Jump Rope Workout – Lose Fat And Get in Shape

September 25, 2008
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Jumping rope is a great workout. If you play sports, and I think that you should because life is just more fun when you also enjoy it through the capabilities of your body, jumping rope will enable you to perform at a higher level.

When done regularly, this kind of training, will develop your coordination aerobic and anaerobic power and capacity, balance, quickness of feet and hands, speed, agility, and explosiveness. It will also of course greatly aid in weight loss. Get strong and keep your body weight down and you will develop a great body.

Jumping Rope – Workout Styles

  • Basic jump – jump with both feet at the same time. Master this technique first. Make sure you jump by going up and not by flexing you feet the knees.
  • Alternate foot jump – alternate your feet. You can skip one or two times with each foot and then switch to other one.
  • Criss-cross – cross your hands in front of the body.
  • Double under – jump a bit higher and swing the rope two times before hitting the ground

My Personal Rope Skipping Routine

Start off by working up to being able to jump rope for 1 minute nonstop. I hate it when things get complicated so I will not recommend to set a timer or whatever.

Just count the number of jumps. Between 100 and 120 jumps will probably be about a minute of nonstop skipping. So lets simplify – two jumps equals one second.

Working Up To 1 Minute Jump Rope Workout

So the first goal is to get to 1 minute. To do this each workout do as many rounds of jumping as necessary and add up the total time until it equals one minute. It could be 6 rounds of 10 or 2 rounds of 30, etc.

christian bale jumping rope in american psycho
Christian Bale working up a sweat in the movie American Psycho. Regarding jump rope technique, notice how the upper arms are held close to the body. The movement comes from the wrists.

Jumping Rope Workout – First Training Week

When you are able to jump for one minute nonstop, start adding one more round each workout. You will want to take a 3 minute rest between rounds to fully recover. Continue in this way until you are able to complete 6 one-minute rounds:

  • Monday – 1 round
  • Tuesday – 2 rounds (3 minute rest between rounds)
  • Wednesday – 3 rounds (3 minute rest between rounds)
  • Thursday – 4 rounds ((3 minute rest between rounds)
  • Friday – 5 rounds (3 minute rest between rounds)
  • Saturday – 6 rounds (3 minute rest between rounds)

Jumping Rope Workout – Second Training Week

You will rest only 2 minutes between rounds and will start adding one more minute to each round every workout. Let me clarify it:

  • Monday – 2 min, 1 min, 1 min, 1 min, 1 min, 1 min,
  • Tuesday – 2 min, 2 min, 1 min, 1 min, 1 min, 1 min,
  • Wednesday – 2 min, 2 min, 2 min, 1 min, 1 min, 1 min,
  • Thursday – 2 min, 2 min, 2 min, 2 min, 1 min, 1 min,
  • Friday – 2 min, 2 min, 2 min, 2 min, 2 min, 1 min,
  • Saturday – 2 min, 2 min, 2 min, 2 min, 2 min, 2 min;

Jumping Rope Workout – Third Training Week

Finally you will be resting only 1 minute between rounds. You will be adding 1 more minute on every workout:

  • Monday – 3 min, 2 min, 2 min, 2 min, 2 min, 2 min;
  • Tuesday – 3 min, 3 min, 2 min, 2 min, 2 min, 2 min;
  • Wednesday -3 min, 3 min, 3 min, 2 min, 2 min, 2 min;
  • Thursday – 3 min, 3 min, 3 min, 3 min, 2 min, 2 min;
  • Friday – 3 min, 3 min, 3 min, 3 min, 3 min, 2 min;
  • Saturday – 3 min, 3 min, 3 min, 3 min, 3 min, 3 min;

At this point you will be jumping for 18 minutes with 5 minutes of rest total.

Jump Rope Proficiency – Now What?

After you adapt to doing six 3-minute rounds, you have a few more options to increase the difficulty.

You can focus on speed, alternate between different skipping styles in each round or do calisthenics – push ups and squats, during your breaks. Get yourself a rope and start skippin’!

Comparison: Fasting and Exercise

In the video below nutritionist Brad Pilon compares the benefits of exercise and fasting. Why should you care? Well to lose weight and get in shape with exercise alone is a losing battle.

A tough workout might burn 300 calories. A medium size meal can be 600+ calories. So it makes sense to use both exercise and a caloric restriction to burn fat.

Brad Pilon is the author of my favorite diet plan, Eat Stop Eat.

Babe by Vincent

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