What’s the first thought that comes to mind when you hear talks about working out? Hit the gym, right? It’s not too uncommon. For most folks, getting fit or lean means sweating it out in the gym, lifting weights, and running several miles on the treadmill.
Then again, if you truly want to be active and stay fit, hitting the gym isn’t exactly the only way to go about it. Instead, you can simply get a jumping rope, find an open space, and gather up some motivation.
Do you think that’ll work? What are the benefits of jumping rope everyday? Today, we’ll talk about the basics of skipping and give you some helpful tips to follow to do this safely and effectively.
Benefits of Jumping Rope Everyday
Complicated and heavy pieces of equipment will not necessarily guarantee you your dream body. Instead, you can be closer to that goal by doing simple jumping rope exercises right from the comfort of your home.
Jumping rope to stay fit isn’t something new. In fact, some of the best athletes on the planet do this, as it is a great way to exercise the body. Whether you are skipping for flat stomach, more toned legs, even just as a warmup, there are several benefits of jumping rope regularly.
1. Benefits of Skipping Rope for Weight Loss
The benefits of skipping rope for weight loss is possibly the most common reason why people do this in the first place. Doing this every day is a phenomenal way to burn all those extra calories and shed some excess fat.
There has even been a study wherein scientists found that skipping to dance music can help you improve your BMI much more than a stationary cycle exercise.
You can achieve the equivalent of running an eight-minute mile and even burn approximately 1,300 calories in an hour by spending 10 minutes jumping rope with high intensity.
Of course, we do not recommend doing that, especially if you are just starting off exercising for the first time or after a long time. Take it as slow as possible to gradually build your stamina and eventually increase your intensity and duration.
2. Benefits of Skipping Rope for Height
The benefits of skipping rope for height is something every teenager can and should take advantage of. It is a known fact that skipping can help you become taller. But how is this possible?
Jumping rope is a heart-pumping activity. When you jump, you are basically alternating your legs by keeping one of them on the ground and the other away from it.
Furthermore, it is also a high-speed activity. As you jump, the ligaments and muscles in your body constantly stretch and contract. This causes them to be more elastic, which eventually leads them to stretch.
When you jump rope, your body tends to be completely erect, stretching the back muscles and the spine. Additionally, the constant bending of the knee causes the muscles to expand vertically.
Skipping adds to bone mass, too, by making them longer. All this is why you may end up getting a few inches taller by skipping regularly.
How Is This Possible?
For adults, skipping every day helps with weight loss and makes the body look slimmer. This slimmer appearance makes you look taller. Skipping doesn’t help adults grow taller, per se. What it does is help improve your posture, especially if you suffer from bad posture.
When you jump rope with proper form, you pull your shoulder blades back and align the spine. This helps improve your posture. And when you don’t slouch, you automatically look taller.
3. Benefits of Skipping for Flat Stomach
Only skipping for flat stomach may not necessarily be the right way to go. However, incorporating it along with other cardio exercises helps you achieve a flatter abdomen.
Jumping rope works your rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and outer and inner obliques. When you combine skipping with your cardio exercises, it will help you lose weight and burn calories, alongside helping you get a flatter tummy.
4. Benefits of Skipping for Coordination
Skipping is a brilliant exercise to improve your coordination. When you jump rope, you move your feet up and down in a very quick tapping motion.
This makes it particularly great for sports that need you to change directions constantly.
Athletes include skipping in their training for boxing, soccer, basketball, or any other type of sport that requires a ton of full-body coordination.
We are sure that some of you wonder how this is possible, considering how simple jumping rope looks. The simple act of repeatedly rotating the rope around the body while you skip at the exact moment for the rope to clear your feet will need your entire body to be in-sync for an extended period.
It takes a while and a ton of practice to find the right rhythm, so be sure to be patient and jump rope regularly.
5. Benefits of Skipping for Bone Density
One of the best exercises to increase your bone density can be as simple as skipping. If you are unsure how this is possible, consider this.
If your body is a building, the ankles and feet become the foundation. The bones are all the infrastructure, the columns, and the beams that keep the building from becoming a pile of rubble.
Bone density is a marker of bone health, and having strong bones would mean that they won’t break easily and you won’t be as susceptible to injuries.
The repetitive bouncing motion of skipping helps your bones in a manner that even other forms of cardio and lifting weights do not.
6. Benefits of Jumping Rope for Injury Recovery
Injured? If you suffer from physical trauma, skipping is the most basic and excellent form of exercise to recover from that injury.
The reason we recommend this particular exercise is that the action of jumping up and down with your body correctly aligned actually engages the whole body.
Along with that, there is an added benefit of jump rope being low impact. This means you also minimize any chance of an injury from reoccurring.
With that said, this may not necessarily apply to all types of injury. We recommend speaking to your doctor before you start any kind of exercise.
