Why you need to jump rope and how to do it right

What are the advantages of jumping rope

Many consider jumping rope to be some kind of side exercise in boxers' arsenal. It's actually a cool cardio workout that works better than running in some ways. Jumping rope:

Increases aerobic capacity three times faster than running. According to research, 10 minutes of jumping and 30 minutes of running equally pump the body's ability to generate energy with the participation of oxygen.
Burns as many calories as running at 10 km / h. In half an hour, you can burn 300–444 kcal (with a weight of 56–84 kg).
Reduce heart rate at rest and after exercise. The heart gets stronger and ejects more blood in one beat, so it doesn't have to beat as often to meet the needs of the body.
Increases VO2max - your body's ability to consume oxygen and use it for its intended purpose.
Increases anaerobic capacity - the body's ability to produce energy when oxygen is no longer sufficient.
They increase the power of movement - the ability to apply maximum force in the minimum time.
Improve coordination, agility and balance.
They increase the grip strength, keep the forearms, shoulders and chest, calves and hips, core muscles in good shape.

How to choose a rope

Pay attention to several important parameters.

Rope material

Rubber. These cables stretch as you jump, slowing you down.
PVC. They do not stretch, they serve for a long time. Pay attention to the thickness of the cable - the thinner, the faster it will turn.
Braided steel. The fastest, cut the air, but hit hard when you learn to do double jumps.
Leather. Old school from the boxing gyms. Slower than PVC and steel, wear out quickly. Especially if it is not leather, but leatherette.

Rope exit angle

The cable can come straight out of the handle or be at a 90 degree angle. The latter is better. During jumps, such a cable will travel a smaller trajectory, which means you will move faster.

Handle weight

There are the usual speed skipping ropes and weighted models. In the latter, metal rods weighing 160-200 g are inserted into the handles. Such a rope will slow you down, but it will better pump your grip strength and power of movement. For beginners, it is better to buy a regular rope or a weighted one, but with the ability to get the rods.

Cable length

If you buy a rope without length adjustment, pick it up for your height right in the store. Too long will get tangled and hit the floor, slowing down. Too short - touch your legs and break the technique.

To determine the correct length, step in the middle of the rope with one foot, grab both handles and pull to one shoulder. For beginners, it is better to choose the longer version so that the handles reach the shoulder. More advanced athletes can take the rope shorter - up to the middle of the shoulder.

For most people, a rope that ends between the top of the shoulder and the armpit is suitable. If you cannot assess your level of training or there are not so many options available, take this one.

How to choose a place to train

You can jump absolutely anywhere where the rope will not touch foreign objects. But if you want to keep your joints as safe as possible, skip exercise on asphalt or concrete.

Let the surface soften the impact at least a little during landing. Rubber floors, wood floors, thin rugs, short grass, hard, level ground will do.

How to put the jumping technique

To jump for a long time and develop good speed, you need to follow the correct technique. Otherwise, your hands and calves will quickly clog and the training will turn into torture.

Body and head position

The back and neck should be straight. Stare straight ahead, do not look at your feet or at the ceiling - this will increase the tension in your neck muscles. Straighten and lower your shoulders. The trapezius muscles will strain anyway, there is no need to add unnecessary work to them.

Hand position

Keep your elbows close to your body, do not spread them out to the sides. Try not to twist your forearms, but work only with your wrists.

Grip

Grasp the handle with four fingers, press your thumb against the handle close to the cable exit. Don't squeeze the handle as a last resort. Hold it tight, but quite relaxed.

Leg movements

Don't jump too high. Legs should be 1½ – 2 cm off the ground - just as much as needed to pass the cable. If you jump higher, your legs will quickly get tired and you will have to stop.

How to diversify your rope workout

Many people think that jumping rope is too monotonous and therefore boring. They just learned one, maximum two options for jumping. In fact, there are a lot of ways to jump rope.

You can mix them together, learn tricks, try double and triple jumps, and insert the rope into circuit training. Below we will analyze the most common types of jumping, and then we will show four intensive complexes with a rope.

Running in place

Run in place, raising your feet low off the floor. For each step - cranking the rope.

Jumping with the extension of the leg forward

Jump on your right leg while bending your left knee and lifting your foot off the ground. On the second jump, bring your left leg forward. Then repeat the same on the other leg.

Boxing jumping

Boxing jumps develop endurance and help you catch the rhythm you need in the ring. When you catch it and get used to the movement, a minimum of effort is expended - this way you can jump for a long time and not get tired.

Place your feet close together, but do not put them together. Jump, taking off low from the floor and constantly transferring weight to one or the other leg.

