On February 8th I wrote a blog called, Intelligently curved, where we investigated the curves in the bones of the legs and suggested they are designed to be springy. How can we tap into this springiness? I think jumping rope is an excellent and often under appreciated way to develop resiliency and springiness in the body. Additionally, it burns a ton of calories, improves coordination, builds stronger bones, reduces risk of injury and boosts heart health. A good jump rope costs about $10.00 and can be done just about anywhere.
Jumping rope is considered a low-impact, high intensity exercise. It’s easier on the joints than jogging or running and since most of your major muscle groups are working when you jump rope, it is considered thermogenic (it creates a lot of heat in the body). Your body needs to burn more fuel to produce this energy, so it burns a lot of calories. Within the first couple of minutes of jumping rope, your heart rate will rise immediately and have to maintain the amount of energy produced for the muscles. This increases caloric burn as well as challenges the body’s different energy systems.
Jumping rope improves coordination, balance and motor skills by requiring several body parts to communicate in order to complete one movement. The feet need to jump in time with the wrists rotating in order to create a continuous jumping motion. When you coordinate upper and lower body movements you become more agile and your body awareness improves, making you less prone to injury.
Your cardiovascular system will improve within the first two weeks of jumping rope. It’s beneficial for people who are at risk for cardiovascular disease and reduces high blood pressure. Your resting pulse will improve and overall body fat will decrease. This all contributes to heart health.
Although low, impact through jumping rope for 10 minutes a day has shown to increase bone density. The body responds to the stress of jumping by remodeling the bones to become stronger and more dense.
Once you get the hang of the basics of jumping rope there are a lot of variations you can do to continue building coordination, springiness and balance. You can do double-unders, single leg jumps, alternating feet, cross-overs, the list is endless. It’s a good challenge for your brain too.
Here are a few recommendations to integrate jumping rope into your life:
Jump rope for 10 minutes to warm up before any exercise
Tabata jump rope: 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest for 8 rounds (4 minutes total)
Complete three minutes of jump rope between rounds of weight training
Do 60 seconds of speed or trick jump roping between exercises like push-ups or sit-ups
I’ve jumped rope on and off for the last 10 years. Three months ago I started doing it 15 minutes a day 5-6 days a week to see if it would help me build whole body fascial resiliency. I wanted to feel if I could improve my ability to recycle energy from the ground to the rest of my body. When I started this daily practice my knees and hips hurt and single leg jumps were nearly impossible. I felt discombobulated. A couple weeks in, the knee and hip pain went away and I can now do all kinds of single leg combinations and I’m exploring other activities jumping rope transfers over to. So far my experiment has been a great success!
My feet, ankles and calves were pretty sore in the beginning, so I suggest you start with short sessions and progress slowly. Before you know it you’ll be able to practice everyday and walk through life with strong bones, a powerful heart and an efficient spring in your step.