If you’re anything like me, you want to get the most out of your workout, burning as many calories as possible in the least amount of time. In my research of finding quick yet effective workouts, I stumbled upon jumping rope. Jump rope (aka skipping rope) is known as one of the most effective cardio exercises. Studies found just 10 minutes a day with the rope was comparable to 30 minutes of jogging. That was all I needed to read before I traded in my running shoes for a jump rope. Jumping rope is a cardiovascular exercise that not only burns calories, it also strengthens your lungs, heart, arm, and leg muscles. Jumping rope is high intensity and burns a lot of calories during a short period of time.

The one thing I hate more than running is ab workouts. Jump rope has also been known to be more effective at reducing belly fat than core workouts. WHAT?! Ab workouts burn only about 84 calories in 15 minutes (on average), whereas 15 minutes of high-intensity jump rope training can burn upwards of 200 calories. If you’re jumping rope to burn calories and flatten your stomach, you might not need to exercise for as long as you would with other less intense exercises.

 

Jump rope is one of the best workouts you can do. You’ll burn fat, lose weight, and improve your cardio, all while gaining lean muscle mass.

These are some of the benefits that I found in my research:

  • Complete, full-body workout
  • Keep your body warmed up between other workout sets
  • Improves Coordination. Jumping rope actually improves your coordination by making you focus on your feet. …
  • Decreases Foot and Ankle Injuries. …
  • Burns Major Calories. …
  • Improves Bone Density
  • Low risk of injury with lower impact on knees and ankles than running
  • Improves Cardiovascular Health. …
  • Improved Breathing Efficiency. …
  • Minimal and Inexpensive Equipment
  • Increased weight loss and toned muscle as skill level progresses
  • Boosted metabolism
  • Improved agility, endurance, and vertical leap
  • Builds leg muscles

 

Jump Rope

When selecting a jump rope, you want to pick the rope that is most comfortable for you. Length is crucial. Having a jump rope that is too long or too short for your height can lead to tripping and injury. In general, lengths range from 7 to 10 feet. If you stand on the middle of your rope and pull the handles up, they should reach your armpits or shoulders. Check out this adjustable rope.

Here’s the general rule I found

4’9” – 5’3.5” = 8 ft (not including handles)

5’4” – 5’9” = 8 ft 6 in (not including handles)

5’9.5 – 6’3” = 9ft (not including handles)

If you can’t get your hands on a rope, no problem! You can mimic jumping rope without using an actual jump rope. Think of it as an imaginary rope: Move your hands and jump in time.

Shoes

You want to wear shoes with proper support. Training shoes designed for CrossFit or HIIT with ample cushioning to help absorb the impact as your foot hits the ground tend to work well.

How to jump

I know, I know, jumping rope is like riding a bike. But, you will find out quickly that we are no longer kids and there is a proper form to jumping rope to prevent injury.

Swing from your wrist not your shoulders or arms with your elbows tight to your body and shoulders relaxed. Keep your hands at hip level.

Land on your toes not your heels with your knees slightly bent.

Keep your core engaged and posture straight.

Don’t jump too high. Jump just one or two inches off the ground.

Rhythm is key to jumping rope. To get this down you start jumping without a rope and count “1, 2, 3, 4”.

If you’re new to jump rope, try learning with a heavier rope because you’ll get more physical feedback as you jump.

Let’s Get Started

Start slowly. Don’t push yourself or jump rope too much. Remember not to put too much stress on your knees or ankles. Intervals are a great option when you’re learning the ropes (no pun intended lol). Try starting to jump rope in 20 to 30-second intervals. As you get more comfortable with jumping rope, you can increase the time you spend jumping.

Now we’re ready for a challenge! We’re starting week 3 of the FitMommiChallenge switching it up a bit and adding a jump rope challenge. This challenge will help you build endurance and ease into jumping rope. Starting with just 200 jumps on day 1 to 2,000 jumps by day 14. If you are more advance double or triple the number of jumps per day. You can split up your number of jumps in 1 day. Maybe start with 500 jumps in the morning and 500 in the evening. You can also rest between a designated number of jumps. For example, resting after 100 (200 or 300 jumps) and adding squats, crunches, lunges, etc. in between. Personally, for a full workout, I usually do 200 jumps and some type of strength workout in between. You can also use your breaks to simply rest. You know your body and what it is capable of. Push yourself and listen to your body. Try this challenge below, checking off each jump rope workout per day, post in your Instagram story, and tag both @mommination and @mrsmykal

 

 

Good luck Mommies!

Let’s get FIT,

Mommi Mykal

Updated January 2021