The women's fitness blog

Most of us used jump ropes or skipping ropes when we were younger, but did you know that it is actually an awesome overall cardiovascular workout? It is at the core of all boxers' training regimes. If you'd like to get in on the action and have some fun while losing weight and getting fit, why not try a jump rope workout?

Always wear side-supported cross training sneakers or trainers. Running shoes are not designed to let you bounce on the balls of your feet. Avoid jumping on hard surfaces, like tiles or concrete. If you don't have a sprung or carpeted floor, place a thin exercise mat on whatever surface you want to use.

Muscle Groups worked in a Jump Rope Workout

Jumping rope will work every muscle in your body. After your first intense jump rope workout, you will be aching. Jumping rope will help you in your quest to get super-ripped abs. Your core muscles also getworked very hard, since you have to use your abs continuously to stabilize your entire body and to power the short sharp steps or jumps.

Interval training with ajump rope

You can burns lots of fat by doing interval training. Try performing high intensity cardio for 30-60 seconds or so, followed by a minute or two of walking or low intensity cardio. This is called High Intensity Interval Training. Jumping rope is ideally suited to short bursts of high energy action. As you practice, you will be able to get faster and more intense in these bursts of 30-60 seconds.

A 20 minute Jump Rope Workout that you can tailor to suit you

• Stand in front of a clock - you will use this to time yourself
  


• Rest for 30 seconds
  


• Jump rope as quickly as possible for 60 seconds
  


• Rest for 30 seconds. Do as many ab-crunches you can for 1 minute at a steady pace
  


• Jump Rope as quickly as possible for 60 seconds
  


• Rest for 30 seconds. Do as many push-ups as possible in 1 minute
  


• Repeat this pattern for 20 minutes
  

You can alternate rounds of skipping with crunches and push-ups until you've completed 20 minutes or more of exercise. After the second or third round of skipping, your heart rate won't drop that much during the crunches and push-ups.

You might not be able to do more than a few intervals of push-ups. Use any exercise you want during for the minute sessions in between skipping/jumping-rope. Try doing squats and lunges (with or without weights) to give your larger leg muscles (quads and hamstrings) some extra work. Do upper-body exercises with dumbbells during that minute. (Use proper form. Don't rush.) One more thing: Skipping rope emphasizes your calves, so be careful to stretch them beforehand.

Another advantage of a jump rope / skipping rope is that you can take one anywhere. If you workout at home, or you're traveling and don't have access to a gym, you can use your jump rope.