Do you want to learn how to jump rope for fitness? Jumping rope is one of the most effective exercises for burning calories. Plus, you can build endurance and strength in as little as 10 minutes. You don’t need a lot of space or equipment and you can do the workouts wherever you go. It’s the best-kept secret in fitness!
Our team at Crossrope has put together a simple and easy-to-follow guide on jumping rope for beginners, complete with how-to videos and quick tips. We’re going to show you everything you need to know to get started with jump rope fitness, no matter your experience level.
In this article, you’ll learn:
- Why you should be skipping rope
- What jump rope is best for beginners
- How to choose a jump rope
- How to size your jump rope
- How to learn proper form
- What footwork techniques to start with for beginners
- How to add jumping rope into your workouts
Let’s get started!
Why Should You Learn How to Jump Rope?
Before we jump into the fundamentals of jumping rope, let’s talk about the reasons you should be jumping rope in the first place.
1. Skipping rope is a highly effective workout.
Jumping rope, also known as skipping, is one of the most effective exercises around. Research has shown that you can burn over 1000 calories per hour jumping rope. Compared to other activities, it is one of the most effective cardio workouts, and it helps you burn serious calories. (Just ask Tim, who lost over 50 lbs, or Kathy, who lost 100 lbs jumping rope.)
Jumping rope also helps you improve your endurance and athleticism, agility, coordination, strength, foot speed, and much more. Our Crossrope system offers an even more effective workout as our weighted ropes engage more muscle groups with every jump.
2. It's a quick and convenient workout
We know it can be a pain to find time to get a workout in. A Crossrope jump rope is easy to store and convenient to take with you wherever you go. Use it at home or on the go.
Because of its calorie-burning potential and overall effectiveness, you can get a great full-body workout in as little as 10 minutes when you add weighted ropes into the mix. That's why you'll find thousands of easy-to-follow workouts and classes in our Crossrope app. Users have been seen jumping rope at home, at work during breaks, at their kid’s sporting events, on the deck of a cruise ship, and the list goes on. Crossrope makes it easy to fit exercise into your busy life.
3. It's a workout you'll actually enjoy doing
Let's be honest - treadmill runs and stationary bikes can be a little boring. Even the routine run around the block can get monotonous. Crossrope allows you to change things up. As your skills and coordination improve, you can start learning new jump rope skills and adding new exercises to your routine. As you level up, your confidence improves, your workouts become more effective, and you're excited to take on the next challenge.
Few training tools require both physical and mental presence like the jump rope. This is no mindless activity. You're constantly engaged all the way through.
"I tried Peloton but I actually feel Crossrope offers a faster, more effective workout." - Catherine K.
With the Crossrope app, you're never stuck thinking about what workout to do. We've got thousands of options for all fitness and skill levels. And when you have a workout you can take anywhere, even just a simple change of scenery can be all the motivation you need to tackle your next workout.
4. So much more...
Did you know that jumping rope helps develop the left and right hemispheres of your brain? Jump rope increases spatial awareness and improves your memory, making you more mentally alert... fascinating right?!
It's also a self-limiting tool which means it enforces good form. Most training injuries come about from doing exercises with poor form. With the jump rope, if you use a poor technique, you'll end up tripping more often, but you'll be less susceptible to injuries that can happen from poor form.
And the best part... it's effective. It can get you great fitness results in very little time. Some of our jumpers transform their bodies in only 30 days! You can even mix a jump rope into your regular training routine and use it to achieve a wide variety of fitness goals.
What is the Best Jump Rope for Beginners?
This is a question we often get in our jump rope fitness community. We commonly see new jumpers start with an inexpensive, plastic (PVC) rope that can be picked up at any local department store. But here’s the problem with light PVC ropes…
Traditional ropes make learning how to jump rope very difficult because they don’t offer feedback when you’re jumping. In other words, you can’t feel the rope rotating around your body which makes it challenging to time your jumps properly. Light jump ropes are generally the culprit for common jump rope mistakes.
Here’s what we suggest — skip the cheap plastic ropes and use a slightly weighted rope instead.
Weighted jump ropes don’t just support weight loss and strength training. They actually help you learn the proper form and rhythm for mastering the exercise.
Specifically, a weighted jump rope will do two things:
- It will allow you to feel the rope turning around your body which will make it easier to time your jumps.
- It will slow down your rotation just enough to allow you to maintain a nice consistent pace with your jumps.
While it sounds counter-intuitive, we’ve seen the story play out countless times at our past workshops: after numerous mistakes with a light rope; we’ll give a new jumper a slightly weighted rope (most often our 1/2 LB rope) and watch the magic happen. They go from trip-up to trip-up to suddenly stringing consistent jumps together almost instantly.
