Jumping rope is a great cardiovascular exercise. It’s one of the foundations of a boxer’s conditioning program, and you’ve got to be in shape to box. The tennis champ Jimmy Connors used to skip rope as part of his conditioning routine.
Wear supportive cross-trainers, tennis or basketball shoes while skipping rope. Running shoes won’t give you enough forefoot support and are not intended for bouncing on the balls of your feet. Avoid jumping on concrete, floors laid over concrete, and other hard surfaces like tile. If you don’t have a springy wooden or carpeted floor, place a thin exercise mat on whatever surface you do have and jump on that.
Muscle Groups worked in a Jump Rope Workout
Jumping rope will seriously work every muscle in the body. I’m convinced that it will expose your weak links. After your first jump rope workout, you will be sore in many different parts of your body. Jumping rope will help you in your quest to get super-ripped abs. Your core really gets worked hard since you have to use your abs to stabilize your entire body to help you propel your body through the air.
Jumping Rope vs. Fat Burning Hormones.
HGH is a natural hormone that your body releases to burn body fat. A high level of HGH in your body is the quickest route to burning body fat! The best way to increase HGH is performing high intensity cardio for 30-60 seconds or so, followed by a minute or two of walking or low intensity cardio. This is called High Intensity Interval Training.
A Great 15 Minute Jump Rope Workout that You Can Customize to Your Liking
- Stand in front of a clock or timer of some sort
- Jump Rope for 3 minutes to warm up
- Rest for 30 seconds .
- Jump rope as quickly as possible for 60 seconds
- Rest for 30 seconds. Do as many crunches you can for 1min.
- Jump Rope as quickly as possible for 60 seconds
- Rest for 30 seconds For 1 min do as many push-ups as you can.
- Repeat this alternating pattern for 15-20 minutes
You can alternate rounds of skipping with crunches and push-ups until you’ve completed 30 minutes or more of exercise. After the second or third round of skipping, your heart rate won’t drop that much during the crunches and push-ups.
You might not be able to do more than a few intervals of push-ups. Use any exercise you want during the minute between rounds. Try doing squats and lunges (with or without weights) to give your larger leg muscles added work. Do upper-body exercises with dumbbells during that minute. (Use proper form. Don’t rush.) One more thing: Skipping rope emphasizes your calves, so be diligent about stretching them.
Another advantage of skipping rope is that you can take one anywhere. If you’re traveling and the place you’re staying doesn’t have a gym, you can bring your own.
Try to vary your speed. As your cardiovascular health improves, you’ll be able to jump faster for longer periods. Keep in mind that this can also increase your chances of injury. One method to help offset this risk is to incorporate interval training.