Health Fitness

A jump rope workout to lose that last bit of stubborn body fat

Most people have never tried jump rope training.

When was the last time you jumped rope? For most people, the answer would be in elementary school or possibly high school. It is actually a shame, because it is a very effective form of exercise. Most people could easily walk for 15 minutes, but I’d bet less than 1 percent of adults could jump rope for 15 minutes at a time. Very few people, other than boxers, have seriously used the jump rope to reach the best conditions.

What muscle groups do you work?

Jumping rope will seriously work every muscle in the body. I am convinced that it will expose its weak links. Honestly, I think my whole body was sore. My calf muscles and abs were especially sore. As a side note, I will say that jumping rope will help you on your quest for some super ripped abs. Your core is really being worked hard as you have to use your abs to stabilize your entire body and help propel your body through the air.

Jumping rope helps your body release fat burning hormones.

HGH is a natural hormone that your body releases to burn body fat. You have probably seen many advertisements for pills that will help boost your natural HGH levels. This was very popular about 5 years ago, but you don’t hear much about HGH anymore. A high level of HGH in your body is the fastest route to burning body fat! Unfortunately, low intensity cardio will not help your body release HGH. The best way to increase HGH is to do high intensity cardio for about 30-60 seconds, followed by a minute or two of walking or low intensity cardio. This is called High Intensity Interval Training.

What kind to buy?

I recommend getting a “speed rope” … these cost around $ 15 at most sports stores. They are plastic strings without beads. You also don’t want to buy the weighted strings. Get a jump rope that is adjustable. You’ll want to set the rope to an optimal level so you can jump quickly without hitting your head. If it’s too long, you won’t be able to jump at a fast pace.

How to adjust to the correct height:

  • Put your rope on the ground

  • Stand at the midpoint of the rope (the same distance between the handles)

  • Grab the handles and pull them towards your chest while standing on the rope.

  • If the tops of the handles reach above the clavicle, the string is too long

  • If the tops of the handles reach your upper or lower abs, the rope is too short.

  • I like to adjust the string so that the handles touch about 6 inches below my collarbone.

  • If in doubt, go too long and shorten the rope a little as you gain more experience.

Your first two weeks of the program, take the time to learn the skill

Most beginners “bounce twice” between rotations. This actually allows them to rest their core and calf muscles a bit between rotations and means they have a low level of core fitness. You want to jump cleanly between each rotation and keep your abs and core tight.

Your arms should barely move when you jump rope. The rotation of the rope should come from the movement of the wrist. If you want to increase the speed of the rotations, simply increase the tension of the circles your wrist is making (this will make more sense when you start jumping rope). The goal of your first two weeks of jumping rope is to get to a point where you can jump rope for 5 minutes without having to stop and start over. This means that if you have to stop because the rope hits your feet, you have to start over from scratch. You’ll also want to be able to jump rope by alternating feet, so it looks like you’re running.

A great 15 minute workout that you can customize to your liking

  • Stand in front of a clock or timer of some kind

  • Jump rope for 3 minutes to warm up

  • Rest 30 seconds.

  • Jump rope as fast as possible for 60 seconds.

  • Rest 30 seconds.

  • Jump rope as fast as possible for 60 seconds.

  • Rest 30 seconds.

  • Repeat this alternate pattern for 15-20 minutes.

Note: For the 60 second sprint, you can do it by running, you can learn to rotate the rope twice for each jump, etc. As you progress, you will be able to make the 60-second sprint extremely intense. Also, if you want to take advantage of the fast heart rate and burn even more body fat, use a treadmill or stationary bike for 20 to 30 minutes after your jump rope workout. Oh yeah … you might need a towel … you should be sweating like crazy!

Follow this tough routine and you will start to see definition throughout your body!

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