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Jumping rope is the devil’s exercise. Or so went my initial thoughts.
Hopping up and down, stuck in place, while swinging a plastic whip haphazardly about your head and ankles, not only filled me with dread but seemed about as interesting as watching paint dry.
Running has been my main cardio for most of my adult life, and the jump rope was something I had left firmly behind in childhood.
But research has shown that regularly jumping rope can not only strengthen bones and improve balance, but offer an efficient cardio burst for a fraction of the time that jogging takes – and a fraction of the cost of expensive New York City workout classes.
So I decided to switch my daily runs for the dreaded jump rope to see what impact it would have on my health as a 32-year-old woman – and one with knees suffering from the impacts of years of volleyball and marathon training to boot.
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At the beginning of September, I turned to an expert for some advice on what to expect.
“There are a lot of parallels to running and jump roping in terms of the impact it has on you body,” Meghan Wieser, a Maryland doctor of physical therapy and strength coach, told me.
The mental focus required for both exercises is similar but where the practices differ are in the mechanics.
“I think there’s a lot more ankle and calf muscle complex with jump roping than with running,” Wieser added. “I think the forces kind of disperse themselves across the lower limbs a little bit better with running.”
She advised that I limit the number of jumps per session to mitigate injury risk by starting small and gradually building up over time.
After our phone call, I bought an LED rainbow jump rope online for $15, hoping the fluorescent colors would distract me from the task at hand.
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The following day, I put on tennis shoes, shorts, a sports bra and found the one spot in my apartment where I wouldn’t knock down the TV and picture frames.
Then, I gripped my jump rope handles for dear life, swung it over my head to my feet, and hopped over. I found the skill came back to me quickly, just like riding a bike – but without any of the actual enjoyable qualities of riding a bike. After 50 turns, I stopped. I wouldn’t be winning any world records but I was still incredibly out of breath.
I kept it up throughout September – mostly. I’ll admit to skipping a few days when my knees didn’t feel up to it.
My progress definitely wasn’t linear but my number of jumps slowly crept up.
By the time I was watching the moon rise above an inky October sky four weeks later, I had hit my stride. Blasting Kim Petras’ “RADIO” in my headphones, I was making it past 100 jumps in each workout. My personal best topped 200.
At the end of this monthlong journey, I’ve been left feeling steadier on my feet. That feeling may be backed up by research that has shown regularly jumping rope can improve balance and response time.
But maybe the best part of jumping rope is just how accessible it is. For people who don’t have a lot of time or money to go to the gym, this is an ideal activity. All you need is a little space.
And if you’re not a fan of running, then this work out will get your heart rate up in about a minute.
“There’s a lot of benefits to it,” Wieser told me. “Bone health, bone mineral density, cardiovascular-ly and explosivity.”
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If you want to try incorporating jump rope into your routine, Jason Moran, an exercise researcher at England’s University of Essex, explained that you should consider what you want out of the experience.
“Running is easier to sustain for longer periods due to its lower demand on coordination and it tends to come more naturally to most people. For that reason I’d probably recommend running first and foremost for cardiovascular health, endurance or fat loss purposes,” he wrote, in an email.
“On the other hand, the coordinative challenge of jump rope means there are additional benefits not necessarily conferred by running such as modest increases in upper and lower body strength, jumping ability and sprint speed,” Moran added.
When it comes to weight loss, jumping rope can torch more calories than running, depending on your level of fitness. After 10 minutes on the track, a runner may only burn 70 calories, while someone jumping rope can burn about 100 calories in the same time period, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
For beginners, Moran suggests jumping for 10-15 seconds before taking a breather, then gradually increasing the length of the sets.
But posture is just as important as repetition, Wieser also noted.
“I wouldn’t be floppy,” she said.
