We live in the digital age of distraction. We’re constantly bombarded with notifications, emails, and text messages trying to steal our attention away from the moment.
Meanwhile, we’re rushing to and from home, school, and work trying to juggle all the responsibilities of life. We’re so busy and yet it feels like we get so little done.
And amidst the daily chaos it’s no wonder that one of the biggest challenges to getting and staying fit is finding the time to workout.
We are really busy with work, family, friends, and hobbies. Prioritizing fitness and trying to squeeze it into our crammed schedules is challenging.
But not impossible.
Your Actions Reveal Your Priorities
Often we don’t reach our goals because we don’t have our priorities straight. Sometimes it’s because we don’t even know what they are.
But it’s really easy to figure out.
“Action expresses priorities.”
—Mahatma Gandhi
What you do is what you care about.
The first step to overcoming the challenge to finding time to take care of your body is to do something about it.
The next step is to reach a quick win. Find an activity that doesn’t take up a lot of time and helps you feel good about checking off the #dothething box.
We love jump rope because it does exactly that.
Your Ticket to a New You
Jump rope is great for people just starting a fitness habit or die hard gym rats looking to level up their game.
Jump rope workouts help you:
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Burn fat
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Maintain lean muscle
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Increase your heart rate
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Feel good
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Have fun
Plus you can invite your friends and family to join you and create your own local jump rope community.
If you need a jump rope (or if the jump rope you have is flimsy or broken), checkout our favorite equipment over at Crossrope.
How does jump rope burn fat?
The key to dropping calories like a mic is intervals + intensity.
Unlike running on a treadmill or plodding away on an elliptical, you don’t have to jump rope for hours to burn enough calories.
Our approach to jump rope is based on the HIIT (high intensity interval training) workout method.
This means that instead of getting bored to death on a cardio machine or running circles around a track, you jack up the intensity of skipping with jump rope for 20-30 second intervals. Then you alternate with a body weight exercise to create short circuits.
Here’s what the basic circuit structure looks like:
20 seconds – Jump Rope
20 seconds – Body Weight Exercise
20 seconds – Jump Rope
20 seconds – Body Weight Exercise
20 seconds – Jump Rope
20 seconds – Body Weight Exercise
20 seconds – Jump Rope
20 seconds – Body Weight Exercise
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Rest 10 seconds between sets
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Rest 60 seconds between circuits
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Complete 3-5 circuits
Without counting rest time, that means you’re only actually exercising for 8-14 minutes. If you include rest time, your workout is still only 15-25 minutes long.
That’s shorter than an episode of Stranger Things on Netflix!
Not bad, right? 🙂
The added benefit of the HIIT structure is that the nature of intense interval training coupled with weighted jump ropes increases the level resistance which helps maintain lean muscles.
Jump rope also gets your heart rate up so you’re getting the benefit of cardio without your workout feeling like a chore.
10 Minute Jump Rope Workouts
Here are a few of our best 10-minute jump rope routines to get you started. There are more on our YouTube channel here.
10-Minute Fat Loss Workout
ROUTINE
30 Seconds – Jump Rope (1 pound) 10 Reg / 10 Boxer / 10 Run in Place
30 Seconds – 10 Push-ups
30 Seconds – Jump Rope (2 pound) 10 Reg / 10 Feet Side to Side / 10 Feet Front to Back
30 Seconds – 10 Air Squats
30 Seconds – Jump Rope (1 pound) 10 Reg / 10 Boxer / 10 Run in Place
30 Seconds – 20 Jumping Jacks
30 Seconds – Jump Rope (2 pound) 10 Reg / 10 Feet Side to Side / 10 Feet Front to Back
30 Seconds – Plank
30 Seconds – Jump Rope (1 pound) 10 Reg / 10 Boxer / 10 Run in Place
30 Seconds – 10 Speed Skaters
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Repeat Circuit 1 to complete 2 circuits total.
10-Minute Cardio Workout to Lose Belly Fat
ROUTINE
45 Seconds – Jump Rope (¼ pound) 15 Regular Bounce / 15 Boxer Skip / 15 Mummy Kicks
45 Seconds – Jump Rope (½ pound) 15 Fast Skip / 15 Single Leg Skip / 15 Side Swipe
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Rest 15 seconds between sets
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Rest 1 minute between circuits
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Beginners repeat circuit 1 more time
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Advanced repeat circuit 2 more times
10-Minute Jump Rope Workout
ROUTINE
1 Minute – Regular Bounce / Run in Place
1 Minute – Boxer Skip / Fast Skip
1 Minute – Toe Taps / Heel Taps
1 Minute – 3 Step Twist / Side Swipe
1 Minute – Criss Cross / Regular Bounce Fast
1 Minute – Run in Place / Boxer Skip
1 Minute – Fast Skip / Double Unders
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Rest 10 seconds between sets
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Rest 1 minute between circuits
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Complete 3-4 circuits
For more jump rope workouts, checkout our 4 week workout plan.
Practice makes (mostly) perfect
Whether you’re new to jump rope or a hardcore skipper, it’s important to practice good form in order to maximize your results and minimize your chance of getting hurt.
Also, practicing good form helps you make less mistakes which means jump rope will be more fun.
Proper jump rope form boils down to just 3 core elements:
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Jump
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Posture
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Hand position
Here’s more detail on jump rope fundamentals for beginners.
Jump smarter not harder
Jumping is an essential part of jumping rope. Obviously.
When jumping rope, you want don’t need to jump very high. Just 1-2 inches (or 2-4 centimeters) off the ground will give you enough clearance for the jump rope to rotate around your body.
It’s important not to jump too high because you want to be able to maintain a consistent rhythm and have the energy to endure the length of your workout.
NOTE: Make sure your knees always stay slightly bent to avoid getting hurt.
Stand up straight
Proper posture is just as valuable while you’re jumping rope as it is sitting at your desk.
Because your body is moving, proper posture helps you avoid injury and boost the results of working out.
To maintain good posture:
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Keep your eyes straight ahead (don’t look down at your feet)
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Keep your chest high and shoulders back
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Keep your elbows controlled at your sides
Jumping rope is healthier for your joints than running and is relatively low impact (especially if you’re not jumping too high).
Good posture makes it easier to master jump rope technique and improve your performance. Which means you’re less likely to makes excuses to skip out on your workout. 🙂
Magic hands
A common jump rope mistake is lack of awareness of your hand position. Here are a few examples and what happens when your hands are in the wrong spot:
Hands too far forward. This leads to your rope hitting the ground too soon and likely getting caught up on your feet rather than easily gliding underneath your short jump.
Hands too far back. This causes your rope to hit the ground too late and hit your feet or shins (ouch!!) instead of continuing the rotation around your body.
Hands too far out. This shortens the length of rotation of your jump rope which leads to tripping up or needs to jump higher to ensure it clears your feet (and head!).
Hands not level. This makes the jump rope rotate unevenly as it goes around your body and increases the chance of getting tangled up.
Proper hand positioning is:
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Parallel to the ground
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Straight out to the side of your body
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Near hip level
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Controlled range of motion
Make Time to Take Care of Yourself
While it can be difficult to make time in your schedule to workout, it can be fun and effective with a little skipping. In just 10-minutes you can burn calories, get your heart rate up, and have fun.
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