Marj Gabuya
It’s about time that we revolutionize those cardio and toning workouts at home by adding a little bit of difficulty and fun. A jump rope is easy, fun, and helps build your cardio endurance, speed training, and core strength. It also tones your lower and upper body. In fact, boxers integrate it in their training.
Why add jump rope to your home workout
Here are some reasons why adding jumping rope to your home workout is beneficial.
It is handy and cost-effective.
Jump ropes are cheap, lightweight, and portable. If you’re tired of doing workout in your living room, you can bring it to your room, outside your house, and pretty much anywhere. No need to carry heavy equipment and stay stationary in one place. Start skipping!
It helps improve your coordination.
As jump rope is a cyclic activity, it allows you to improve the coordination between the different parts of your body, including your eyes, feet, and hands. By adding more jump rope tricks, you get to improve focus, as well as achieve better coordination between your feet and the rest of your body.
It also increases the strength around the joints and muscles of the ankles. This, in turn, decreases the chances of having injury on those parts.
It burns more calories.
By adding jump rope to your circuit training workout, you also burn more calories. Jump rope is said to burn up to 1,300 calories per hour if done vigorously. In fact, 10 minutes of jumping rope is almost equivalent to an eight-minute mile run. So, if you’re doing strength training workouts, add two to three minutes of jumping ropes at the end to burn more calories.
It is good for your cardiovascular health.
Jump rope is highly recommended for aerobic conditioning, as it increases heart and lung performance if done regularly. It improves your breathing, allowing both the heart and lungs need to function more efficiently – the same way with walking and running.
Jump rope routines for beginners
There are numerous jump rope techniques that help establish body coordination. Here are some few jump rope tricks that can spice up your regular routines.
Twist jump
For twist jump, you simply start with the basic jump, then twist your lower body and let your feet land pointing to the left or right while your upper body remains facing front. Then on your next landing, twist your body to the other side.
Forward/ backward jump (bunny hop)
As the name suggests, you have to jump a few steps forward in this routine, and then jump the same number of steps backward. This is a great exercise for control and coordination because you have to maintain your speed while also making sure that you land properly.
Single leg jumps
To practice balance and core, jump with one foot for a few cycles (could be a minute or more), then do the same thing on the other foot.
Skier jump
Skier jump is a total calorie burner. Begin with the basic jump, and then slowly divert to lateral hops from side to side. Keep your feet together as you jump from one side to the other.
For more challenging routines and guides, you may check out @happyfingersjumps and @ropeflowphilippines on Instagram and join the growing jump rope community. Be quaran-fit and start your jump rope journey today!
