Skipping Rope for Overall Fitness!

I challenge you to show me a more economical method of maintaining overall cardio- fitness than by skipping rope! Lift weights? Go for a run? Swim? All have their place and all serve a purpose but skipping rope is by far the easiest and most cost-effective way to build agility, endurance, and quickness. Not to mention to coordination and even footwork. And you don't even have to be a boxer to benefit from skipping rope!

Truth be told, if you've never skipped rope before it can be frustrating. The minute you feel like you've achieved a certain amount of rhythm - wham - your foot trips over the rope. I've been skipping ripe for years and it still happens! So don't worry if you make a mistake.

Like I mentioned earlier, skipping rope is an excellent anaerobic exercise. It'll get you're heart pumping and you'll burn some serious calories if you can build up and maintain a specific speed for time. I treat skipping rope like I do interval training when I run: by alternating speeds you increase your endurance. And better endurance can help you in any number of other athletic pursuits.

But let's not put the cart-before-the-horse. Some basics are in order to get you started skipping rope. Before you know you'll be tapping out a vicious beat with your rope and you'll be feeling like a million bucks in small change.

Your Rope

You may want to look around and find a rope/cord that works for you. Sure you can buy a jump rope in a store, but to be honest, I don't even use a rope when I'm skipping rope. I discovered that ¼" coaxial television antenna works best (for me). It's got just the right weight and thickness. But that's me. I will say that a lighter rope/cord will enable you to skip faster.

Believe me when I tell that when it comes to skipping rope, length matters. Common rope lengths range from 8 to 10 feet. I have found that is more than enough for someone of average height. One way to determine the ideal length is to step one foot in the middle of the rope. The handles should reach up to approximately armpit height.

Flat is good

Once you have the rope the only thing missing is a place to skip it. You need at least an area that has a solid floor and allows you the length of rope in front and back (and on the sides). That means your roof, patio, garage or the track just to name a few. I've tried skipping rope on dirt and grass and it just doesn't happen. At least not for me.

It's all in the wrists

Economy of movement is essential for successfully skipping rope. Keep your back straight, face-forward, arms straight by your side. All the movement you need to move the rope should come from rotating your wrists. Rotate faster and the rope will move faster and you'll be forced to skip faster. It's really that simple. I can pretty much guarantee that if you try to watch the rope you will be trip yourself up. So keep your eyes straight.

Your first attempts at skipping rope - like your first attempt at most things - should be started with moderation. I know plenty of folks who got shin-splints after their first rope-skipping session because they didn't know when to stop. In other words, it is important that you become proficient with the rope before using it as a conditioning tool.

I recommend short jump rope sessions. Thirty seconds may not sound like much but you'll be surprised who many times you can trip in 30 seconds if you've never skipped rope before. So maybe 30 seconds skipping with 30-60 seconds rest. And do that for 5 sets. It took me a long time to build up to 3 minutes of skipping with 1 minute of rest (3 minutes being a typical round of boxing). So go easy. Get the technique down and then build on it.

The great thing about skipping rope is that you can do it before or after you regular workouts. You can it in the morning or evening (or both) and you should because only through repetition will you start to see progress and begin to reap the benefits of skipping rope!

So what are you waiting for? Start skipping!