Contrary to popular belief, rope jumping is not just for professional boxers and young kids in the schoolyard. Rope jumping is an excellent choice for exercisers of all fitness levels who want to improve their cardiovascular conditioning, coordination, agility, speed, strength, balance, rhythm, timing, and bone density. All you’ll need is a properly-sized jump rope, a suitable surface for jumping (a flat, firm surface with a little give is best; avoid grass, artificial turf, dirt, and sand), and a timer. If you’re new to rope jumping, keep these seven rules in mind:
- Keep your elbows close to your ribs.
- Don’t choke up on the handles.
- Allow your ankles, knees, and hips to flex when you land.
- Keep your jumps low.
- Hold your hands waist-high.
- Turn the rope mainly by rotating your wrist.
- Turn the rope first, jump second.
Ready to give it a try? This workout was created exclusively for Greatist by the pros at Punk Rope and can be scaled to challenge any fitness level by increasing or decreasing volume and/or speed.
The Warm-Up
- Joint rotations: Do 10 reps each of shoulder rolls, torso twists, cross crawls, and heel raises.
- Shadow jumping: No rope needed; just jump and rotate wrists as if holding a rope. Do 20 reps each of the following jumps: basic bounce, heel taps, scissors, and ski (how-to videos below).
The Workout
The Cool-Down
- Standing calf stretch, 30 seconds each leg
- Standing hamstring stretch, 30 seconds each leg
- Hip flexor stretch, 30 seconds each leg
- Standing chest stretch, 15 seconds
- Standing cat stretch, 15 seconds
Need a rope refresher before jumping in? Punk Rope has excellent intructional materials! Plus, video demos of each movement:
- 50 Basic bounce jumps
- 50 Scissors jumps
- 50 Ski jumps
- 50 Heel taps
This workout was created for Greatist by Tim Haft, founder of New York City-based Punk Rope, the fitness class that would be created “If Peter Pan and the Ramones teamed up.” Tim is a certified personal trainer by the American Council on Exercise and a certified Level 1 USA Track & Field Coach.
