Rope jumping is a total body exercise that leads to a wide range of fitness, health, and psychological benefits. The magnitude of these benefits is determined in part by such variables as rope jumping volume, frequency, and intensity. The major benefits include improved coordination, agility, cardiorespiratory endurance, speed, strength (especially of the calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, pectorals, deltoids, latissimus dorsi, biceps, and abdominals), timing, body composition (see above for details on caloric expenditure), and bone density (exercise which involves impact is essential for making—and keeping—our bones strong).

From our experience, most beginners do best with a 5mm PVC rope with short-to-medium handles (i.e., around 5-6 inches). Such a rope, which typically weighs about 4 ounces, provides a reasonable amount of sensory feedback and is relatively easy to control. Those who really struggle with the timing and coordination of turning a rope may do better with a beaded rope or with a slightly heavier PVC rope in the 8-ounce range. We’ve also worked with some students who initially do better with a heavy rope in the 1-pound range.

Your grip is your only point of contact with your jump rope and has profound consequences for how successful you'll be as a rope jumper. While to some extent grip is a matter of personal preference, we're confident that the tips below will be useful.

1) Grip the handles lightly, but firmly enough that they won't fly out of your hands. There's no need to "white knuckle" the handles. Gripping them like your life depends on it will create unnecessary tension and lead to premature fatigue.

2) Grip your handles with your thumb on top and then wrap your other fingers around the handles. It's a bit like shaking hands with the handles.

3) Your thumb should rest about halfway down the handle. If you position it at the bottom of the handle you tend to lose control and power.

4) Some jumpers like to keep their index finger extended (see below) to help with controlling the turn and to generate additional power.

5) If your hands sweat profusely consider wrapping your handles in athletic tape or duct tape. You can also sprinkle your hands and handles with talcum powder.

Thankfully, we can definitely say not 10,000 hours! On average, with the guidance of a good coach, an absolute beginner can pick up the basics in less than an hour. That means turning the rope over one’s head and jumping over the rope a few times without tripping. Within a few weeks of practice, a beginner can typically complete 20-50 jumps in a row without missing. And it’s not unreasonable for a beginner to be performing crosses and double unders within three to six months of starting to jump, provided they practice sufficiently and follow their coach’s guidance. Optimal practice time varies, but we advise beginners spend about 15 minutes every other day attempting continuous jumps for short intervals (10-30 seconds).

The goal of your jump rope warm-up is to:

1) mobilize the joints that will most come into play while jumping rope
2) elevate your heart rate
3) increase blood flow to the muscles
4) improve performance by preparing the mind for the movements to come
5) prevent injury by preparing the body for the more intense work to follow. Your warm-up should last at least four minutes.

Our standard warm-up includes the following movements: wood chops, empty coat sleeves, shoulder rolls, adductor mobilizations, the waiter’s bow, cross crawl, butt kicks, high knees, shadow jumping, and fast feet.

VIP Body Transformation specializes in high-level coaching for Adults Over 30 who are seeking a reduction in belly fat, decrease in weight, and making healthy-habits into a lifestyle.

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