8 Benefits of Skipping Ropes

SKIPPING ROPE. Brings back fond childhood memories, doesn’t it? Jumping rope is perfect whether you’re a newbie or a hardcore fitness enthusiast. Hop your way to toned legs, arms, and core, all with just a skipping rope that you can use pretty much anytime, anywhere. The benefit of skipping rope extends not only to your physical health, but also to your mental well-being, making it popular among sportspersons, athletes, and trainers.

Before you get down to business, here’s a quick guide on skipping rope types, benefits, and workouts.

Different Types of Skipping Rope

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• Basic: Suitable for beginners, basic jump ropes are thicker than speed ropes but lighter than the weighted ones.
• Speed: These are lightweight skipping ropes that help a person skip at a faster speed. Speed ropes are preferred by those who want to improve their footwork and build conditioning skills.
• Weighted: Weighted ropes require more energy while skipping and is best for giving your arms and shoulders a good workout. Typically, these ropes weigh between 1 to 6 pounds and hence they’re preferred by experienced jumpers.
• Beaded: Also known as segmented jump ropes, beaded ropes have a nylon or steel inner cord encased in plastic beads. They are medium-heavy and are good for warming up for a workout.

Health Benefits of Skipping Rope

Skipping rope is one of the most fun and effective ways to burn fat. It can be a great cardio, resistance as well as coordination exercise. The advantages of skipping rope include:

1. Better Body Balance: One of the benefits of skipping daily includes an improvement in balance and coordination as your legs, arms and mind work simultaneously which involves a great deal of motor coordination.
2. Greater Body Strength and Stamina: Skipping rope is a full-body exercise that works all your muscles at once – arms, core, shoulders, calves, quads, hamstrings. This develops strength and endurance which improves stamina fast. Higher body strength and stamina may further aid in weight loss.
   
3. Healthy and Happy Heart: Rope jumping is excellent for your cardiovascular health as it helps in lowering overall body fat and blood pressure while improving the pulse rate.
4. Tough Lower Leg Muscles: Jumping rope regularly strengthens the calf muscles and improves the elasticity of the surrounding tendons and fascia, thus making the lower leg muscles more resilient to injuries.
5. Enhanced Coordination and Concentration: Skipping rope exercises can improve the overall cognitive function because it involves learning new motor patterns. This improves the communication between the brain, wrists, and lower legs.
6. Higher Intensity Circuit-Training Workouts: Did you know that adding 2-3 minutes of jumping rope between exercises or at the end of an exercise increases the intensity of your circuit-training workout? Alternating between different muscle groups increases the heart rate and burns more calories.
7. Improved Flexibility and Mental Health: Exercise boosts mental health and improves muscle flexibility. The increased flexibility in your lower legs helps avoid ankle and foot injuries during other exercises and sports. Moreover, the rhythm and groove of jumping rope can lead you to an active meditation state which is mentally rejuvenating.
8. Stronger Bones: Benefits of skipping include improved bone health. Jumping rope collates force on the bones increasing their strength, density, and overall health. This puts you at a lower risk of osteoporosis.

Skipping Rope Exercises You Can Incorporate in Your Workout

Break a sweat with these skipping rope exercises that will improve your agility, stamina and burn fat effectively:

1. Jump Rope Jacks: It is a combination of jumping jacks and skipping rope. Go slow at first and then build your speed steadily.
2. Single Foot Hops: This involves jumping rope while hopping on a single leg. It is a great skipping rope exercise if you’re up for challenging your balance and core.
3. High Knees Jump Rope: Take your skipping game to the next level by combining high knees with a jump rope. This exercise will pump up your heart rate in seconds.
4. Jump Rope Burpees: Whine all you want at the sound of “burpees”, but this is the most intense rope workout that strengthens the body and improves coordination. Skip once followed by a burpee on the ground and repeat.
5. Side To Side Skipping: A moderately intense jump rope variation where instead of jumping up and down, you jump side to side.

Skipping Rope = Accessibility, Portability, Versatility

A skipping rope is the most convenient exercise equipment to have because it is easily available, you can carry it anywhere (it hardly takes up space in your bag), and it can be used in so many ways to form a workout routine that’s suitable for your body. Sounds like a great investment, doesn’t it?

If you have already made a jump rope workout plan, we are with you. Just make sure that you take it easy on your knees by skipping rope on a smoother surface at the beginning and wear a good pair of shoes that support your feet while jumping.