Jump Rope Tips

Beginner jump start

If you haven’t jumped rope since your playground days, follow the steps below to give yourself a little refresher.

• Hold both rope handles in one hand and swing the rope to develop a feel for the rhythm.
• Next, without using the rope, practice jumping.
• Finally, put the two together. You’ll probably do well to jump continuously for one minute.

Beginners should start out with 30 seconds of consecutive jumping or about 50 repetitions. Perform three or four sets with rest periods between sets lasting 30 to 90 seconds in duration. Gradually work up to 60 to 90 seconds of jumping, or 100 to 150 repetitions with rest periods between sets lasting only 30 seconds. Complete three or four jump rope workouts per week on nonconsecutive days.

Breaking plateaus

Say you’re stuck at 75 jumps. Jump to 75, then rest 30 seconds, then do another 25 jumps. Do this for several days. After that, slowly decrease the rest to 25 seconds, 20 seconds, then 15 seconds. The body learns to adapt to the decreased rest and before you know it you are doing 100 reps with no problem.

Posture perfect

Posture is important, so don’t slouch! It’s all about the technique and it shouldn’t be damaging to the joints. It’s important to train the body that this is where you want it to be.

• Hold shoulder blades together in the back and press down, keep abs and core tight, then start revolutions.
• Breathe in through nose, exhale through the mouth.
• The knees are bent the entire time, so your legs and ankles are taking most of the impact. You’re not taking big jumps up and down, it’s just enough for your feet to clear the rope as it comes around in little jumps.