Skipping: Get In Touch With Your Inner Child…and Get Fit Too! | Keeping Fit In The Real World
Bring back Childhood Memories whilst Training like a Boxer.
Jumping over a rope repeatedly brings many benefits. It is a time efficient and effective exercise. Skipping is a sport itself, but also an integral skill in other sports such as boxing, CrossFit and HIIT training.
Health Benefits of Skipping
The health benefits of jump ropes are numerous. It improves cardiovascular fitness by increasing heart rate. Hand eye coordination is enhanced. Flexibility is improved as all the body is moving together. Muscles in arms, legs and torso are toned due to contraction of the muscles to keep rope and body moving. It burns calories and boosts metabolism. It enhances functional day to day movements.
Practical Benefits of Skipping
Skipping is a time efficient exercise, intensity is built quickly. The ropes are portable and fairly inexpensive. The basic movement of skipping does not require a high skill level. It’s ideal for the person with a busy schedule, who travels frequently or wants to squeeze in a quick effective workout during lunch break.
Skipping at a slower pace with less intensity also provides a good warm up.
Skipping Technique
Wear well cushioned shoes and skip on a softer surface such as gym mats or grass. This will help absorb impact.
Developing good form is essential to preventing injury. It will also help you progress to more advanced moves.
Engage your core and keep a straight posture. Stay light on your feet and on the balls of the feet. Keep the knees slightly bent. Keep your elbows close to the body with relaxed shoulders. Let the rope turning action come from the wrists.
It’s necessary for the beginner to skip in short bursts only to reduce risk of injury. This could be as little as 20 second bursts on alternate days. Keep the jumps fairly low, 1 or 2 inches off the ground.
Sizing the Jump Rope
Most skipping ropes will come with a sizing guide. The general rule of thumb is go 3 foot longer than your height. Or stand on the skipping rope and pull up the sides of your body to under your armpits.
Types of Skipping Rope
Speed ropes are the easiest to use for the beginner. They are also great for progressing to more challenging moves.
Weighted ropes give a more intense workout and are designed for the athlete looking for a more challenging workout.
Skipping Movements
There are many skipping tricks to conquer. YouTube has multiple jaw dropping videos to watch. Double Unders are a high skill learnt in CrossFit, which improves conditioning and muscle endurance. Boxers use numerous skipping moves to build strength, conditioning and total body coordination.
Jump Rope Challenge
This is a fantastic challenger for the beginner is to skip for 1 minute a day, maintaining this for about 10 days. The goal is to work towards being able to maintain 5 minutes of skipping. Once this is achieved, work towards adding 2 minutes of skipping to your daily time each week.
Other progressions, as well as adding time, are to jump faster or on 1 foot.
You can find full details of this challenge here.
Conclusion
Be safe. Seek medical advice if required prior to any workout.
Warm up. Workout. Stretch and cool down.
Skipping is fun.
It is integral part of some athlete’s training regimes.
There are numerous health benefits to be gained.
It is a practical form of exercise.
Learn good technique to prevent injury and progress to harder moves.
It is time efficient and intense.
It can be adapted for both the beginner and the elite.
Enjoy!
Comments
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Originally published at https://keepfitrockchick.com.
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