms of cardiovascular exercises.
The Workouts
So how should you jump rope? If you're just starting out, I recommend following a good interval training format which you can slowly improve every week as you get better. If you're feeling up for it, after you're interval training, do your own thing with your jump rope until you hit a 20 minute-timed workout. I usually love trying new tricks, see how long I can go without taking a break, or just challenging myself in different ways. It's your workout, so make it fun for you.
Cardio First-Timers
30-second jump rope
1-minute break
Repeat x6
A Little Challenge
45-second jump rope
45-second break
Repeat x6
You Love Jumping Rope
1-minute jump rope
30-second break
Repeat x5
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