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As a fitness trainer, I am often asked for my opinion on which exercises are best; best for cardio, best for fat loss, best for endurance, best for fitness...In many cases, my answer is the same: jumping rope! Coming from a boxing background, I’ve been jumping rope forever it seems and yet, even though I’ve been a fitness trainer for almost 15 years, I have yet to find an exercise that is so simple and yet so very effective. Boxers and other sportsmen and women have been jumping rope for literally centuries. Even the gladiators of ancient Rome and the athletes competing at the earliest Olympics jumped rope. So why do I and so many other prominent fitness trainers rate jumping rope so highly? Here’s why! Jumping rope is a weight-bearing activity so it strengthens your legs and also uses your arms. This makes it a great fat burning activity. It can be done just about anywhere you have enough ceiling space making it the ultimate in portable exercise equipment. It is easy to learn – no special skills are required. It is an inexpensive investment - $10.00 will buy you a jump rope that will last for years. Jumping rope can be aerobic or anaerobic – it all depends on how fast you go. It is a workout that can be as hard or as easy as you make it. There are lots of tricks you can do with a jump rope to make your workouts more fun – this is not the case with running, cycling or rowing. You will improve not just your fitness but also your coordination, hand/foot/eye speed and your ability to stay light on your feet making this the ideal for sports-specific training. These workouts are fun – just ask any kid in a playground! Jumping rope looks cool! You’ll stand out from the crowd in most gyms It’s clear then that jumping rope is an awesome workout but to get the most from this workout you need to do it right. If you were my personal fitness training client I could just show you but as you are there and I am here, I’ll have to tell you instead! First, make sure your rope is the right length. Stand on the middle of the rope and pull the handles up to your arm pits. The tips of the handles should just reach your underarms. If the rope is too long simply tie a knot or two to shorten it. Too short already? Try stretching it or get a new one. Making sure the rope is the right length will really make your jump rope experience more enjoyable as you’ll trip far less often. Start with the rope behind you and your arms relaxed, hands around hip-height. Use your wrists to turn the rope over your head and jump lightly as it approaches your feet. Don’t jump too high – you are trying to just clear the rope and not set a high jump record! Stay light on your feet and try to establish a steady rhythm. Once you have mastered double-footed jumps, move on to an alternating heel-toe action. Fitness trainers sometimes call this a boxer’s skip. Once you are cooking with gas on the boxer’s skip you can progress to high knee lifts, sprinting on the spot and even double unders – two rope turns per single jump. Fitness trainers the world over know just how effective jumping rope is for fat loss and general conditioning, so if you are looking for a no-frills form of training that will get you fighting fit and lean, no muss, no fuss, then look no further than jumping rope. It could be the best cardio exercise you ever do! Author Bio Mark Darco is a professional personal trainer with 15 years experience and has worked with hundreds of clients. He has successfully completed multiple certifications and continues to provide fitness training to clients of all ages in the NYC area.
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