When was the last time you jumped rope?
When you were seven in in Mr. Whathisface’s P.E. class, right? You probably had fun, you probably wiped out once or twice, and wacked yourself in the back of the head with the rope. I’m telling you to bring it back, son! In any boxing gym around the world, you’ll notice jacked guys with zero body fat beating the **** out of each other, beating the **** out of a punching bag, and jumping rope. Why jump rope? Because it enhances coordination and builds stamina. As a boxer, you need to be both light on your feet, coordinated, and have enough endurance to go 15 rounds. I just bought myself one and it’s kicking my ass. My calves hate me. I love it.
Here’s some tips on getting started:
- Find a surface with some give. Don’t jump on concrete if you can avoid it, because you’ll be jumping up and down repeatedly which could cause wear and tear on your joints. On a mat or carpet is best.
- Pick a good rope! Don’t go for the 3 dollar Dora the Explorer rope at CVS, but don’t worry about buying the gold plated one with diamond bearings either. Find one that’s between 10 and 20 bucks with some weight to it. If you buy one that’s too light you’ll have trouble whipping it around because it just doesn’t have enough momentum from being so light. Any sporting good store, or even Target’s sporting good section should have one.
- Pick the right length: step right on the center of the rope and bring both handles up to our chest. The handles should be chest-high.
- Wear sneakers. Don’t jump rope barefoot…same issue as with jumping on concrete. Wear good sneakers, jump on a mat or carpet and you’ll be good to go.
- When you jump, keep your hands down by your waist and arms out to the side. Don’t swing your arms, the movement should be all in the wrist. Working on jumping really low to the ground rapidly. Try jumping one foot, try crossing your arms, try jumping forwards and backwards. More of a challenge? Try to jump and swing the rope around you twice before landing.
I’m a big fan of interval training, and I apply that to jumping rope as well. Try jumping as quickly as possible for 30 seconds followed by 90 seconds of relaxed jumping. Then do another 30 seconds of fast jumps and 90 seconds of slow jumps. Try to keep this up for 20 minutes and let me know how your calves feel the next morning.
I’d go into all the benefits of jumping rope but I’d just be wasting your time. It’s physical activity, and if you do it long enough you will lose weight (considering you have a decent diet). A guy weighing 180 lbs can burn 800 calories an hour with jumping rope. Personally I’d get bored way before an hour, but good for that guy! My recommendation: if your house is big enough, jump rope during a TV show (doing intervals) and you’ll be well on your way to elite status. Jump rope between sets at the gym and see if you can make it through a full workout. Build up your stamina, get coordinated, and burn fat.
Still not convinced? Well, Rocky Balboa jumps rope, and he single-handedly took on Communist Russia with his fists and WON. What more proof do you need! “If I can change, and you can change…then everybody can change!” If this doesn’t get you motivated, you’re dead to me:
If you’re looking to mix it up, go get yourself a jump rope and see what you’re missing.
DRAGOOOOOOOOOOOO!
-Steve
