Jumping Rope Exercise: Benefits and Getting Started At Home

Jumping rope has been a part of gym class back in our primary school days. But that exercise isn’t only beneficial to younger people. There is a study explaining how jumping exercises increase bone density in adults. An explanation is also available below on how jumping rope exercises improve your vertical leap.

So imagine doing split leaps at high efficiency. Wouldn't that skill be useful professional cheerleading? To get more in-depth information on this, continue reading until the end.

What Is The Jumping Rope Exercise?

The jumping rope exercise is a full-body high-intensity interval training. Compared to running, jumping rope workout burns more calories within a shorter period of time. And that’s even at a moderate intensity!

However, jumping rope exercises aren’t just limited to a single-direction flip and skip movement. Other forms include single-foot skipping and jumping jacks-like movements. In this workout, you’ll need a lot of movement speed and body coordination. But don’t worry, this type of exercise is easy to master.

3 Benefits of Jumping Rope

1. Builds agility, endurance, and improves vertical leap

As the revolution of the rope around your body happens, the momentum increases and you have to keep up with that. While keeping up, your body’s reaction adapts to the speed, building agility. As the workout duration lengthens, your cardiovascular endurance improves. And since you mostly jump and skip in this exercise, your leg and calves strengthen, allowing your jumps to be stronger and higher. This is very ideal for the aspiring and current pro cheerleader’s routines.

2. Full-body workout

The jump rope workout isn’t just focused on improving your heart and legs. Keeping your form up and movement coordination as exercise improves your brain’s reaction process as well. Your arms also gradually build strength as you maintain the position of the rope while holding it up. Even arm flexibility is also improved with the criss-cross skipping movement.

3. Increases bone density

When you run, your joints and bones are put to more stress due to the hard impact of your steps. Whereas in jumping rope, the medium impact leads to the increase of your bone density. The study of Dr. Daniel W. Barry, a researcher who studies the bones of athletes, proves that.

Considerations When Doing This Workout For Weight Loss

While jump rope exercises are very good calorie burners, you must first understand that to maximize its effectiveness, you need to have a calorie deficient diet. This means you should eat fewer calories than you actually need while you exercise. A protein, fiber, or keto-friendly diet is very effective to incorporate in this kind of workout.

It is also important to observe proper form and have your warm-ups first to prevent injuries while training. Skip the rope on soft surfaces such as gym and yoga mats to reduce the impact on your joints. For beginners, don’t skip rope for more than 5-minutes a day.

3 Fun Jump Rope Routines To Try At Home Or Anywhere

1. Bounce step

Start by standing straight.
Position the rope on the back of your knees with your arms stretching the rope forward.
Flip the rope over your head from behind and skip the rope for 140 bounces without tripping or stopping.
Keep your elbows close to your sides while holding them outward sideways at a 90-degree angle and breathe through your nose.
Keep your body upright.
Keep both of your toes tipped and knees near each other as you jump on both legs.

2. Alternate foot jump

Do all the first 5 steps from the bounce step.
But alternate your skipping with each leg as the rope goes around.
Land lightly on the heels of your feet.
To count the 140 bounces, use the landing on your right foot for 70 counts.

3. Jump rope jacks

Do all the first 5 steps from the bounce step.
This time, don’t alternate with each leg but bounce on both legs.
With every bounce, move your legs in and out as you do in doing jumping jacks.
Repeat with the same 140-bounce counting as the bounce step.

Jumping rope exercises are fun to learn and challenging. As you progress with various routines, you get to burn more fat and achieve toned muscles. Your pro cheer skills also improve!

Need a Great Workout Routine for Your Pro Cheer Audition Prep?

Pro cheerleaders stay fit, flexible, and strong so they can give out their best performance in the arena. However, achieving that wow-worthy, toned physique doesn’t happen overnight. You need to arm yourself with the right daily workouts.

Thinking of becoming a pro cheerleader?

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