Give it a whirl!

The past three Wednesdays I have been doing a playground activity I use to dread....the jump rope! As a child and now as an adult I'm a very uncoordinated person. It took me to the age of 18 in order to learn how to do the free style stroke. But at David Barton Gym on Wednesday evening there is a class called Rope Burn. It worked well with my schedule so I decided to give it a whirl-literally ;)

In grammar school, I remember every year on a spring day we would raise money for Jump Rope for Heart. I detested that day because it required me to be able to jump rope for 2 minutes straight which was an activity that seemed next to impossible. As I'm older now I can appreciate why my PE teacher spoke so highly of Jump Rope for Heart. Jump roping is not only a way to a healthier heart but it also increases strength/endurance and helps with coordination and dexterity. With rope-jumping, you have to become more aware of what your body, which helps you develop greater coordination. You are constantly using your abdominal muscles to keep you balanced as you jump. Your upper body strengthens as you whirl the rope and your lower body is powering up in order jump and land on the floor. But the greatest thing about it is that is costs less than $20 and you can take a jump rope anywhere.

Jump roping can be very hard of your knees. It is recommended that if you have any previous lower extremity injuries that you modify this activity or work into it. Fitness magazine reports that in 10 minutes you can burn 135 calories. 

What I liked most about Rope Burn is that the intervals of jumping were broken up with lower body and upper body exercises. After lifting weights, jumping rope becomes a lot easier. So since jump rope is such an easy piece of workout equipment to carry, give it a try. A good way to incorporate jump rope into a home workout is below:

1. warm up - jump casually x 1 min

2. jump fast and hard x 20 sec on with 10 sec rest in between x 8 reps

3.15 push ups

4. 25 squats

5. 25 crunches

6. Repeat series x 10. Feel free to alternate with different exercises.

After my first jump rope class my calves were burning so you want to make sure that you are jumping properly. According to a WebMD article with rope jumping you stay high on your toes and use your body's natural shock absorbers. Beginners usually jump higher than necessary. With practice, you shouldn't come more than one inch off the floor. I also recommend stretching your calves post jump rope in order to tolerate standing the next day ;) So regress to your childhood days and go buy yourself a jump rope in order to burn off the frozen yogurt you had after work....

References

Stephens B. 10-Minute Workout: Jump Rope to Skip Yourself Slim. Fitness Magazine. Available at http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/arms/express/jump-rope-workouts/?page=1

Jump Rope Workout & Exercise Routines.  My Jump Rope Workout. Available at http://myjumpropeworkout.com/

Skarnulis L. Skipping Rope Doesn't Skip Workout. WedMD. Available at http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/skipping-rope-doesnt-skip-workout

karnul