Increase Fitness by Adding a Jumpe Rope Workout

Rope jumping is typically thought of in similar but unrelated ways. There is the form of jump rope referred to as “skipping rope” and is generally a more subdued version of rope jumping performed by young children. Jump rope is performed at multiple ages as a form of competitive sport involving singles, team (double-Dutch), and free style competitions. This article will focus solely on jumping rope for fitness or as a way to condition your body for specific sports.

Include Jump Ropes Into Your Fitness Routine for Additional Conditioning

If you have seen any boxing movie you undoubtedly have seen the star boxers train using a jump rope. In this capacity a jump rope can be awesome for conditioning your legs and shoulders while at the same time developing heart strength and cardio fitness. Most fitness enthusiasts are aware that the more muscles you can involve in a single activity, the more taxing it is on your respiratory and muscle systems. The primary reason that jumping rope is so beneficial is that is a compound movement which means it incorporates multiple muscles simultaneously. Compound movements like jumping rope cause the heart to pump more blood (oxygen) due to the increase in demand by all of the muscles being involved.

What Intensity Level Should You Use While Rope Jumping?

If you have ever tried jumping rope, it can be a humbling experience. Despite movies and pro athletes jumping rope in an effortless manner, there is a considerable amount of coordination and stamina involved in successfully maintaining a beneficial intensity. Beginners should tailor their jump rope workout in a way that allows for time to become more efficient at the movement. In other words, starting out, you will spend more time learning how to jump rope than you will jumping rope for health benefits.

Once you learn how to jump rope, you can vary your jump rope workout to include speed jump rope (performed at maximum intensity for short periods) or more moderated speeds using weighted jump ropes for more muscle involvement. Your jump rope workout should be targeted for you fitness goals. If you are training for a sport with explosive speed and power, using a weighted jump rope at higher speeds will be more beneficial than using a lighter rope and slower speeds.

Whatever your goals, it is recommended that you purchase several jump ropes of various weights and materials so you can vary your workout and realize maximum potential.

How Should You Jump When Jumping Rope?

As stated earlier there is some level of humiliation when first starting out. The rope jumping movement can look and feel very awkward. There are two important factors to success. The first is timing; you don't want to jump too early or too late, the result is a tangled rope around your feet. The second part is body mechanics. You don't want to over exaggerate the movement because it will require too much time and you will be more likely to hit yourself with the jump rope, but you also don't want to be so tight and rigid that the jumping movement loses it's fluid motion.

When starting to learn how to jump rope research some online videos and keep these tips in mind. You want to try and minimize the bending in your legs. Most of the jumping motion should come from using your calves to push your toes off of the ground just far enough for the rope to pass under. The rope should be rotated using mostly your wrist and forearms; your entire arm should not be moving in a circular movement. While learning, the key is to try and include as little muscles as possible so you can focus on form and not wear yourself out. As you become more comfortable and efficient at jump roping, then you can practice the more beneficial rope jumping techniques.