Jumping rope is a very good way to get a good cardio workout while also building foot speed and coordination skills. It is a valuable way to improve basic motor skills necessary for many sports. Jump rope exercises; however, can be an end in themselves because this form of exercise is a guaranteed way to receive a great workout. It is a relatively cheap and easy way to exercise as well, since all one needs is a jump rope and a clear space.
There are many different jump rope exercises to choose from which range in difficulty. The easiest jump rope exercise to begin with is called the basic jump. One begins by holding one jump rope handle in each hand out at the sides, with the arms sloping downward so that the hands hold the handles not too far above the waist. The rope should begin behind the legs. The basic jump is completed by swinging the rope from behind the person’s body and over the head and back underneath the person’s feet as he or she jumps over the rope, both feet leaving the ground at the same time.
The speed of the rope can be controlled and altered to whatever is a comfortable speed for the person. One should begin by doing this jump for about thirty second intervals, with a minute or so rest in between sets. As one begins to feel their endurance building, they can lengthen the time of their sets to a minute and beyond.
As the basic jump becomes easier, more difficult jump rope exercises can begin to be introduced into the work out regimen. The next most difficult of the jump rope exercises is called the “jog step.” This jump rope exercise is done by swinging the rope in the same way that one would during the “basic jump” albeit a bit faster, but instead of jumping over the rope with both feet at the same time, keeping one leg up as one leg jumps over, and staggering back and forth between each foot. This gives the appearance that the person jumping rope is jogging.
Another jump rope exercise is the “criss cross jump.” This exercise is executed by beginning the exercise in the same way as the basic jump, but after the rope is brought over the head, the left arm is crossed over the right arm while the rope is jumped over. A jump rope exercise which helps one to work out the abdominal muscles is called the “twisting jump.” It is completed in the same exact way as the basic jump but the lower body is twisted back and forth with each jump. The “double under” is a jump rope exercise also like the basic jump, but with each jump the person tries to swing the rope underneath their feet multiple times.