Any women over 50 that jump rope for exercise?

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pita7317
pita7317 Posts: 1,437 Member
I am going to try tomorrow for first time in 44 years.
Any tips or helpful hints for a newbie ?
Hoping for 5 minutes on my first attempt.
Thanks.

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  • Paindoesnthurt
    Paindoesnthurt Posts: 51 Member
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    I'm not 50 nor am I a woman but I will tell you jump rope is one of the finest peices of training equipment there is. My best advice is to stick with it and get the technique right first though. You won't get a big cardiovascular benefit in the beginning due to you fumbling a bit but it's easy to pick up. Also train on soft surfaces if possible. Don't get one of those weighted jump ropes, rather get a speed rope and get a rope that is perfect for your height or adjust it to your height. To see if it is right for you, put one foot on the center of the rope, grab both handles and if the handles are up to your arm pits great, if it's beyond that, it might be too long for you.

    To adjust just tie a knot. You can cut it if you want but I don't want you to make a mistake and waste the $5 you spend (which by the way is all you should pay for a jump rope and not more. If you do, it's a rip off).

    Start with trying to only use your wrists to turn the jump rope, and "hopping" with the balls of your foot (which is jumping but none of those big massive leaps with your knees back. If you do this, you'll have wear and tear with your knees).

    Here's some milestones for you to achieve so you can move on to getting it fancy with intervals and mixing it up with exercises:
    1. Do 100 skips non stop without a break (this will tell you that you at least got the technique down)
    2. Do 500 skips non stop (this will tell you that you got the technique and the required endurance to mix it up a little bit)

    When you can do those two mile stones you can start trying to jump rope with one foot at a time and doing basic moves like running on the spot and if you want, criss cross. When that becomes easy you simply jump rope faster, and if that becomes easy too, you can do different moves and mix it up with bodyweight calisthenics

    If anyone's interested in a killer jump rope workout try this one:
    100 skips as fast as possible
    10 burpees (with push up and jump)
    Repeat for 10 minutes

    You get the drift. If you want any more tips just PM me and add me as a friend :)
  • pita7317
    pita7317 Posts: 1,437 Member
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    Thank you so much for your input !
    Very helpful.
    I did watch a YouTube video today on how to jump rope correctly.
    I am not a "go to the gym person" and thought this might be an answer to treadmill boredom.
    Looking forward to see how it goes, try # 1.
    Makes me smile thinking about the good ole days, double Dutch ? Two jump ropes at the same time ?
  • pita7317
    pita7317 Posts: 1,437 Member
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    Golds gym jump rope Walmart. Under $3.
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
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    Awesome, that is cheaper then I got my rope.

    I am under 50, but I jump rope. I started this month.
  • pita7317
    pita7317 Posts: 1,437 Member
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    and ? how did it go ?
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
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    Good so far.

    I have not done any sustained jumping yet. I jump as a warm up and in between sets of weightlifting.
    so only about 30 seconds or so at a time.
  • Paindoesnthurt
    Paindoesnthurt Posts: 51 Member
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    Pita, I am not a gym person either, and it takes a rare individual to love going on the treadmil. Personally I hate it, and I don't like jogging for extended periods of time either. Other good ways to cure boredom is "road work" as in, if you jog, you can add in exercises such as push ups every few hundred meters such as 10 pushups, 10 second sprints then jog when rested etc.

    Another good one is sprinting! Have a good workout that'll burn the fat right off you with half the time you'd spend jogging. Plus sprinting to me is more enjoyable, especially if you be creative with it

    Have fun with the jump rope though! There's always fun ways to train with it!

    PS: $3 is a good price! You'd probably want to tape where the rope turns so you can make it more durable
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I am a 52 yo woman and I occasionally jump rope, though it's not my most frequent exercise. I do quite a bit of cardio (hiking, Zumba, Turbo Fire, and step aerobics mostly) and strength training (weights and body weight) 3 times a week. It took me weeks to be able to do 5 straight minutes of jumping rope.

    It is so much harder than when I was a kid. Harder to keep it up, and harder not to trip. My lungs and my coordination have apparently not aged well. :grumble:

    It is, however, excellent exercise, both aerobically and for bone health.

    Good Luck!! :flowerforyou:
  • pita7317
    pita7317 Posts: 1,437 Member
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    I agree on how much harder it is now ! Wow.
    Going to take me "weeks" as well.
    Going to purchase a heavier, regular rope.
    The one I have is not heavier than a few strands of yarn.
    Not at all what I remember.
  • DennisParker
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    The tips given by Paindoesnthur were really useful Keep posting more useful tips
  • Bluizflame
    Bluizflame Posts: 151 Member
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    i jump rope on occasion. i use to LOVE jump rope when i was a kid. Did double dutch and all that sort of fancy stuff! Now, my boobs bounce, and after 2 kids i have to wear a pad because pee myself once in awhile if i had a lot of water earlier lol