Jumping rope may be the best physical activity for overall fitness. Here are the key benefits.
1. Jumping Rope is Fun
Children jumping rope are too busy having fun to think about getting exercise. There is something inherently fun about jumping. Try it right now and see for yourself. Stand up and try one or two little jumps. You don’t even have to get your feet off the ground, just pretend. Wasn’t it fun? Did a smile come across your face? Four hundred years ago the famous Maharal of Prague wrote that jumping makes people happy. It’s good to be physically fit, but it’s more important to be happy. Jumping rope gives you both.
2. Jumping Rope is a Total Body Workout
Jumping rope is a cardio workout that shapes all the major muscle groups in you body. It’s easy to imagine how jumping rope works your calves, quadriceps, hamstrings and gluts or butt. What you may not realize is that swinging the rope firms and strengthens all your upper body muscles – from your neck, shoulders, arms and back down to your abdomen.
2. Jumping Rope is Easy to Learn
A few gifted athletes can simply view a short video like this on YouTube and then make the own custom full body workouts. The rest of us need instruction that you can find here. Basic techniques start with rope swinging without lifting your feet off the ground. Virtually anybody with at least one arm can learn several basic rope swing moves while sitting on a chair!
3. Jumping Rope is Great for Beginners and Athletes
After learning basic rope swinging and jumping steps there is a tremendous variety of steps, jumps and tricks that you can incorporate into your workout. Jumping rope will always be motivating and challenging as you learn new skills and develop your own personal workouts to meet your individual needs.
4. Jumping Rope is Inexpensive and Portable
All you need is a rope and 6 foot by 6 foot area to begin your jump rope workout. A room in your house, apartment or hotel, a gym and a park are all fine for your workout. You can carry your jump rope in your pocket or in a suitcase when you travel. Also, you can afford to buy several ropes and always have one at home, at the gym and ready for travel. You don’t even need shoes or a shock absorbing surface to get a full body workout with the basic swing and step-through moves.
5. Jumping Rope Makes You Look Cool
Just learn the basic swing and step-through moves and you’ll be sure to attract a lot of attention and admiration at the gym, hotel, park, beach or party where you perform your routine. You’ll learn how to make your rope sing with speed and power, without even breaking a sweat or launching yourself off the ground. Jumping rope is a great way to make new friends at the gym, the neighborhood park home or on the road. Jumping rope gives everyone the esteem that only athletes enjoy and jumping rope distinguishs athletes among their peers.
6. Jumping Rope Makes You a Better Athlete
Elite athletes from many sports – boxing, martial arts, skiing, basketball, football, tennis, racquetball, squash, badminton, handball and golf – know the benefits of jumping rope. For maximum results each athlete should perform a workout routine that is customized to the needs of the athlete and the demands of the sport. Jumping rope is the most effective way to achieve and maintain many abilities – agility, balance, coordination, strength, explosive power, vertical jumping, speed, flexibility, endurance and timing – that are essential to most sports.
7. Jumping Rope is Safe and Prevents Injury
Jumping rope is among the safest workout you can find that challenges both your vigor and your skill. Any physical activity can lead to injury and several of the more vigorous workouts such as running, boxing, skiing and basketball more likely to result in serious injury. The elliptical trainer is among the safest cardio exercises, but it doesn’t give you much opportunity to develop new skills. Learn how to jump rope properly and you will be in total control over the degree of impact in your workout – from no-impact to high-impact.
8. Jumping Rope is an Individual or Group Activity
You can jump rope all by yourself, or in a group, or just beside other beside other people working out on at the gym. Take an extra rope with you to the park or the gym and you’re sure to have company, if you want it.
9. Jumping Rope is Appeal to Men and Women, Young and Old
Sex and age are not barriers to jumping rope. I take a couple spare ropes with me when I cycle to a park playground to jump rope. It is interesting to note that young boys and active grandmothers are the most likely to borrow a rope.
10. Jumping Rope Burns More Calories per Hour with Less Pain
Jumping rope utilizes all the major muscle groups in your body so you can burn more calories faster. Only elite athletes can sustain very intense workouts in their trained sport. Runners can burn over 1,000 calories an hour by running, while cyclists, skiers and tennis players can do the same only in their own sports. You don’t have to be an elite athlete to jump rope for an hour. Jumping rope is unique among all workouts because only jumping rope lets you maximize the number of calories you burn with all these benefits.