Jumping rope is amongst the most efficient exercise activities for burning calories. According to Mayo Clinic, a 160-lb. person will burn 861 calories in 60 minutes of jumping rope. While jumping for 60-minutes straight is likely to be too challenging for most, it's clear that incorporating the activity into your workout regimen can be extremely beneficial for losing body fat. If you remember, you lose fat whenever you burn a greater number of calories than you take in from food and drink. By making healthy nutritional decisions and regularly jumping rope, you can create this caloric deficit and thus successfully lose weight.
Before you head off to start jumping, it's important to understand how to set yourself up for success and how to maximize your jump rope workouts for burning calories and losing weight.
Get Yourself a Quality Rope
This may seem a bit obvious, but having a quality jump rope will make an enormous impact on the enjoyment of your workout. There are different types of jump ropes, including speed ropes, leather ropes, cloth ropes and ropes made of beads. I recommend you go with either a speed rope or cloth rope. A speed jump rope is made of thin vinyl and will spin significantly faster than other ropes, therefore allowing you to get more jumps in during your workout. If you're going to be jumping outside, however, a spin rope will quickly break down from hitting the ground. Instead, go with a leather jump rope, which is better prepared to handle the harsh outdoor ground.
Find a Good Place to Jump
Jumping rope can put a bit of stress on your calves and shins. To minimize the impact that your lower musculature and bone structures have to handle, try to jump on a short lawn or dirt surface. If either of those surfaces aren't an option, try to choose asphalt over concrete, as concrete is the most hard and dense surface and it's going to significantly increase the stress on your legs.
Jump Three Days per Week
In order to burn enough calories to support weight loss, you need to be consistent with your training sessions. Get in at least three jump rope workouts in per week. An additional option is to incorporate jumping rope into your warm-up session prior to other workouts. For example, before you head off for a run, you could jump for 10 minutes to increase your heart and breathing rate and prepare your body for activity.
Jump In Short Bursts
You want your workouts to include about 20 to 30 minutes of activity. However, as you start out, it's going to be challenging to jump for long periods of time. Instead of trying to jump for 20 minutes straight, begin with short bursts. For example, jump for one minute and then rest for 30 seconds before completing the next minute of jumps. You'll quickly build endurance and will be able to keep going for longer durations. Another option is to make jumping rope the foundation of a circuit workout. For example, after jumping for a minute, immediately drop to the floor and perform a set of push-ups and a set of sit-ups, and then go right into jumping rope for another minute. This will more effectively keep your heart rate elevated throughout the entire workout and you'll also be building muscular strength and tone.
Incorporating regular jumping rope routines will effectively develop your cardiovascular system and burn calories. A jump rope takes up little space and can be easily thrown into a suitcase or hand bag, which allows you to still get in your workouts and contribute to your weight loss efforts no matter if you're traveling.