Rope Jumping As a Form of Exercise

How would you like a piece of exercise equipment, which sells for less than $20, can fit into any bag, the whole family can use it, it’s fun, and it improves your cardiovascular fitness while toning muscle all at the same time?

What is it? A jump rope of course!

What I love about skipping is you can burn an amazing amount of calories in just 15 to 20 minutes. Depending on how fast you jump, you could potentially burn off 5 to 15 calories per minute.

Rope jumping is also great for improving agility, balance and coordination.

If you’ve tried using a jump rope lately you may have discovered it’s not as easy as it looks. How many minutes can you do before giving up?

Most people find that in the beginning it’s pretty difficult to keep up for long enough to be effective, and it’s also easy to lose your rhythm.

So, here are 10 tips to improve your rope jumping success:

1. A beaded rope is easier to control than a lightweight cloth or vinyl rope.

2. Wear a supportive training shoe to minimize the impact on your feet and joints.

3. Use flat surface, such as a wooden floor.

4. Shorten the rope so the handles reach your armpits.

5. Look straight ahead rather than down while jumping.

6. Maintain good posture by pulling your shoulders slightly back, bracing your abdomen and keeping your shoulders pulled down away from your ears.

7. Relax your arms by your sides, and turn the rope by making small circles with your wrists, rather than big circles with your shoulders.

8. Stay high on the toes – these are your body’s natural shock absorbers.

9. You don’t need to come more than an inch off the ground with each jump.

10. Remember to warm up, stretch and cool down to help prevent injury.

In the initial stages you may find it helpful to alternate rope jumping with power walking to help build your stamina.

Start by doing 30 seconds of each, then increasing to 1 minute, and so on. As you get more comfortable, begin continuous jumping for as long as you can.

Target Heart Rate

While using the jump rope you should pay attention to your heart rate to make sure you’re exercising with enough intensity to benefit from the exercise, but not so vigorously that you’re at risk of injury.

Your maximal heart rate is 220 minus your age. At the high end of your target zone it’s 85% of that number, the low end is 70%.

For example, if you’re 27 years old, your maximal heart rate is 193, and your target zone is 135 – 164 beats per minute.

JumpSnap: Ropeless Jump Rope

If you find yourself constantly getting tangled up in the rope, how about giving the Ropeless Jump Rope a go?

The JumpSnap Rope is made with two weighted handles, rather than the traditional rope. It also has a nifty little function which will inform you how many calories you’ve burned, the number of rotations, and the total time you’ve been working out, and it’s perfect if you have limited space to work out.

You can purchase the JumpSnap for $39.95.