“The weight of the rope is perfect for me and I'm actually finally improving my technique. The lighter ropes were too light and I tripped so much it wasn't as fun I'm having now!” - Linda A.
So what's the best jump rope for beginners? We always recommend getting started with the white 1/2 LB rope. This is the perfect weight of rope to start with.
How to Choose a Jump Rope
For starters, you can take this quiz. There are many different jump ropes available and it can be overwhelming when you’re just starting. Don’t worry. The quiz will help point you in the right direction based on your desired fitness goals.
Looking to lose weight? The Get Lean Set is the perfect rope combination for weight loss. It includes the 1/4 LB and 1/2 LB jump rope designed for HIIT and cardio workouts that will leave you sweating. This set is great for beginners and advanced jumpers.
Focused on building muscle? The Get Strong Set is an excellent introduction to heavy ropes and it comes with a 1 LB and 2 LB jump rope. This set is recommended for jumpers who have some experience with jumping rope and are ready to take their training to the next level.
Need extra motivation? If you want the best of both worlds, like technology, and need a push to get you moving, we highly recommend the AMP set. This is our smart Bluetooth connected jump rope set and is sure to check all your goal boxes. The set includes the 1/4 LB, 1/2 LB, and 1 LB ropes. This set is highly recommended for beginner and advanced jumpers. No matter what your experience level is, you'll be meeting your goals in no time!
“I love these ropes! I made the mistake of only ordering the Get Lean Set to start off with instead of the full bundle. I’ve since bought the Get Strong Set. The ropes and app (that is updated regularly with new workouts) are PERFECT.” - Anne.
How to Size a Jump Rope
Another common question we get asked at Crossrope is what size of jump rope is best for getting started. A jump rope that's not sized correctly for you can make your learning experience a little more challenging.
At Crossrope, we've simplified the process and made choosing a size quick and easy. All of our ropes are sized according to your height. When choosing your rope, you'll see a size chart that will tell you exactly which size you need. If you fall between two sizes, we recommend going with the larger size if you are a beginner. For more advanced jumpers, it's really a matter of preference.
How to Learn Proper Jump Rope Form
Alright. You have your jump rope. It’s weighted. It’s the right size. Good. How do you get started?
We’re going to go over a few essential jump rope techniques for beginners that you need to practice to learn how to jump rope.
How to Hold a Jump Rope
Where you position your hands while jumping rope is very important, you want to focus on two things in particular:
- Symmetry: you want to make sure both hands are roughly the same distance apart from the centerline of your body.
- Movement: you want to make sure there is minimal movement of the elbows and shoulders. Your wrists should generate the jump rope rotation.
Proper Bounding
Jumping rope is all about consistent bounding. You want to minimize the space you create between yourself and the ground. Your jumps should be roughly 1-2 inches off the ground. You also don't want to pull your feet back or tuck your knees in. You want to keep your toes pointed down slightly on every jump.
Another important note - make sure there is always a slight bend in your knees and that you are landing softly on the balls of your feet every jump. This will ensure the stresses from jumping are nicely dissipated through your body.
And one more thing... If you're still struggling with the "double hop," we've got a quick fix for you here.
Your First Jump Rope Exercise
Once you feel comfortable with the fundamentals, you’re ready to learn your first jump rope exercise - The basic jump.
As you’re practicing the basic jump, here is a reminder of some important guidelines to keep in mind:
- Keep your feet close together when jumping
- Jump on the midsoles of your feet and land softly
- Keep your jumping height low (½” - 1” off the ground)
- Keep your knees slightly bent at all times
- Maintain a tall, neutral spine
- Keep your head up, chest up, and head looking forward
- Keep your shoulders pulled back and your elbows held down and back
- Keep your hands along the midline of your body
- Use your wrists to turn the rope (not your elbows or shoulders)
The basic jump requires a bit of practice until you get the rhythm and timing down. Again, a weighted rope will help you speed up your learning. Using a mirror will also help you pinpoint any symmetry issues you might be having.
Jump Rope Footwork for Beginners
Once you’re feeling good about your basic jump, you will have built the necessary platform to start learning other jump rope exercises and footwork patterns.
The five primary jump rope fitness exercises we suggest learning after the basic jump are:
You can find a full tutorial breakdown of these (and many other) exercises on our YouTube page.
Your First Jump Rope Workout
Now it’s time to try a beginner jump rope workout.
Try the workout linked above, but the best place to find various beginner jump rope workouts that you can follow along with (and take anywhere) is from the Crossrope jump rope app. The app is available on App Store and Google Play.
Have questions? We would love to answer them. Leave them in the comments below or ask the group! With over 97k members, our facebook community loves to ask questions, celebrate wins, and support everyone on their jump rope fitness journey.
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