The Skipping Rope

Dec 18, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – The skipping rope is a simple but effective exercise tool that when used properly and consistently can have a plethora of health benefits. According to Nike.com, skipping or jumping rope as some may call it, is a versatile exercise that is often used as a warm-up or even as a key part of the workout itself.

Mike Matthews, ISSA-certified personal trainer and author of “Muscle for Life: Get Lean, Strong, and Healthy at Any Age!” says that jumping rope can fit seamlessly into just about any workout routine.
“You can jump rope at a slow, steady pace if you want to use it as low-impact, steady-state cardio or you can increase the intensity with techniques like high knees or double-unders (when the rope passes under the feet twice per jump) if you want to use it for HIIT-style training,” he says. “Plus, if you’re pushed for time and looking for an effective full-body workout, jumping rope is an excellent solution.”
Skipping can improve your cardio and muscle strength but also help burn calories to support weight loss.

Benefits of skipping
Along with helping with weight loss, there are many other benefits to skipping. Literature gleaned from healthline.com suggests the following:

Improves cardio fitness
Skipping is excellent for improving your cardio-respiratory fitness
Jumping continuously for a period of time requires more blood and oxygen to be pumped to working muscles, which increases your heart rate and respiratory rate to accommodate the increased demand.
Over time, this can strengthen your heart and improve your lung capacity, allowing you to exercise for longer.

Strengthens muscles
If you’re looking for an effective full-body workout, try jumping rope.
The act of jumping rope relies on your lower body muscles (e.g., calves, thighs, and buttocks), upper body (e.g., shoulders and biceps), and abdominal muscles.
This can not only help improve muscle strength but also your muscular endurance, which allows your muscles to exercise for longer, and increase explosive power for quick, sudden movements that are common in sports.

Builds stronger bones
Jumping rope is a high impact exercise that stresses the bones in a healthy way to make them stronger.
As a person jumps, the body responds to the temporary stress on bones caused by ground reaction forces by building them back stronger and denser.

In fact, one 22-week study including Olympic swimmers observed significant increases in bone mineral density of the lumbar spine and femoral neck (a part of the thigh bone) after participating in 20 minutes of jump rope and full-body vibration twice per week.
Other studies have also shown similar results with jumping rope and similar exercises.

May improve your coordination and balance
Adding the jump rope to your workout routine can be a great way to improve your balance and coordination.
Learning to jump rope involves the coordination of your arms, legs, and torso while also keeping a constant rhythm. Furthermore, you must have proper balance to maintain your centre of gravity and allow your feet to push off of the ground in a repeated fashion.

Fortunately, you decide how fast you’re jumping and rotating the rope, meaning you can slowly build your coordination and balance based on your needs.
When the Christmas season is over and the new year begins, be sure to incorporate the skipping role into your daily exercise routine. You will be glad you did.