"Strawberry shortcake, cream on top. Tell me the name of your sweetheart!"
While jumping rope brings to mind young girls and their sing-songs, it is often overlooked as a form of exercise for adults. However, it is one of the foundations of a boxer's training program and celebrity trainers often use jump roping as part of a conditioning workout to help their clients lose body fat and increase their fitness levels quickly.
Cardiovascular and Endurance Benefits
"Jumping rope can be a staple in everyone's conditioning program," says Scott Colby, an internationally known fitness professional and author of Abs Uncrunched. "Not only does it provide cardiovascular endurance benefits, but it also improves coordination, agility, quickness and footwork. You can burn up to 1000 calories per hour jumping rope and it works all major muscle groups. It's a great abdominal exercise, believe it or not, as the abs have to work hard to stabilize the body during jump roping."
According to Vince Palko, two time Hall of Fame Linebacker and author of Linebacker Fitness, many other high level athletes in professional football, basketball and tennis use this exercise to accelerate their fitness level quickly. Hopping is one of the best plyometric exercises to build lung, leg and upper body strength and power.
"Anytime the arms are extended out in the jump rope set position the heart has to work faster to pump blood out to those extremities," explains Palko. "That is why the heart beats faster than during other cardio exercises. That combined with multiple movements (hand spinning rope, feet hopping, moving body side to side, back and forth) all happening at once, make this exercise superior to other forms of cardio."
Choosing The Right Jump Rope
A good rope can be found at almost any sporting goods store ranging from $15 to $30 depending on the features. Some will be just ropes with handles. Others are hard plastic ropes with ball bearings in the handles, called speed ropes, that will allow you to sprint faster. A weighted jump rope has small metal rods inside the handles to tone the arms and shoulders while jumping.
The lengths of most ropes are 8-10 feet long. "To determine the ideal length," says Colby, "Place one foot on the middle of the rope. The handles should reach to about armpit height." If the rope is too long, cut a couple inches off the end of the rope until it is the appropriate length, or just tie a knot under each handle.
Beginning a Jump Rope Routine
Those new to jump roping should plan to master the skill of jumping rope first, before thinking of it as a conditioning tool. A beginner can start with short jump rope sessions several times each week, working up to jumping for 3-5 minutes three times a week. A boxer uses a jump rope as a tool for conditioning and a boxing round is 3 minutes, so 3 minute rounds are something good to strive for.
As the body gets conditioned a workout might look like this:
- Jump Rope for 3 minutes
- Rest for 60 seconds
- Complete 5 rounds
Advanced Jump Rope Workouts
There are several options for workouts with jump ropes. Advanced exercise enthusiasts can consider jumping for 15-20 minutes. Jumpers can also mix circuit drills and body weight exercises into the jump rope routine to help accelerate fitness levels quickly and burn body fat.
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