You know who was a jump rope legend? “Iron” Mike Tyson. Not only was he entertaining in interviews and in the ring, he was also incredibly entertaining to watch when he was jumping rope. So today, we’re going to teach you how to jump rope just like Mike Tyson. We’ll show you some of his best and most famous techniques so you can take your jump rope to the next level.

Why Mike Tyson Jumps Rope – And So Should You

Jumping rope builds stamina and endurance, which is why it’s the go-to for a lot of boxers. All of the famous boxers from Muhammed Ali to Sugar Ray Robinson and Joe Lewis incorporated jump rope training to prepare for big bouts. Jumping rope helps with conditioning so that boxers can go the mile and still fight hard, even in the later rounds when exhaustion starts to set in. Jumping rope is an excellent exercise for building speed, agility and training footwork – something we can all benefit from. Jump rope made Mike Tyson a better boxer and it can make you a better athlete as well.

So What Are the Benefits of Jumping Rope?

1. It Burns Tons of Calories

Very few exercises burn as many calories as jumping rope and are still fun. Jumping rope can burn 10 calories every minute, making it a great exercise if you want to lose fat. Since you’re burning a ton of calories, you don’t have to spend nearly as much time in the gym as you do with other forms of exercise. Aim for 30 minutes of jump rope 5 to 6 days a week to get the most out of your fitness routine.

2. Better Balance and Coordination

Another benefit of jumping rope is that by increasing speed and agility, you’ll become lighter on your feet. You’ll have better balance and coordination and you’ll be able to stay active longer since you’re increasing your endurance.

3. It’s Easy On Your Joints

Jumping rope is a great form of cardio and it also has less impact on your joints than running so you don’t have to worry so much about injuries. We have people in our community that are 80 years old and still jumping rope. It’s a super fun way to get fit and it’s an exercise you can do your entire life.

4. It’s Affordable

Best of all, jump rope is affordable since you don’t have to buy a ton of equipment to be successful. You don’t need a gym membership or to sign up for expensive classes. The only equipment you need is a quality jump rope and a little room to workout.

5. It’s Portable

Jump rope is something you can do anywhere on the planet. You can jump rope down at the boardwalk, in your living room or overlooking mountains in a foreign country. Since the equipment is small and lightweight, you can just toss your jump rope in your backpack or suitcase and take it on the road with you. It’s the best part of this epic lifestyle and one of the reasons we love jumping rope so much.

Getting Started

Before we dive into the workout, we want to go over a few things. Many of these moves are a little more advanced so you’ll want to make sure you have mastered basic moves like regular bounce. If you need a little refresh on the right technique for the regular bounce, check it out here.

For this Mike Tyson jump rope workout, all you need is a good jump rope and space to work out. You can do this workout in the gym like Mike Tyson did; head out to your favorite park or just jump in your own driveway. If you are doing this workout on concrete or another hard surface, we recommend using a rubber mat to minimize injuries and lessen the impact on your joints. You can also pick up the CrossRope jump rope we use in all of our videos or just use any rope you have at home. Now, let’s get to the workout!

Mike Tyson jump Rope Workout

1. Fast Regular Bounce

For this move, you do jump rope regular bounce, but focus on spinning the rope really fast. Even though you’re jumping rope faster than normal, there is a not a lot of movement required here. Make sure to keep your elbows in and your hands jutting out to the sides of your hips. Your feet should only come about 1 to 2 inches off the ground.

2. Side Swipe

Start by jumping rope doing regular bounce and add in a few side swipes on each side as you go along. Basically to do a side swipe, you roll your right arm over your left arm and then vice versa as the rope swings to the side. If you need a little more help mastering this move, check out our tutorial where we break it down for you step-by-step. You want to keep your knees bent and make sure to control the movement with your wrists. If you can’t quite do the side swipes while jumping, you can just do a few side swipes without jumping and then get back into regular bounce.

3. Boxer Skip

This one is a little like regular bounce, except you alternate shifting your weight from your right to your left foot. You can tap your toes or your heels, whatever works better for you. You want to maintain a pretty fast pace here so make sure to push yourself as hard as you can.

4. Side Swipe Single Under

This is a signature boxer move and you’ll find tons of footage of Mike Tyson doing this move. Start by swinging the rope in the middle and under your feet. Next do a side swipe on the left side and then the right side before coming back to the middle again. This trick takes a little bit of practice because this move is more about rhythm rather than going fast.

5. Side Swipe Double Under

This move is just like the last one except that instead of just doing a single under in the middle, you’ll do a double under. Make sure to keep your knees bent, maintain proper form and keep your movements controlled.

6. Side Swipe Criss Cross

Similar to the previous two side swipe moves, you’ll do a side swipe on each side and then cross the rope when you come back to the middle. A lot of these tricks take time and practice before you can really master them. Focus on using the right technique and you can build up speed as you get more advanced.

7. Mike Tyson Jump Squat Side Swipe

This is arguably Mike Tyson’s most famous jump rope move so we had to include it here in our workout. To get this move right, we recommend starting with mini jump squats before you even have the rope. Since it’s a very fast move, you don’t come up all the way. Go down into a squat slightly lower than 90 degrees and then only come part of the way back up.

You want to keep your weight on your toes, not your heels,  and stay 1 to 2 inches off the ground when jumping. You also want to lift the handles to your head when you’re going down into your squat. If you don’t, there’s going to be too much slack in the rope and you’ll mess up. If you need a little more information on how to get this move right, check out our tutorial.

8. Freestyle

Have fun with it here! Get in the zone and move your body in ways that make you happy. You can do some regular bounce and throw in a few skips or keep practicing one of the side swipe moves that was giving you trouble. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you’re working hard and having a good time.

Mike Tyson Workout Recap:

• Fast Regular Bounce

• Side Swipes

• Boxer Skip

• Side Swipe Single Under

• Side Swipe Double Under

• Side Swipe Criss Cross

• Freestyle

Do The Thing

With this workout, you can exercise just like one of the greatest boxers of all time. Remember that some of these tricks can be hard to master at first so make modifications until you can get them down. Make sure to focus on proper technique and practice over and over. Have fun with the jump rope and give it your best effort. Get after it, stay committed and you’ll sculpt the physique you want.

#dothething