It may be a childhood pastime, but it’s also an effective workout — jumping rope can help you lose fat, build muscle and improve agility. You also have to use your core for balance to swing and jump over the rope, so it’s a great way to work your abs, too.
Jump ropes are portable and affordable pieces of exercise equipment, so they are great for travel or fitting in a quick workout at home. Perhaps most importantly, jumping rope is fun and challenging no matter your fitness level.
If you’re still getting the hang of it, drop the rope and do the jump rope routine with an imaginary jump rope instead. You will still get a cardio workout without the rope! Then, once you feel like you’ve mastered the form, you can try it again with the jump rope.
This routine will burn calories, spike your heart rate, and can help you lose weight if performed consistently. Do each move for 60 seconds, for a total of eight minutes. If you decide you want a longer workout, repeat the routine for a second round.
Forward jump
The forward jump is the building-block jump rope move — it’s great for burning calories and a step to master before moving on to more difficult moves. Swing the rope forward and jump over it with both feet. If this is too easy for you, pick up the pace. If you’re having trouble, take it slow.
Single leg jump
To perform this move, jump the rope with your right foot only by bending your left knee and holding it up above the ground. Make an effort to land softly with a bent knee in order to avoid any muscle strain. It’s also important to engage your core. After 60 seconds, change sides by jumping on your left foot.
Alternating jump
To build on the skills you've learned, try this more challenging jump, which helps improve agility and coordination. Swing the rope forward and jump over it with your right foot. When the rope returns, switch feet, jumping over it with your left foot. Continue to alternate between left and right for 60 seconds. To make it a bit easier, you can modify by doing two jumps with your right foot during one rope rotation, and then two jumps with your left during the next rotation.
High knees jump rope
This move follows a similar form to the standard forward jump. However, as you jump both feet over the rope, pull both knees up to hip height into a high knee position before lowering them to the ground again. This is a more advanced move that requires some core strength. For an easier modification, bring just one knee up into a high knee, keeping the other jumping closer to the ground, and alternate the high knees. Perform for 60 seconds.
Over and back
Place the jump rope on the ground in a line. Then jump over and back, side-to-side in place 30 times.
Traveling over and back
Place the jump rope on the ground in a line (like previous exercise). Then jump over and back moving up the rope. Then jump over and back moving back down the rope to your starting position. Repeat this, traveling up and down the rope, for 30 seconds.
Jump rope jacks
This is a more complicated move that improves coordination; add it to your jump rope workout after perfecting the basic jumps. When swinging the rope forward, jump over it with your feet together. As you swing the rope around jump your feet open hips-distance apart as if performing a jumping jack. Hop over the rope with your feet landing in this wider stance. Then, hop your feet back together again, jumping over the rope in this narrow position. Continue alternating between the narrow and wide stance, performing a jumping jack motion, for 60 seconds.
Double under
If you’re up for a challenge, the double under is the move for you. As you jump up, the goal is to swing the rope in two full rotations under your feet before landing. This means that your jump has to be somewhat high to give you the air time to swing the rope around twice. Focus on your form, squeezing your core and making your swing fast and powerful.
Cool down stretch: standing cat & cow
Double the rope and hold it above your head with your hands on the rope so that they’re about 4 or 5 feet apart. Round your back and tuck your chin to your chest as you bring your arms and the rope in front of you. Then bring the arms up and lift your chest up as you arch your upper back and bend the elbows to open up the chest and armpits. Repeat this 10 times for a chest and back stretch.
