Jump Rope Conditioning Program

Reader Question:

"I am 17 years old and 200 pounds. I'm 5-10". I've been using the jump rope for quite some time but because of my busy schedule I stopped. Now it's our summer break so I'm back to using the jump rope however I was wondering if you could recommend me a jump rope program because I heard the jump rope can seriously help shed off a lot of pounds."
-Douglas

Answer:

Hi Douglas,
Jumping rope can be a great form of exercise. It does take a little getting used to, but once you get down the timing and the coordination, you'll be impressed with how well you catch on.

The first tip I would recommend is starting with 30 seconds of "alternating skip steps." This is a great way for beginners to transition into jumping rope. You'll want to take about double the amount of rest time as what your set takes. This is the ration I recommend for most intervals, which is a 1:2 work to rest ratio.

Once you start to progress, you can increase your work time and decrease your rest. Eventually you'll be doing 2 foot hops for up to 5 minutes without breaking.

However, I recommend that you don't make jumping rope your sole form of exercise. One key to reducing your chance of repetitive motion injuries is to choose different exercise movements and motions on varying days throughout the week. You'll still have plenty of opportunity to practice, but just make sure those practice sessions don't involve too many jumps while you're first starting out.

Check out this really helpful website dedicated to the art of Jump Roping. You will be able to find descriptions, program details, and photos of the techniques described in this post.

Good luck and have fun!