Jump roping seems to that it was a lost form of exercise, but looks to have been picked up more recently due to some of the awesome videos you've seen. If you've been on TikTok or Instagram, chances are you've seen some of these awesome videos of people jump roping. It's aesthetically amazing, but that's one of the least important reasons you should start jump roping.
What was once popular during the Rocky Era seems to have been merely forgotten. However, besides it looking cool, the benefits of jump roping are amazing and can be a key piece of your daily workouts to help achieve your goals. Here are some of the reasons you should start jump roping.
#1 You Can Take It With You Anywhere
One of the reasons people tend to stray from their workout regimen is due to vacation or needing to go away. If you're going away, most likely you don't have or want to bring any equipment with you. I doubt you'll be throwing some kettlebells in your luggage with you to the airport. What makes jump roping great is how lightweight it is and you can bring it with you anywhere.
A jump rope you can easily store in any of your luggage and it won't impact weight.
Besides it is light, you can also jump rope in most places with constriction.
If you want to stay home, you can easily just jump rope inside your place. I know many people would think jump roping in your place would make a bunch of noise, but if you're landing properly and with good form, you shouldn't be making too much noise.
Let's say you want an outside workout, you can easily bring your jump rope to an open area and start doing it there.
What makes jump roping great is its lack of limitations environmentally and physically.
#2 Get a Total Body Workout
Jump ropes come in all different shapes and sizes. You can get a speed rope, designed for faster jumping or you can get a weighted rope. A weighted rope will be a bit harder to sling around, but that's the point.
A weighted rope will add some extra resistance to the workout. While jump roping already workouts out your legs overall and requires core stability, a weighted rope amplifies this and hits those muscles even harder.
If you ever wanted to add a little extra burn to a leg day or just get a more full-body workout, then you should start jump roping. As well, get a weighted rope.
#3 Get Strong Calves
We just went over that one reason to start jump roping is that it's a great overall total body workout. I do want to emphasize though, the jump rope really works your calves. If you feel like your calves may be weak or need improvement, I highly suggest you start jump roping.
I personally have fairly decent calves (at least I thought I did), and when I picked up a jump rope and started for 10 minutes, I felt like my calves were nowhere near as strong as I thought. It was a humbling experience, to say the least.
#4 Burns a Great Number of Calories
Jump roping easily burns a great number of calories. You can easily burn 200 calories in a 20-minute workout. However, this also depends on how much you weigh cause your body is its own resistance in this case. The more you weigh, the more calories you'll burn.
Most people like to compare jumping rope vs running in terms of calories. If you're running a 10-minute mile you will probably burn around ~100-115 calories. A good jump rope session in that same time frame can burn around ~115-130. Granted, not a huge difference but in terms of the impact running can have on your body and all the other factors you have to take in to play, I think it's safe to say jump roping is the better option to choose with a better outcome.
#5 Helps with Coordination / Balance
Jumping up and down seems fairly easy. To do that though over a rope at different intervals and keeping your body fairly balanced to not trip over the rope is a more difficult task. The better you get at jump roping, the better your coordination and balance will be for those exact reasons.
If you're jump roping and your arms start flailing out to one side more than the other, you'll trip over your rope. You time your jump wrong, you're going to trip over the rope. It takes patience, but the better you get at jump rope, the better your balance and coordination will get.
#6 Easy to Jump Into (Pun Intended)
The last reason to start jump roping is that it's a fairly easy exercise to get into. I will say, it may require some patience if you have balance issues as I do, but overall for most, it should be something to easily pick up. You can easily get going with it and incorporate it as a warm up, or as just some extra cardio into your workout.
Since jump roping (when done correctly) should be fairly easy on your joints, and you can do it anywhere, it makes it an easy option to pick up. It doesn't matter if you're a beginner or advanced athlete, this is still something you can easily throw into your workout with ease.
Getting Started Jump Roping
If you've been convinced to start jump roping, well then awesome! I'll like to go through a quick starting portion on how you can pick up a jump rope and learn how to use it with proper form.
Buying a Rope
First, you need a jump rope. Personally, I use the Rogue SR-2 Speed Rope . This was my first rope, but I've heard from others if you're starting out you should start with a weighted rope instead.
Measuring Your Rope
Once you get your rope, you actually may need to measure it and cut it for your height. I had no idea this was a thing, so I hope to save you some time by mentioning this. Here is a video on how you can measure and cut your rope:
Jumping with Proper Form
Jump roping with proper form is essential to mitigate injury and ensure a proper workout.
Here is a good video on jump rope form:
If you end up like me and tripping over the rope 100 times, here is a video that can help fix your mistakes:
Workout Regime
Okay, so you've got your jumping down! Now here's a quick sample workout you can use to get you started and keep improving over time.
Final Thoughts
Jump roping has many benefits. You increase your cardio but also get a total full-body workout that can help with coordination and balance. It's somewhat of a lost art form that's gained some popularity as of the last couple of years.
If you're trying to lose weight or just need to include some more cardio into your regime overall, this is a great tool to have that you can bring anywhere with you.
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