12 Benefits of Jumping Rope

by | Jan 10, 2018 | Travel Tips | 3 comments

I’m sure you’ve seen jump ropes laying around your gym. It’s always there, but never really considered picking it up. You’ve probably wondered how such a simple piece of equipment can help achieve your fitness goals. Besides, isn’t skipping rope just for boxers… or worst yet, just for children?

But I’m here to squash those thoughts!

Jumping rope has plenty of benefits for your health and fitness that you probably didn’t know. With proper diet and consistent training, skipping rope is a powerful exercise that can help sculpt the physique you’ve always wanted. Best yet, it’s an exercise that anyone can learn and master.

So next time you are the gym and need a good cardio workout, consider these 12 benefits of skipping rope:

 

 

1) Calorie crusher

Skipping rope burns a lot more calories per minute compared to other cardiovascular exercises such as swimming, running, or playing tennis. Depending on your intensity, you can burn off around 200-300 calories on a 15-minute jump rope workout. According to CalorieLab, that’s equivalent to an 8-minute mile run!

 

2) Sculpts your lower body

As you land on the balls of your feet while bouncing, you will immediately feel your calves and glutes working full time. Your hamstrings and quads are also engaged when skipping.

 

 

 

3) Tones your upper body

The muscles that you are engaging when you are turning the rope are your chest, core, and back. Use a weighted jump rope if you want to feel the extra burn on your shoulder, arms, and forearms. I use the weighted rope below from Nike:

 

Nike Weighted Rope Order here
 

 

4) Efficient

With the reasons listed above, there aren’t many workouts that you can do that can burn as many calories in such a short amount of time while getting a full body workout!

 

5) Endurance training and conditioning

There’s a reason why boxers and other top athletes incorporate jump rope in their fitness routine – it’s one of the best workouts for high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

 

6) Cardiovascular health

Since jumping rope requires plenty of muscle movement, the demand for oxygen increases greatly. The workout looks deceptively easy, but for those who haven’t skipped since childhood, expect to be panting after your first straight minute of skipping.

Once you’ve mastered this and want to take the intensity to the next level, try double-unders (rope passing twice per jump) for thirty second straight. You’ll feel it! I use the following speed rope that I found on Amazon to get that extra boost.

This rope is lightning fast!

 

WOD NATION Jump Rope Order here
 

 

7) Low-impact exercise

Compared to running, jumping rope is easier on the knees and joints, therefore reducing the risk of any injury related to cardio training. In addition, jumping rope forces you to have proper technique. Your whole body needs to be in sync for your to properly jump rope. This means that the rope becomes your teacher and will guide you on how to perfect your form until you can jump without tripping.

In contrast, anyone can run without knowing if they have proper technique. There is nothing stopping you from pounding the pavement and not knowing how the impact is affecting your body.

 

 

 

8) Improves your coordination

Jumping rope for me is all about finding your rhythm. The more you do it, the more you will find the timing between your eyes, feet, and hands.

 

9) Improves cognitive function

Jumping rope requires both physical and mental alertness. It’s like your brain (along with the rest of your body) automatically goes on red alert in order to avoid tripping on the rope! According to Jump Rope Institute, the left and right hemispheres of the brain are also getting a workout while skipping rope.

 

10) Cheap

Know of any other workout equipment that provides the same benefits listed above that cost under $20 USD?

 

11) Portable

Your world can literally be your gym with the jump rope. It’s small enough to fit in ANY bag wherever you go. Having a jump rope with you at all times reassures you have NO excuse for a quick workout, wherever you are in the world!

 

 

 

12. It’s fun

Once you’ve mastered the rope and improved your coordination and endurance, you’d want to learn other tricks with the rope in order to keep the workout challenging. Pick your favorite music before skipping and put it on blast! It will feel like you are dancing more than doing a cardio workout!

I use the Beats’ Powerbeats headphones when I’m skipping. I’ve tried other bluetooth headphones out there, but they seem to fall out when I go full speed on the rope. The Powerbeats wireless headphones securely wraps around my ears and gives me peace of mind that it won’t fall out while skipping !

 

View on Amazon
 

 

ABOUT TROTTERHOP

 

Hello fellow trotters! My name is Mick Salas, Filipino-American travel blogger based in Chicago. I was born in the Philippines, grew up in Chicago, studied in San Diego, and worked for a French organization for six years. And now I’m traveling full-time! Read more about me here.