When you’re looking for a workout that stimulates muscle while also cranking up your fat-burning ability, it can be difficult to know which variables to combine. Resistance training – bodyweight, barbells or otherwise – is an absolute metabolic must but getting your body moving faster with a little skill work can send your results through the roof. Enter the jump rope.
Portable and wholly productive, the jump rope remains a stalwart conditioning tool for athletes of all walks. When the rope is used in combination with resistance training, you can increase your intra-workout caloric expenditure while maintaining (or gaining) muscle and strength.
The two workouts that follow are fast-paced, intense and challenging for all fitness levels. The constant motion and use of multiple muscle groups – particularly your pecs, lats and delts – is a high yield exercise in getting lean.
Intermediate
Exercise/Activity
Reps/Time
Push-Up
20
Jump Rope
1 min.
Pull-Up
10-15
Jump Rope
1 min.
–Perform this workout circuit-style, with no rest between exercises. Rest no longer than 60 seconds between circuits.
Advanced
Exercise/Activity
Reps/Time
Handstand Push-Up
12-15
Double Under
50
Pull-Up
12-15
Heavy Jump Rope
100*
–Perform this workout circuit-style, with no rest between exercises. Rest no longer than 60 seconds between circuits.
* If you don’t have access to a heavy rope, repeat the double under prescription of 50 skips with a normal rope.
Coach Tips
1 Focus on precision and quality during the workout. Fatigue can often lead to poor form for jumping and body weight exercises, so if you need to slow down the exercises, take more rest, or change the rep scheme, do that to ensure each rep and jump is quality.
2 For the advanced workout, focus on speed during the jumping portion. Whether it’s double unders, or heavy ropes, perform each set as fast as you can for the best results.
3 Controlling the rope with your wrists during the faster skips requires more of your forearms.
Dave Hunt is the President of Crossrope and the creator of the Crossrope Jump Rope System. As a former member of the U.S. Naval Academy track and field team, he pursued his passion for fitness and jumping. He now continues these pursuits through jump rope instruction and the continued development of training methods surrounding the Patent Pending interchangeable jump rope system.
