Skipping is an absolutely fantastic exercise and a skipping rope is critical. Skipping is not just for young kids playing in school, many boxers use it in their training due to its great cardio and conditioning benefits.
Why is skipping a great exercise?
Skipping is a full body exercise and is a great way to burn calories and improve you cardiovascular system. The two main body parts use in skipping are:
- arms, and
- calves.
Both these areas need to work hard to keep you jumping and swinging the rope. Skipping is great to improve your muscular endurance especially in these two areas. This is because you are repetitive using the same muscles in the same movement for many repetitions. This allows your muscles to become really good at performing movements over time. It is also excellent for your cardio vascular system. Your heart and lungs need to work hard for a long time to keep your muscles stocked with oxygen and energy over long periods of exercise.
Skipping techniques
There are actually many skipping you can do to increase the difficulty and variety of your exercises. Some of these include:
- crossovers – these are great to improve your coordination. They involve crossing your arms over while the rope is over your head then you jump over the rope as it goes under then uncross your arms and repeat. Doing this will also look impressive to any onlookers.
- double-unders – a great variation on traditional skipping and heavily embraced by the crossfit community. These just involve swinging the skipping rope under you twice each jump. This requires excellent coordination and timing as well as conditioning to keep it up for many jumps.
What skipping rope should you get?
There are many skipping ropes on the market and predominantly they are the same. There is some variations on the materials used for the rope and the handles. Getting a good quality skipping rope will be more comfortable to use and be more durable. This one is a great option for beginners and advanced skippers alike. They also come in weighted version to further increase your arm conditioning efforts when skipping. Here is a great weighted option for those interested in trying a weight skipping rope. Due to skipping being a big part of boxing we have included it in our kit. Check it out if you are interested in boxing.