Skipping rope: worth it? Beginners' tips?

Thirith

I've heard a lot about how skipping rope should be a good, effective way of burning calories, but I've never really done it, because the few times I skipped rope (as a kid and adolescent) I was way too clumsy. That latter thing hasn't changed, but I'm wondering if it'd still be worth giving it a go.

So, to make this more concrete, here are a couple of questions:
- What are the intended benefits of skipping rope? Is it mainly about burning calories and losing weight? Is it about building up stamina?
- I don't work out a lot, but I tend to be on the training bike for 45-60 minutes on Friday and Sunday, and I do push-up routines four days a week. Where would skipping rope best fit in?
- What sort of routines would you recommend to a beginner, in particular one who's relatively clumsy?
- I'm somewhat overweight (180cm, ~85kg). How does this affect things?

Thanks in advance for any tips/answers you have!

knitdan

I dont know if it's the best method for burning calories and losing weight, but I do know it'll get your heart rate up quick and if you're just starting out you'll feel like you're dying after a very short time.

It's what I remember guys used to do to cut weight in wrestling, they'd jump rope for half an hour and sweat off a pound or two of water weight.

I'd say if you already have a set workout regimen, it might be an option for times when you just want to change things up a bit.

Don't try anything fancy until you get a feel for the rhythm. Just swing the rope and jump over it, tryto keep a steady pace.

Your weight shouldn't really matter other than how it affects your overall health. These are very small quick hops you'll be doing.

Reznik

we jump rope as a warmup for muay thai. can confirm the feeling of dying after a very short time. i couldn't string two jumps in a row together without fucking up when i started but now the only thing limiting me is the endurance of my legs, so don't worry about being clumsy because that'll go away eventually. you'll find the right timing and it'll click.

the routine we use for warmup is something like this:
- 3 min skipping (last 30 seconds push it as fast as you can)
- 30 sec. push-ups
- 3 min skipping
- 30 sec. crunches

Thirith

Thanks for the answers so far.

To begin with, would it make sense e.g. to do three sets, as many reps as I can manage, with 30-60 seconds in between to recover from dying? And is it more something I'd do to warm up (e.g. for the training bike), or does it make more sense to look at it as a discrete workout, perhaps in combination with other, more muscle-focused exercises?

Reznik

I'd recommend just trying it as a warmup before the bike to see how you feel and work on your coordination. It's going to be frustrating to try to treat it like a full workout if you keep tripping up. I'd also base it on time instead of a particular number of reps.

Also, it's a matter of preference, but I started wearing ankle supports and found they helped out quite a bit. I don't have great cardio by any stretch but I found that my calves/ankles were getting really sore a lot quicker than I was getting winded.

Djeet

I highly associate skipping rope with boxing conditioning. While it can be a proxy for running, it demands coordination/agility and helps balance and footwork.

It can also kick your ass, and you can make it harder but that's on you and not the rope.

Like any new exercise take it slower and easy and progressively increase tempo and difficulty and listen to your body. There is going to be more impact (on your body/joints) than an exercise bike. If you're using for weight loss you could program it just like HIIT running/biking.

Thirith

Cool, thanks to everyone for the feedback. I'll probably see over the weekend if I can get a simple rope and mat (since I'd be doing it at home, and I don't want to ruin the floorboards).

Inx

I hadn't thought of this. I may try this out myself, as I'm looking to get into better exercise habits with limited space and resources.

Thirith

Well, I got myself a rope, but I think my main challenge for now will be to manage more than 3-4 jumps before I jump too late or too early. It's mainly the rhythm that I've yet to figure out.

Reznik

I found having music with a steady beat helps. Something not too fast that you can match your jumps to and use to keep your timing. It'll click eventually. It took me probably 6-7 classes to really get the hang of it.

Thirith

Quick update: I'm amazed at how quickly I went from barely being able to string together 2-3 jumps to being able to do ~30 jumps and being held back by my (lack of) stamina. In any case, like this I can actually get started on doing it as a part of working out or at least warming up. Thanks again for all the tips!

Khraul

I popped in to comment as I used to skip as part of a boxing and kickboxing warmup at different gyms over the years... I ended up just hitting agree to everything Reznik said... it's all good advice. :biggrin: