My Jump Rope Workout Routine For Beginners!
Conventional cardio is boring, jump rope on the other hand is a blast!
I have never understood those individuals that can walk aimlessly on a treadmill for in excess of an hour.
I value my time and I look to make everything I do as efficient as possible.
While preparing for my last 2 photoshoots the following HIIT jump rope workout has been my go-to cardio solution, it's extremely simple and can be performed anywhere (provided you have a skipping rope).
Here's My Jump Rope Workout Routine...
- 30 seconds of fast skipping
- 30 seconds of mountain climbers
Followed by 30 seconds of rest - repeat for 10 rounds
And A Few Other Variations I Mix In...
- 10 skips
- 10 push-ups
- 10 sit-ups
Followed by 10 seconds of rest - repeat for 10 rounds
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- 10 double-unders
- 10 box jumps
- 10 push-ups
Followed by 10 seconds of rest - repeat for 10 rounds
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- 10 skips
- 1 double under
- 1 burpee
Followed by 10 seconds of rest - repeat for 20 rounds
Why The Jump Rope?
Prized fighters, football players and fitness models all utilize the jump rope.
It's a fantastic conditioning tool for melting away fat and increasing your athleticism.
Jump Rope Benefits Include...
Decreased risk of injury
Jumping with a skipping rope is a self limiting exercise, there really is no way to push yourself to the point of injury unlike sprinting, sled pushes and other intense cardio oriented exercises - the worst case scenario when jumping rope is your coordinator/rhythm gets out of time and you clip your ankles or forearms with the skipping rope, no big deal.
Performing interval sprints at a high speed on a treadmill can be tough on the joints - I personally get shin splints when I try to push myself with regular treadmill intervals (unless it's a very high quality treadmill, not the usual cheap semi commercial gym ones).
Increased movement & co-ordination ability
To be successful at skipping you need to be coordinated, as you practise and practise and practise your coordinator will improve drastically.
In terms of movement the jump rope is also a fantastic tool for warming up before a game, a lifting session or whatnot.
Jump rope workouts build explosive speed & power
As you begin to master the coordination and form of skipping you can pick up the pace - fast jumps, double unders, crossovers.. there are no limitations to the different variations and combos of skipping you can do - all while building speed and explosive power through your calfs.
Combine regular skipping for speed with a low rep compound workout routine for strength and you're set.
Jump rope workouts will blow up your calfs
Collectively guys really need to focus on their calf development, I'm included in this group.
Performing set after set of calf raises, alternating between both heavy and light loads just doesn't seem to be work as well as it should... (Arnold Schwarenegger had ongoing issues getting his calfs to grow as he discusses in his biography, 'Total Recall').
The load placed on your calf muscles when performing a regular skip is nothing extraordinary as your calfs are used to carrying around your body all day - it can easily support the weight.
However, when you start to think outside the box and start performing single leg hops to increase the load on your calfs you'll begin to see new growth!.
Jump ropes are a highly flexible, inexpensive interval training tool
You can use a jump rope literally anywhere, you don't have an 100M track to sprint every though now do you?
For as little as $5 or $10 you can pick up a speed rope which will keep you going for quite some time.
Perfect for interval training (you can pair X number of skips or skipping for X number of seconds with any bodyweight exercise of your choosing such as push-ups, sit-ups, mountain climbers, burpees, jumping jacks).
I personally love the jump rope for cardio because you're focusing, it challenges your coordination so you're not left like a mindless zombie slowly pacing away on the treadmill.
My Jump Rope Tips For Beginners
- Look directly ahead as you jump, don't look down
- Keep your weight on the balls of your feet
- Do small, quick jumps (just over an inch off the ground)
- Keep your elbows nice and close to your sides
- Maintain a 45 degree angle with your elbows
- Turn the rope by making small circles (around 2 inches) with your wrists
- Focus on form, speed will come
What Is The Best Jump Rope?
I highly recommend picking up a speed rope, incase you're not familiar a speed rope is one of those super thin skipping ropes that are designed for fast skipping, double-unders etc. if you've ever step foot in a CrossFit gym you would've seen them. Now, you can speed $5 or $50 on a speed rope - from my experience there really isn't THAT much difference. Sure, you can get a weighted rope, adjustable ropes and the like but a basic speed rope (not one of those thick ropes with massive handles that you'll probably find tucked away in the corner of your gym) will suffice.
Here's an example of a rope I'd recommend to get started with - you can pick one up on Amazon for literally five bucks.