Jordan DeLisser: Titan Tales From a Crossrope Jumpathlete

January 27, 2017 0 Comments

Jordan vividly recalls, as a wide-eyed 9 year-old, the first time he ever saw his mom jump rope.

“She just grabbed my rope and started doing crazy tricks, like double unders and criss-crosses. And I thought to myself, ‘Oh no. There is no way I’m gonna let my mom be better at jumping rope than I am.”

And so began his quest and lifelong obsession with jumping rope.

Growing up, Jordan was always into sports (mostly basketball and track), but he was teased by his family for not being very athletic.

“My uncle was an NFL player, and many of my cousins and siblings were Division 1 athletes. I guess, by comparison, I wasn’t at the same level.”

But that all changed with jump rope. The more confident he became, the more tricks he could do… and his family was duly impressed.

“This was my ‘thing’ – they couldn’t believe how good I was. So I made it my mission.”

He also found that jumping rope allowed him to get a workout that didn’t negatively affect his back pain.

“I have back issues, which are genetic, so I could never do squats. Even laying on bench was painful! But jumping rope doesn’t hurt my back. I find that it’s super low impact once you get the technique down, and the benefits far outweigh risk of injury.”

Flash forward a few years later, several inches taller, and several jumps more experienced, Jordan went off to college to pursue his dream of music. Though he’d never had any formal training, he had an incredibly musical ear. “I was able to hear something on the radio and replicate it on the piano. I actually discovered my talent completely by accident.”

While at college, Jordan wasted no time finding fellow jump rope enthusiasts – hunting down gym-goers to form jump rope group sessions. Among one of his first sessions was fellow Jump Rope Fitness Community member, Greg Harris.

“I organized a jump rope workout group session for about 8 people,” Jordan recalls, “and the only one crazy enough to return the next day was Greg.”

This would mark the beginning of a dynamic jump rope duo and a lifelong friendship.

Eager to expand on his jump rope skills, Jordan set out to purchase the best possible rope for his workouts.

“The first ‘real’ ropes I bought were Buddy Lee. That was THE thing. I was so excited when they arrived, I sprinted to my house to get them.”

But after using them for a bit, Jordan discovered that the ropes were very limited in terms of doing tricks and building muscle endurance. And because he wasn’t able to bench press or do squats, finding a jump rope that could also build muscle mass was important to him.So he started researching weighted ropes.

“I ended up buying this one weighted rope for about $50. And no joke – it was like a garden hose. I wasn’t able to jump with it at all! Total waste of money.”

Jordan went back to the drawing board, typed in “jump rope” and (completely by accident), happened upon Crossrope.

“I totally freaked out when a landed on the Crossrope page! I immediately ran over to Greg’s house to show him my amazing discovery. And I didn’t even do it on purpose – I discovered it on accident, kinda like how I did with my piano composition skills.”

Unable to contain his excitement, Jordan used the last $70 in his bank account to buy the Starter Set.

“I didn’t eat for a week, but I didn’t care. It was totally worth it.”

But as much as Jordan was excited for the idea of Crossrope, he admitted that the ropes took a bit of getting used to in the beginning.

“It was a little difficult to get the technique at first, but it was mostly a matter of breaking my bad habits. For instance, changing from the handshake grip, or falling into step with the momentum. It was hard to get used to, but I appreciate a good challenge.”

Jordan gradually built up his endurance (and his Crossrope collection), getting up to 200 unbroken jumps with the 1-lb Intensity Rope. Now, he does 500 bounds with the 2-lb Fury Rope as a warm-up (not bad, for someone who’s not very ‘athletic’).

After college, Jordan embarked on a career in financial crimes enforcement, which required long hours and a hefty commute. Over the years, he started to put on weight, and it eventually took a toll.

“There was a sudden shift after I started my job. I was 205 and 6’2 in college (my best shape ever) and then I had a sedentary lifestyle, draining work hours and a long commute. I was usually too tired to workout by the time I got home.”

Eventually, his weight crept up to an all-time high of 270, and he knew he had to make some changes to avoid long-term complications.

“My family was concerned about me because I’ve always been athletic, and they didn’t know how to help. On top of that, it was starting to affect my health negatively (high cholesterol and blood pressure). I also had a really hard time sleeping.”

To get back on track, Jordan decided to join the Crossrope 30-Day Weight Loss Challenge in April of 2016, around the same time he joined the Jump Rope Fitness Community.

“To be honest, the Community was a real game-changer for me. I finally found people who were as passionate about jumping rope as me, and I could follow their progress. I love how supportive the community is, and it’s eye-opening to see their progress in real time. Everyone is so awesome about sharing tips, advice and encouragement.”

After the April 2016 30-Day Challenge was over, Jordan was 23 pounds lighter, more energetic, and could sleep again for the first time in years.In addition to the daily challenge workouts, he also attributes his success to a change in his diet (and swears by his Green Smoothie cleanses).

“The success I enjoyed in the Challenge really gave me the momentum I needed to keep moving forward. I really felt like I connected with everyone in the Community, and it was a testament to how well hard work pays off. I truly admire my fellow community members.”

Three Crossrope Challenges and a full collection of Crossrope sets later, Jordan is steadily working toward his goal weight of 205, and regularly showing off his skills at the gym.His advice to others? Be patient with yourself.

“Just learn to get the ropes under your feet, and the rest will follow. And if one weight is too much on any given day, just switch to a lighter weight! You’ll still get an awesome workout, and that’s the beauty of Crossrope.”

Jordan can typically be found at the the gym, wowing onlookers with his jump rope skills and endurance. He hopes to be an official Crossrope instructor someday.

“People are always curious, and come up to me after I finish a set. And even though I’m totally out of breath, I just hand them the ropes and let them try (and then, of course, show them how to do it properly). They’re usually up for the challenge of the 1-lb Intensity rope, but then I pull out the Titan-X 3-lb rope, and all bets are off.”

And speaking of the Titan-X… Jordan has officially challenged Dave to a Titan-X Double Under duel.

“Dave is the most extraordinary jumper. I watch every single video and tutorial he does, and always try to beat his PR. Game on, Dave!”

Stay tuned for Jordan’s head-to-head with Crossrope founder, Dave Hunt – they’re currently both training for the upcoming Titan-X showdown.