Skipping or rope jumping is a full-body workout that helps improve your cardio health and strengthens your muscles. Skipping is also fun and burns calories to support weight loss.
To skip all you need is a pair of good training shoes and a rope to easily do it anywhere.
Health benefits of skipping daily
According to fitness experts, skipping ropes can burn 10 calories in a minute and apart from that also strengthen your legs, butt, shoulders, belly, and arms. On average, you can burn 200 calories in 10-minute sessions each day. It is even more effective than brisk walking.
A few amazing benefits of doing this exercise regularly are:
Helps improve cardio fitness
Skipping is one of the best ways to improve your cardiorespiratory fitness. Experts say continuously jumping with the rope for a consistent period requires more blood and oxygen to be pumped to working muscles, which increases your heart rate and respiratory rate to accommodate the increased demand.
Also, with time it strengthens your heart and improves your lung capacity, allowing you to exercise for a longer time without getting tired.
Strengthens muscles
Skipping strengthens your lower body muscles like calves, thighs, and buttocks, apart from your shoulders and biceps. It is also a great workout for reducing belly fat, thereby toning the abdominal muscles.
Jumping rope regularly would help build muscular endurance which increases explosive power for quick, sudden movements that are common in sports.
Strengthens bones
Daily skipping for at least half an hour would not just tone your muscles, but also make your bones stronger.
According to experts, while jumping, your body would respond to the temporary stress on bones caused by ground reaction forces by building them back stronger and denser.
Studies say continuous skipping for at least 20 minutes every week significantly increases bone mineral density of the lumbar spine and femoral neck which are a part of the thigh bones.
Improves coordination and balance
Adding skipping to your workout routine is an amazing way to improve your balance and coordination, as it involves your arms, legs, and torso moving in a particular rhythm.
Also, it will help you maintain your center of gravity and let your feet push off the ground repeatedly.
Boosts mental health
Since it is a fun way to exercise, skipping rope at a moderate intensity helps reduce anxiety and depression.
According to studies, jumping rope helps increase neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain which are essential in regulating mood, happiness, and pleasure.
Studies also say the more you enjoy this exercise, the more likely you are to stick to it long-term.
Ways to add skipping to your workout programme
There are many ways you can add jumping rope to your daily exercise regime. Depending on what you do and your goals, you can skip your entire workout or add it to another one. A few ideas you can try include:
Endurance workout
Slow and moderate-intensity jumping as part of an endurance workout would help build your cardiorespiratory endurance.
According to fitness experts, you must slowly increase your jumping time, ideally aiming for up to 20-30 minutes without stopping.
Warm-up
You can always skip as part of warming-up exercises before you begin another workout. Try to skip rope for 3-5 minutes at a moderate, consistent pace.
Cooling down
Once you are done with your exercise, to finish off, raise your heart rate as high as possible by completing a quick, burnout jump rope session. At the end, jump at a fast pace for a count of 100 jumps.
Then take a short break and continue jumping in intervals of 100 for up to 500 or more cumulative jumps.
