Anybody have success jumping rope?

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I have hit a plateau recently and need to step it up by adding some cardio which I have yet to do because I have yet to find a fitness routine that works for me. I do know that I prefer to work out at home and unseen so I just ordered a jump rope on Amazon and am hoping to find some success with that and don't worry I do plan on incorporating strength training as well. Who doesn't love jumping rope!? Has anyone had success with jumping rope? Are than any other jump roper's out there or jump rope beginners who might be interested in doing some kind of a 30 day challenge?

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  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
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    I have used jump rope as part of my fitness routine in the past. Your heart rate jumps up pretty quickly. Excellent when you want to burn calories in a short amount of time. Not that excellent when you aren't fit because you can't last for long. Although I guess intervals would be an option.

    Breaking through a plateau is a whole other discussion. Be patient. And if six weeks go by, increase your deficit.
  • ObsidianMist
    ObsidianMist Posts: 519 Member
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    I went through a jump rope phase. I felt like I tripped on it a lot though. and I was too self conscious to do it in public so I just did it in my living room lol. pretty sure I hit the ceiling with the rope a lot. probably pissed off my upstairs neighbours. it certainly gets the heart rate going though, if you're reasonably good at it.
  • mike_bold
    mike_bold Posts: 140 Member
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    yes jumping rope is awesome! Took me 1- 2 months before I could go for a few minutes without stopping, takes a while to get the coordination. Start slow, your calves will be punished in the beginning, but stick at it. Now I tack on a continuous 10 mins after weights.
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
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    I tend to trip every time, so no, not very successful
  • ltworide
    ltworide Posts: 342 Member
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    I love skipping, sometimes use it as a warm up, other times as part of a circuit & other times do it after I'm finished weight lifting as a finisher.

    As said start slow & build up your aerobic endurance & look for good technique: stay on balls of your feet, good posture, shoulders down and back, turn rope using a small wrist movement, you shouldn't jump more than 1/4-1/2 inch off the floor unless it's a power jump or double under& watch arms don't travel too far from your side.

    Rope length ideally if you step on it with 1 foot in the middle should be between chest and shoulder height, shoulder height will be easier to use to start with.
  • mohanj
    mohanj Posts: 381 Member
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    In the past, I used jump rope as my only exercise and lost lot of weight. Now also I love to do but I can't because of my age and especially arthritis in my knees.
  • dxtra30
    dxtra30 Posts: 498 Member
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    bckystoltz wrote: »
    I have hit a plateau recently and need to step it up by adding some cardio which I have yet to do because I have yet to find a fitness routine that works for me. I do know that I prefer to work out at home and unseen so I just ordered a jump rope on Amazon and am hoping to find some success with that and don't worry I do plan on incorporating strength training as well. Who doesn't love jumping rope!? Has anyone had success with jumping rope? Are than any other jump roper's out there or jump rope beginners who might be interested in doing some kind of a 30 day challenge?

    Which one did you order? Any success with it?
  • ashleyylo
    ashleyylo Posts: 101 Member
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    I enjoy jumping rope. It's fun to see your progress in how many skips per minute or how many skips until you trip up.

    If you haven't skipped in a while, don't be discouraged if you are tripping a lot at first--it takes a while to get the hang of it. Slowly your endurance will build up and you will get better and faster without tripping as often.

    Have fun with it! Try double leg skips, single legs, butt kicks, etc. there are ways to make it interesting.
  • Khannie_N
    Khannie_N Posts: 4 Member
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    I ordered this one from Amazon (and at a higher price grr)
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R6SSHL8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00

    I'm really happy with it. It takes a while to build up stamina but it's so worth the calorie burn. I use it as part of my warm up and cool down if I'm doing strength training right now... I hope to do it as a singular exercise soon but I'm not there yet.
  • rhea2494
    rhea2494 Posts: 6 Member
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    I used to hate jump rope with a passion. It always amazed me how much easier it was when I was younger. It took me roughly a year of off/on jumping to finally be able to jump successfully for about 1-2min straight. Now I love it. I try to incorporate it every chance I get. It gets mean and intense when it is combined with an ab routine. Best wishes on breaking your plateau. I can totally relate!
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    Jumping rope is a great exercise, but if you hit a plateau—a true plateau of several weeks, not just a week or two when the scale doesn't change due to water retention—it's because you're eating at maintenance, because you're eating more than you think, moving less than you think, or a combination. Exercise is good for health, fitness, and a general sense of well-being, but by itself it won't lead to weight loss. (I bicycled 2500 miles in 2012 and gained 10 pounds.)
  • wendyphd
    wendyphd Posts: 12 Member
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    rhea2494 wrote: »
    I used to hate jump rope with a passion. It always amazed me how much easier it was when I was younger. It took me roughly a year of off/on jumping to finally be able to jump successfully for about 1-2min straight. Now I love it. I try to incorporate it every chance I get. It gets mean and intense when it is combined with an ab routine. Best wishes on breaking your plateau. I can totally relate!

    Do you still jump rope?
  • GaryRuns
    GaryRuns Posts: 508 Member
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    That brings back a memory...

    I've been taking a circuit class at my gym for about a year. Lunges, burpees, pushups, high knees, etc. This one instructor decided to throw in some jump rope. I hadn't even touched a jump rope since I was a kid, and it showed. You know when you start jumping rope as a kid you have that little extra jump in there? That's how I had to do it. It was hilarious. Well, for the other people in the class it was hilarious. LOL.

    It's a great workout, but it is more of a HIIT activity until you learn to do it well and get in sufficient shape to keep it going for longer than a couple of minutes.
  • CLessMe
    CLessMe Posts: 21 Member
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    Just pretend you're Rocky Balboa