I talked about the humble jump rope last week. Far from a children’s toy, the skipping rope (as it’s sometimes called) is one of the most effective exercise tools you could use.

But you can’t just skip for 30 minutes non-stop and call it your cardio session

If you’ve ever tried skipping though, you’ll soon find you can’t just skip non-stop for 25 minutes (for example). It’s just not physically possible. Unless you’ve worked yourself up to that level over a long period of time, you can only go for a few minutes before you’ll get too tired to go on.

So what should a solid jump rope workout look like?

A great workout would be a HIIT skipping workout. In simple terms it would involve making use of the down time when you’re not skipping by doing various other non-cardio exercises such as press ups, chin ups, sit ups, crunches or dips.

For example:

1. Skip for 2 minutes
2. Do 10 press ups
3. Skip for another 2 minutes
4. Do 12 crunches
5. Skip for another 2 minutes
6. Do 7 pull ups
7. Skip for another 2 minutes
8. Do 10 press ups
9. Skip for another 2 minutes
10. Do 12 crunches
11. Skip for another 2 minutes
12. Do 7 pull ups
13. Skip for another 2 minutes
14. Do 10 press ups
15. Skip for another 2 minutes
16. Do 12 crunches
17. Skip for another 2 minutes
18. Do 7 pull ups

Now this workout can of course be rearranged in multiple ways, but I think you get the general point. Instead of doing nothing in between skipping sessions you can use the time to do bodyweight exercises. That way your heart rate is staying up during the entire workout which makes a very gruelling cardio session, trust me!

It is also a good idea to do different types of skipping to add some variety to the mix. Try skipping on one leg, jogging on the spot, or doing side-straddle where you jump from side to side as your skipping (this can really get your abs going too).

And you know what the best thing is about this workout?

All you need is a skipping rope!*

*You will also need a chinning bar to do the pull ups so if you don’t have access to one, why not consider this product?

Tags: boxing, jump-rope, skipping, skipping-rope, workout

Filed under: Training