Quick And Fun Tips For Jump Rope Workouts

Quick and fun tips for jump rope workouts

Jump rope exercises are one of the easiest and fun exercises you can add to your workout routine. It is said to be the ultimate high-intensity workout for busy people. You may find it hard to believe but even the famous pop star Katy Perry is one of the biggest fans of jump rope workouts. Hollywood actor Jake Gyllenhaal is known to be insanely good at jump roping as well. However, he became an ace jump roper only after his intense training for his 2015 drama-thriller Southpaw. According to the actor’s trainer, Gyllenhaal could barely use a skipping rope. If you look at his Southpaw avatar now, you will know what a jump rope workout is capable of. Is this making you eager to take up jump rope workouts? Before you start, here are a few tips to get the best out of your workout routine.

The basics of jump rope
First, you need to pick a jump rope of the correct length. Put your feet together and step on the center of the rope. Hold the handles straight up. You know the rope is of the correct length when the handles are at the same level as your shoulders. When starting with jump rope workouts, do around 30 seconds of continuous jumping. This can be a set of 50 repetitions. Stick to three to four sets in the beginning. Take a break of around 30–60 seconds between each set. Over time, as the stamina increases, increase the length of each set to 60–90 seconds or 100–150 repetitions. You can also reduce the length of rest periods of 15–30 seconds.

While starting out with jump rope workouts, do only two routines per week. Move on to doing three to four per week. However, plan the routines on alternate days to give the body enough time to recover. Slowly build up stamina to do 20 minutes of jump rope workouts for 3–4 days every week. Each jump set can be of 2–5 minutes with 200 to 500 repetitions with four–five sets per workout and breaks of 15–60 seconds between each set. Once this is achieved, move on to the intermediate level.

Jump rope workouts – The intermediate level
Once the calves, shins, and ankles are strong enough to handle the basic routine comfortably, it can be quite fun rather than aggravating to do the intermediate jump rope workout. The intermediate level comprises four routines. Each routine can be done for a minute with a minute of a break between each.

• Basic routine: Move the jump rope over the head and jump while passing the rope under the feet. Land with both feet evenly on the ground.
• Alternating foot: Shift the body weight to the right foot. Swinging the jump rope over the head, jump with the right foot and pass the rope under the right foot. Land on the right foot. Switch to the left foot. For one minute, keep alternating between both feet.
• Combo: This combines the basic routine and the alternating foot move. This requires doing ten basic jumps followed by the alternating foot move for five jumps with each foot.
• High knee: This routine is similar to the alternating foot routine. The only difference is that with each step, each knee has to be raised towards the chest at a 90-degree angle.
• Go long: Combine any of the above routines that allow continuous jumps for five minutes. Take very minimal breaks if required.

Advanced level jump rope
Add a bit of fun by doing the advanced moves with music. Start with a full body warmup. Follow it up with a combination of 20 basic jumps, 20 ski jumps, 20 heel taps, and 20 scissor jumps. Do 20 repetitions of each of these routines

Things to remember
Jump rope workouts will give a toned body, strengthen the muscles of the legs, help in weight loss, and give a boost to stamina. To ensure that the best results are obtained from the workout and there are no injuries, follow a few good rules during the workout routine.

• Ensure that the elbows are tucked close to the ribs or hips.
• The hands should at the level of the waist.
• Loosen the grip around the handles.
• Do low jumps, unless required by a specific routine to make high jumps.
• Use the wrists more than the arms to swing the jump rope.
• Do the workouts on soft surfaces such as rubber, dirt, and wood.
• Pick shoes with arch and ankle support, which also gives good stability.
• For beginners, beaded ropes are recommended. Move on to the weighted rope for intermediate and advanced routines.

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