Craig’s Story: Why Jump Rope Is The Best Cardio Workout

When 48 year old Craig Trevor was in his teens, his active lifestyle effortlessly earned him 3 black belts.

With a training routine built around martial arts, boxing and MMA, he had no trouble staying fit. But at age 40 Craig underwent some rapid life changes. He suddenly gained 70 lbs and it started to take a serious toll on his health.

Craig had got divorced, started a new relationship, opened a business and had another child. For the first time in decades his workouts became infrequent and often second (sometimes third) priority to everything else he was juggling.

Soon, he slipped into substituting his once healthy lifestyle with impulsive fast food purchases and junk food snacking.

So, is jump rope good cardio? Craig's story will hopefully provide some answers.

Finding The Right Cardio Workout Routine

One day, after a very sobering conversation with his doctor Craig realized it was time to get serious about living a healthy life again. He immediately cut his food intake down to 1,400 calories per day and worked out 4 times a day.

His efforts paid off. Craig lost 71 lbs in 80 days, but not surprisingly this intense regimen wasn’t something he could maintain indefinitely. While he kept most of the weight off for over a year, it hadn't been easy. He was counting every calorie and pushing himself to do dull and tedious workouts.

After doing some quick Google searches, he came across the Jump Rope Dudes on YouTube working out with a weighted jump rope.

Craig working out with Crossrope in his driveway.

Craig always enjoyed jumping rope and the cardio it provided, but the benefits of a weighted jump rope seemed like a game changer. He spent over a year debating on if he should grab himself a set of Crossropes.

But when the mighty Ultra Heavy LE hit the market he decided to bite the bullet and grab a set of our heaviest ropes yet! He also got himself our popular Get Lean and Get Strong sets at the same time.

Why Craig Chose Weighted Jump Ropes

“The price is nothing compared to the other options. Buy Crossropes, use them and they’ll change your life.”

What helped Craig make the decision to invest in a set of Crossropes was when one of his friends bought a Peloton. For Craig, a stationary indoor bike was not the cardio he was looking for. He also figured that being able to get all 6 of his Crossrope ropes at less than a quarter of the price of a Peloton was the best and most obvious decision for him to make.

Craig with his many Crossropes.

With his weighted jump ropes, Craig’s cardio workout is now a lot more fun and effective, but yet incredibly low impact.

“You can use these ropes anywhere! I especially love my ½ lb, 1 lb and 2 lb ropes. All the ropes are great, but you can really get those ropes spinning fast and the added weight makes for a killer workout.”

Craig now freestyle skips with his Crossropes everyday for 30 to 45 minutes to get in a good cardio session followed by some weight training. Best part is, he has kept his weight down in a healthy and manageable way.

Have questions for Craig? Post it in the comments below or head over to our Jump Rope Fitness Community where Craig is always cheering on our other 88,000 jumpers from around the world.

Start your jump rope transformation today!