Here’s a fun fact: Muhammed Ali never touched a single weight. Can you believe that? One of history’s most explosive athletes never touched the squat rack…never maxed out his bench press…..and never even slipped in “curls for the girls.” Some of us probably haven’t picked up a Jump Rope since we were forced to participate in “Jump Rope for Heart” during fourth grade. If you’re not supplementing a jump rope routine into your workouts, you’re making a big mistake.
For about 20 minutes, everyday, Cassius Clay trained on the jump rope. If you’re looking to break up the monotony of your weekly routine, here are 8 reasons why you should give a jump rope a whirl.
8 Reasons Why You Need to Start Jumping Rope
1) It’s not boring- Jumping rope is like throwing a party-for-one at the gym. If you’re a runner, putting in a lot of miles can quickly become a huge drag. Try supplementing a jump rope routine into your workouts twice per week. Less than 10 minutes on the rope ultimately equates to about 20 minutes spent jogging. You can also pop in your headphones and jump to the beat of your favorite jam. (Try this tune for a five minute warm up (NSFW) – Kendrick Lamar)
“Sweetness” Walter Payton swore by his jump rope routine
2) Convenience- You can store one of the greatest pieces of exercise equipment ever created in your briefcase or gym bag. You can jump rope anywhere- your driveway, your basement, the garage, or maybe even next to that hot girl at the gym (better make sure you don’t suck at it though). You can even take it with you on vacation.
“Hey, look at that guy jumping rope. I bet he has nice calves. Wonder if he’d go out with me?”
3) Fat Burning Pyromania- Jumping rope is like cardio on steroids. If you’re looking to get your heart rate up and shed calories in a hurry, it only takes about ten minutes with a jump rope. According to research, jumping rope for ten minutes is equivalent to performing these exercises:
- Playing tennis for 90 minutes
- Jogging for 30 minutes at a moderate pace
- Swimming 720 yards in 30 minutes
- Cycling 2 miles in 6 minutes
- Playing racquetball for 20 minutes
4) CHEAPNESS– You can find a durable, gets-the-job-done, jump rope at Wal-Mart for $2.57. That’s right, you can completely change your body for less than cost of that Pumpkin Spice Latte you had to buy your girl at Starbucks.
5) It will turn you into Reggie Bush- Ok, maybe not, but jumping rope provides a full body workout that improves agility, speed, quickness, and muscle tone. Jumping rope also engages your abdominal muscles, and aids in bone density development. If you’re looking to become a more explosive athlete, the jump rope works your fast-twitch muscle fibers, and trains your nervous system to better control the muscles related to balance, coordination, and agility. Hell, after a few weeks you might even be juking defenders for touchdowns, or doing push ups with Kim Kardashian on your back.
Reggie Bush jumps rope, too. I Swear.
6) Low Impact- Compared to running, jumping rope significantly lessens the impact on your joints. The impact of each jump is absorbed by both legs.
7) It quickly warms your body- There is nothing worse than trudging through a boring warm up at the gym. If you’re getting old, and it’s taking you more time to get your body warm, look no further than the jump rope. A 5 minute warm up with a rope loosens your arms and legs, raises your heart rate, and burns nearly 100 calories. Most importantly, your body becomes warm, your circulation starts to flow, and you’re ready to start beating on your muscles.
8) It will make you a better dancer- The rhythmic nature associated with jumping rope trains your muscles to react much more rapidly. Basically, your muscles will be trained to react quicker to what your brain is asking them to do. It’s highly unlikely that your jump rope routine will turn you into Chris Brown, but you can count on feeling more in tune with your body on the dance floor.
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” – Muhammed Ali, the greatest that ever dun-it
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