Benefits of using a
Jump Rope
A jump rope can be beneficial for your health and physical conditioning, if you use it regularly. A few of the benefits from jumping rope: - assists in weight loss
- it is a very efficient exercise as you can burn 1000 calories per hour
- there is very little expense involved
- ropes are very portable (you can store one in your pocket)
- an improvement in your hand eye coordination
- it's easily learned and a great exercise for kids (they seem to instinctively know how to have when jumping rope)
- you can be creative and do many different variations while jumping
As with all body weight exercises, this one gives you a total body workout. It is a great cardio exercise, works all the major muscle groups and strengthens your core.
Equipment Considerations
The best jump rope to use is a speed rope that has ball bearings at the handles. It will last a long time if you take care of it and can keep track of it (I have 2 teens and that is often a problem :)Most jump ropes come in their longest length and you have to adjust them to fit you by cutting the excess off one end. To determine how long yours should be do the following: - put your foot in the middle of the rope and bring the handles up to your chest or armpit level.
Shoes that are reinforced at the balls of your foot can be helpful, especially if you have any issues with your feet. Cross trainers are good for this - running shoes are reinforced at the heel. In the same vein you may want to pay attention to the type surface that you use for jumping rope. A surface with a little "give" will lessen the impact of jumping up and down. An exercise mat is excellent for this as is low pile carpeting. Gym floors and wood floors may be a little hard. Concrete is probably the worst surface as it has no give what so ever (although I jump rope in my garage on a concrete floor and have no problems).
Rope Jumping Tips
- You may want to warm up and stretch before you jump. My favorite warm up before exercising is to use the
Mini Trampoline.
- While jumping - use your wrists (not your arms) to swing the rope - keep your elbows in - your shoulders should be relaxed.
- Jumping rope to music can enhance your exercise. Besides the enjoyment of listening you can jump to the beat. As you become more fit you can speed the beat up to help increase the intensity of your workout.
- As with all exercise, don't get carried away and do too much too soon. It takes the enjoyment out of things when you are sore and hurting after pushing yourself too hard.
To view a clip on proper posture and execution while jumping rope, view the following
jump rope clip.
Buying a jump rope is easy as they are sold in many stores. As I mentioned earlier they are also inexpensive. If you don't want to go out shopping (yes I'm a male and very much a non shopper) you can find ropes at the following
link.
I like to recommend this exercise to my
coaching clients
because of all the benefits mentioned above. You may want to give it a try and see for yourself what a great exercise it is!
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