Most people don’t realize that one of the best exercise tools is also one of the cheapest. Offering a great cardiovascular workout, jumping rope will also help you improve your balance, agility, speed and coordination as well. Why bother with expensive bikes, elliptical machines or treadmills when you can get great results with a jump rope for under $10?Essential Jump Rope Skills

When you first start to jump rope, you want to work your way up to being able to jump for two or three minutes without stopping. Proper form includes engaging your core so that you can hold your body in a nice upright position. While jumping, make sure to land and spring off from the balls of your feet. This will help to absorb as much impact as possible. Make sure to keep your arms at your sides. All of the rope’s movement should be powered by your wrists, not your arms.

Once you have the proper form down, you can try adding variations, such as jumping on one foot, then the other. When doing this, you’ll look like you are jogging. The rope will pass under your feet during the time when both feet are elevated.

You can also try adding some double unders into your routine. These are accomplished by the following: Start with a jump that is higher than normal. Then make a smaller wrist circle so that you can complete two revolutions of the rope for each jump.

Another challenging technique is to do a criss-cross. This move has you crossing your arms when the rope is coming down. This creates a loop that you jump through, then quickly uncross your arms as you pull the rope over your head.

For even more challenge, do a combination of alternating foot jumps, criss-crosses and double-unders.

Putting Together Your Jump Rope Routine

The trick is to practice your basic form, then work up to jumping for three minutes non-stop. Once this is done, you can begin a solid jump rope workout routine.

In order to build up your endurance, simply add jumping rope into your existing fitness workouts. You can do this by adding a minute or two of jumping at the beginning or end of your existing routine. Or, you may want to add jumping rope to your supersets.

Once you have the proper form and endurance, you’ll find that jumping rope is a great workout, all by itself. You get to set your own pace, including additional challenge by adding in some of the moves outlined above.

One of the most intense and effective jump rope workout routines is doing intervals. You can accomplish this by jumping for a minute, then resting 30 seconds. Repeat this for a great workout. At first you may not be able to do many of these, but give yourself a challenge by trying to get up to eight sets.

About the Author

I run the radical health blog LeanMeanVirileMachine.com, helping young, busy men build strong, attractive, healthy bodies quickly and efficiently.

If you want to learn more about easily adding a jump rope workout to your current routine, including learning the best surfaces to jump on and choosing the correct length rope, you’re gonna want to check out my site right now!

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Rope skipping is an excellent cardiovascular exercise
according to the U.S. Olympic Committee Sports Medicine
Council. It is far less hard on the muscles and bones than
jogging.

While running or jogging, each foot absorbs up to 5 times
the body weight from the force of the impact as the foot
hits the ground. This force of hitting the ground can cause
damage to the feet, ankles, hips and knees. But in rope
skipping, the shock of hitting the ground is absorbed by
both feet allowing the calf muscles to control and absorb
the impact.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine,
skipping rope is among the activities it recommends for
aerobic conditioning. In order to improve heart and lung
health, it must be performed 3 to 5 times per week for 12 to
20 minutes an hour, and at an intensity that will get the
heart rate into training range.

To find your training range subtract your age from 220.
Multiply that figure by .9 to get the high range. Multiply
by .6 to get low range. With this formula a person 25 years
old must keep their aerobic heart pulse between 117 and 176
to be gaining benefit. Aerobic benefits do not diminish or
decline with training as in other aerobic activities.

From an energy standpoint, jumping rope at about 130
revolutions per minute is similar to running at 6 miles per
hour or cycling 12 miles per hour. Just 10 minutes of rope
skipping is equivalent to a one-mile run.

When choosing a rope, hold the rope and stand with your feet
on the middle. If the length is correct, the handles should
just reach your armpits. Handles should be thick and
comfortable.

Look for a cushioned surface to jump on. A large
rectangular carpet remnant is ideal. Hard surfaces like
concrete should be avoided.

Choose well-cushioned athletic footwear just as you would
for walking or running.

Start slow by gradually increasing session time over 2 to 3
weeks to let your leg muscles get accustomed to the extra
exercise.

Many adults give up rope jumping because they are
uncoordinated and miss too many steps. But this improves
with time and practice.

More information on jump ropes may be found at:

http://www.apluswriting.net/diettips/fitnessequipment.htm

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Author: Marilyn Pokorney
Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the environment. Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading. Website: http://www.apluswriting.net

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