7. Benefits of Skipping for Boosting Intelligence
You may be thinking we’re nuts for saying this, but skipping can actually help boost your intelligence. Jumping rope helps in the development of the left and right hemispheres.
This, in turn, can further enhance spatial awareness, increase memory, improve reading skills, and even make you more mentally alert.
When you jump on the balls of your feet, it requires your mind and body to make more neural-muscular adjustments to the imbalances you experience from the continuous motion of jumping.
All this results in an improvement in dynamic balance and coordination, bone density, muscular endurance, and reflexes.
To sum it up, skipping benefits your brain by boosting intelligence because it has to work overtime to monitor your rhythm and full-body coordination.
8. Benefits of Skipping for Heart Health
One of the main reasons why several people end up doing cardio workouts instead of lifting weights is how straightforward and simple these exercises are. You can simply put on your sneakers and head out for a walk or run or perhaps grab your rope and start skipping.
Cardio exercises, like skipping, have a positive impact on the heart. This is the primary organ of our cardiovascular system, so you can say that our heart literally puts the cardio in our cardio workouts.
While other common cardio exercises such as jogging and walking do help in giving your heart a decent workout, skipping is unique. It is more efficient, but most importantly, it has a significantly lower risk of injury.
9. Benefits of Skipping for Glowing Skin
It is no secret that one way to get glowing skin is that you need to eat healthily and exercise regularly. While many of us can’t head to the gym amidst our busy schedules, that does not mean you should not be sweating it out at home with simple exercises.
We have covered how beneficial and convenient skipping is earlier, but did you know that it also helps you achieve great skin? Even spending no more than 15 minutes every day skipping will increase your blood circulation.
Better circulation means more nutrients are delivered to your skin, flushing out toxins in the process. This is why you may notice a glow on your face right after your workout.
Helpful Tips for Skipping
Given the countless benefits of skipping, you may be eager to pull the rope out of the storage and start jumping right away.
However, it would be best if you kept certain things in mind before you start doing so. This is to ensure you are not only doing it correctly but also avoiding any unnecessary injury.
1. Where should you jump rope?
Where you choose to jump rope is as important as the jumping rope itself. If you are jumping rope outdoors, we recommend avoiding doing so on concrete.
It can be quite harsh on your joints. Try jumping either on grass or on a softer tarmac.
For those planning to jump rope at home or indoors, you should completely avoid jumping on carpets. That could make the rope bounce, resulting in you twisting your ankle. Hardwood floors are a great surface to skip.
2. How long should you be jumping rope as a beginner?
Since skipping is a relatively simple form of cardio exercise, many people tend to jump for a long time. This can result in unnecessary injury or your body going sore, which might demotivate you to continue skipping.
As a beginner, we recommend jumping for no more than five minutes. In that five minutes, jump for 30 seconds straight and take a one-minute break. Continue after that short rest.
Eventually, as your body gets used to this exercise, you can increase the intensity and the time you spend doing it.
3. Can skipping reduce face fat?
Yes, you can reduce face fat by skipping regularly. However, know that it takes longer to lose face fat than body fat. Be patient and consistent with it to see the results you desire.
4. Does skipping reduce buttocks?
Skipping is a great way to lose weight because it involves working out all the major muscles in the body. This means that it can help tone and shape your buttocks as well as hips, thighs, and stomach. It also helps tone your arms, as you are continually moving the rope with your hands.
5. How long should I jump rope to lose weight?
To lose weight, you need to burn all those extra calories. The number you burn while skipping can depend on two factors: the intensity of the workout and your weight.
If you think of it, you will need to apply more energy while skipping as a heavier person. This will result in your burning off more calories in comparison to a lighter person. Additionally, with more intense skipping sessions, you can burn more calories and shed off more weight.
On average, you burn between 70 and 110 calories in a 10-minute skipping session, depending on your intensity level and weight. This means if you spend an hour only skipping, you stand to lose between 600 and 900 calories in a single session, making it a fantastic workout.
6. How long should my jump rope be?
To get the perfect jump rope size, you will need to stand exactly in the center of the rope with one foot. The ends of the rope, excluding the handle, should come up to about the center of your chest.
Skipping Your Way To a Healthier You
As you can see, there are a ton of benefits of jumping rope everyday, and understanding them can encourage you to get moving. Again, you should take things slow as a beginner. Give your body time to get used to this new exercise.
In time, you can pick up its intensity once you know you’re ready. We’re sure you will fall in love with the results and make this a routine in your life.
Thank you I really enjoyed your article on skipping.
My question: I have bad knees, not terrible but not great either – I tried running and loved it but one of my knees tracked off and I had to give up running, which I dearly miss. I wonder if I can incorporate this into my excercise regime? Will this help my knees i.e. strengthen them or even if entered into cautiously cause more harm than good?