Boxing jumps with alternating heel and toe

Jump on two legs, then with a jump, take one leg back and put it on your toe, with the next jump, move it forward and put it on your heel. Do the same on the other leg.

You can alternate every two times: toe, heel, change of legs. Or after a few: toe, heel, toe, heel, change of feet. Jumping is great for developing coordination.

Jumping with high hip lift

These are energy-intensive jumps that will help build endurance and burn more calories. Jump from foot to foot and lift your knees high. The higher, the harder it is.

Jumping with changing legs forward-backward

During the jump, bring one leg forward and the other back. Land on both feet at the same time, with your body weight evenly distributed between the ball of your feet. Change the position of your legs every jump.

Jumping "legs together - legs apart"

Place your feet together. During the first jump, spread your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly narrower. During the second, connect them back. Continue jumping, alternating positions.

Jumping from side to side

Place your feet together. Jump from side to side a short distance.

Jumping forward-backward

Place your feet together. Jump forward and backward a short distance: within half of your foot from where you started.

Jumping with crossed legs

During the first jump, spread your legs shoulder-width apart, with the next jump, put your legs cross. Alternate positions, put in front of your right or left foot.

Backward Roll Jumping

In the initial position, the rope should not be behind you, as in ordinary jumps, but in front of you. Jump, twisting your wrists backward so that the rope rotates in the opposite direction. This is a rather difficult movement, since you have been spinning the rope forward all your life and the body simply does not understand how to do it differently.

It is better to learn to reverse jumping with a heavier rope, so that you can feel how it flies behind you. In any case, do not try to jump higher than usual or bend at the hip joint. The movement does not require a lot of effort, but simple habit and practice.

Jumping with arms crossed

During the first jump, cross your arms, during the second, spread them to the sides. The change of hands occurs at the moment when the rope has already passed over the head, but has not yet reached the floor.

To master this movement, try alternating it with regular jumps first. For example, two simple ones, one crosswise.

Side swing jumps

First you need to practice doing side swings without jumping. Take the rope, place your hands close to each other and do the figure eight from side to side with both hands at the same time.

Then try the same with jumping. Jump in place, performing an eight with your hands. One jump to the side.

Now you can combine movement with normal jumps. Jump once on two legs, then do two jumps with an eight and repeat from the beginning.

Double jumps

This is a complex element that will take weeks to master. The bottom line is that during the jump, you roll the rope two times instead of one. This requires more tension in the muscles of the arms and shoulders, high speed of movement.

It is often said that doubles should be jumped. It took at least six months before I did my first 30 doubles in a row.

I offer my own way to learn double. Make two regular jumps and one double. Do it 10 times. Then do two regular and two doubles, again 10 sets. If in some approach it was not possible to make two doubles in a row, the time does not count, and you start over. When you get all 10, try two singles and three doubles, and so on.

How to use the rope in training

There are several ways to incorporate jumping rope into your athletic activities.

Warm up and cool down

Boxers often use the rope to warm up and cool down. 10–20 minutes of jumping at a calm pace will perfectly warm up the body and prepare it for training.

Cardio

If you are not intimidated by monotonous cardio, start with regular two-legged jumps. Do three sets: 10 minutes of jumping and 1–2 minutes of rest. Don't start quickly, keep a steady pace.

After a few workouts, you can shorten your rest time and do two sets of 15 minutes. The next step is 30 minutes of jumping non-stop. If this is too boring for you, move on to high-intensity interval skipping rope.

HIIT with a rope

We have compiled several complexes for different levels of training. All you need is a jump rope and a timer.

1. Basic

Do the exercise for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds and move on to the next one on the list. After finishing the circle, rest for 1 minute and repeat again. In total, you need to complete 3-5 circles, depending on how you feel. The complex will take 12-20 minutes:

ordinary jumping on two legs;
running in place;
jumping back and forth;
jumping from side to side;
running in place;
jumping on two legs.

If 10 seconds of rest is not enough and you start to choke, increase it to 20 seconds.

2. Advanced

30 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest, 3-5 laps, rest between circles - 1 minute. Execution time - 7-12 minutes. The complex includes:

boxing jumps;
jumps with alternating legs back and forth;
jumping with crossing legs;
jumping with high hip lifting.

3. Mix with calisthenics

20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest, 3-5 laps, rest between circles - 1 minute. Execution time - 15-25 minutes. The complex includes:

running in place;
push ups;
jumping with legs extended forward;
air squats;
jumping back and forth;
burpee;
jumping from side to side;
lowering to the forearms in a plank or a simple plank.

4. Difficult

40 seconds of work, 20 seconds of rest, 3-5 laps. Rest between circles - 2 minutes. The complex will take 18-30 minutes:

running in place;
jumping with high hip lifting;
running in place;
double jumps.