Training Your Heart with Jump Rope: 3 Variations by Type and Intensity

Jumping rope: a relatively simple, effective, practical exercise that is useful for dozens of different purposes.

Movies and boxing have given jump rope enormous publicity, even though many people probably underestimate its benefits.

Anyway, if people who practice a tough, demanding sport like boxing are in fact forced to jump rope for hours and hours, there’s probably a reason.

The benefits of jumping rope go beyond simply increased lung capacity.

 

Let’s see what they are:

1. Tones the muscles: jumping rope is an activity that works all the muscles of the body, from the core muscle group to the upper and lower body, strengthening the musculature. In fact, to make the rope move, the upper-body muscles (biceps and trapezius) are fully activated, while to power the jump, the abs, glutes, hamstrings, calves and quadriceps contract and tone up. 
2. Improves blood circulation: the movement involved in jumping rope helps make the circulatory system more efficient: the heart, with the increase in heart rate, manages to pump blood throughout the body and gets it to the arteries too, reducing the risk of heart attack or cardiac arrest. 
3. Increases lung capacity: jumping rope has the advantage of delivering a large amount of oxygen to the lungs, which is needed to address breathing problems. It also builds physical endurance, significantly reducing the chance of getting tired quickly. 
4. Burns lots of calories: doing this exercise for 30 minutes helps burn about 400 calories. This way, fat will be eliminated all over the body and you will lose weight more quickly. 
5. Eliminates toxins: the sweat the body produces through this exercise is essential for expelling toxins. This way, cells will be able to regenerate and work optimally. 
6. Prevents stress and improves brain activity: although it has not yet been scientifically proven, it is thought that the coordinated movement required by jumping rope is fundamental for creating new neural connections. Moreover, by doing this exercise, endorphins are released that help relieve stress and agitation.

 

JUMPING ROPE: A FEW EXAMPLES

First variation – jumping rope with feet parallel (low intensity)

• Place the rope behind your feet
• Holding the rope firmly in your hands, start jumping with your feet parallel
• Remember to keep your elbows close to your torso

 

Second variation – jumping rope with feet parallel and side-to-side movements (medium intensity)

• Place the rope behind your feet
• Holding the rope firmly in your hands, start jumping with your feet parallel
• Find your rhythm with a few jumps in place
• With each jump, alternate and shift your body weight first to the right and then to the left

 

Third variation – jumping rope on one leg (medium-high intensity)

• Start with your right leg and begin with two or three jumps to find your balance
• Keep jumping on one leg
• Switch legs and repeat the same exercise

 

Jumping rope is an exercise we can do every day, given the benefits to the cardiovascular system that we now know about; we can do four or five sets of one minute each, at most, every day!

…and let’s always remember that training is very important but a balanced diet is essential.

 

Eathlon® personalizes our diet based on our tastes, habits and lifestyle.