Whether you want to warm up or burn calories, rope jumping is a great exercise. There are many benefits of skipping or rope jumping. This full-body workout burns 10-15 calories per minute. It’s great for shedding extra flab, improving the cardiometabolic process, and toning up your body. Check out the following benefits of skipping rope.
1. May Improve Heart Health
Skipping or rope jumping is a great form of cardio exercise. It increases the heart rate. This allows the heart muscles to work harder to pump oxygenated and deoxygenated blood across the body, thereby promoting heart health and gain height.
A 12-week study on the effect of skipping on children stated that rope jumping might help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in younger populations (1).
2. Tones The Lower And Upper Body
Rope jumping is a great full-body workout. It helps shed fat from all parts of your body and tones you up. It will not help build lean muscle, but if you do it at a higher intensity, you will work your biceps, triceps, shoulders, calves, thighs, and glutes.
3. Burns Calories
Skipping or jumping rope is an amazing way to burn calories and shed fat. In a study, scientists found that rope jumping to dance music helped improve BMI more than stationary cycle exercise (2). Ten minutes of jumping rope with high intensity can be considered equivalent to running an 8-minute mile and can burn almost 1300 calories in an hour (3).
Start with a short session of 2-3 minutes of jumping rope every day. Increase the duration and intensity as you progress.
4. May Improve Motor Function And Stamina
This is the reason most athletes, and especially boxers, practice jumping rope. Adding skipping or rope jumping and weighted rope jumping to your exercise routine can help improve coordination, strength, endurance, and balance in young athletes (4), (5).
5. May Improve Pulmonary Function
Jumping rope improves circulation and breathing and enhances lung capacity (2). A study assessed that long-term aerobic exercise showed a positive influence on cardiorespiratory functions and maximal oxygen uptake (6).
6. Can Improve Bone Density
Osteoporosis and weak bones are direct causes of low bone density. Jumping rope regularly can help improve bone density (7). However, further research is required to understand how the duration, frequency, and intensity of rope jumping can affect bone mineral density. Moderate-intensity rope jumping is also safe for people with osteopenia and can help increase hip bone mineral density (8).
7. May Boost Mental Health
Jumping rope with moderate intensity may have positive effects on anxiety, depression, and mood. Exercise may increase body temperature and blood circulation in the brain (9). This, in turn, may reduce stress and improve cognitive dissonance.
8. Is Easy On Your Joints
Low-intensity rope jumping is easy on your joints, thereby lowering the risk of injury of the knees or any other joint. The results of a study indicated that jump-rope training might improve the shoulder movement of overhead athletes (10).
Note: You must not try rope jumping right after surgery or a critical injury – not until your doctor and physical therapist give you a nod.
Jumping rope is an easy, effective, and simple aerobic exercise that provides a host of benefits – so blast some music and sweat it out! You can also include a 5-minute fat-burning skipping in your exercise routine to warm you up.
How To Start Skipping
Duration Of Rope Skipping
Start with 1-minute rope jumps. Increase the intensity and duration as you become comfortable. Increase the duration every week by at least 1-2 minutes. You should be able to jump rope for 10-15 minutes. Make sure to take breaks, sip on your electrolyte drink, and get jumping again.
Precautions
Avoid Rope Jumping If
Infographic: How To Start Skipping With A Jump Rope
Exercising with a skipping rope has many benefits, such as burning calories, toning the body, and improving heart health.
If you are new to skipping, it can be tough to decide how often or how much time you should dedicate to this exercise. If you push too much, you can tire yourself and risk an injury. The key is to keep pushing yourself a little more than you did the previous day.
If you are a beginner, check out the infographic below to understand how much you should skip per week.
Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team
Skipping is a great way to burn calories and shed those extra pounds you have gained. From improving your cardiovascular health and building endurance to enhancing lung capacity and reducing anxiety and depression, the benefits of skipping are wide-ranging. It is ideal for beginners to go for 1-minute rope jumps and gradually increase it by one or two minutes every week. Make sure you warm up your body before skipping, and invest in good shock-absorbing shoes and a sports bra. If you have any heart or blood pressure issues, consult your doctor and proceed only if you get the go-ahead.
Is 1000 skips a day good?
It depends on your age, fitness levels, purpose, and intensity of the workout.
Does skipping affect breast size?
Skipping doesn’t affect breast size, but it may bring about changes to their shape and form if you don’t support them well enough with a well-fitted sports bra.
Is skipping better than running?
Both are good and effective ways to burn calories. It depends on your preference for the day. While running can give you a wholesome experience of the outdoors, skipping doesn’t require much space and can be done anywhere.
Is jumping rope good for abs?
While it helps you lose calories, jumping rope doesn’t target your abdominal muscles.
Madhu Sharma
(RD)
