Maximum Weight for Skipping Rope?

hawkeye45_
hawkeye45_ Posts: 812 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi y'all! I'm looking at the future for things to add to my repertoire once I hit a plateau, and skipping rope has caught my eye due to the low cost of entry. Is there a maximum weight you might suggest to lower the impact on my knees? I'm already up to jogging (only for 12 seconds at a time with two minutes of rest between rounds), and I really like not having debilitating knee pain.

For info, I'm 325.2 lbs/147.5 kg, and the majority of that is centrally located.

Replies

  • JintheSouth
    JintheSouth Posts: 44 Member
    I’ve never heard of a maximum weight for jumping rope. I think you should approach it as you do your jogging-do a little at a time but build upon it. Do 12 seconds today, 15 the next day and so on as long as your knees are comfortable.
    Jump rope dudes on YouTube have some really good videos on getting started, form and technique, etc. I suggest you check them out.
    Hope this helps.
  • hawkeye45_
    hawkeye45_ Posts: 812 Member
    JintheSouth wrote: »
    I’ve never heard of a maximum weight for jumping rope. I think you should approach it as you do your jogging-do a little at a time but build upon it. Do 12 seconds today, 15 the next day and so on as long as your knees are comfortable.
    Jump rope dudes on YouTube have some really good videos on getting started, form and technique, etc. I suggest you check them out.
    Hope this helps.

    Thank you!
  • Onedaywriter
    Onedaywriter Posts: 326 Member
    I did it at about 300 and no problems. My lack of coordination is what kept me from going to fast and hard anyway but if you’re good at it maybe take it slow in the beginning. Singles understand only
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    JintheSouth wrote: »
    I’ve never heard of a maximum weight for jumping rope. I think you should approach it as you do your jogging-do a little at a time but build upon it. Do 12 seconds today, 15 the next day and so on as long as your knees are comfortable.
    Jump rope dudes on YouTube have some really good videos on getting started, form and technique, etc. I suggest you check them out.
    Hope this helps.

    I'll co sign this though I would add I would look at activities as a whole and prioritize your goal(s).

    Meaning your body can adapt and recover from so much stress applied to it. Meaning if your goal of the week is to run for 20 second at a time, we want to make sure our "jumping" doesn't effect that goal.

    This where good load management comes into play.

    So starting out slow with goals your body is adapted to and adding appropriate load management(for jumping: frequency and time performing) would be a great idea to allow us to recover for our next session.
  • rldeclercq4
    rldeclercq4 Posts: 269 Member
    I started making a regular part of my workout routine around 250 lbs (started at 370) and haven’t had issues. But as with running or any other exercise, try it out, start slow and do it to your comfort level and as long as you enjoy and it doesn’t hurt your too much physically then keep going and you’ll be able to do more and more. I do like it, as it’s a great way to keep your heart rate up for a sustained period of time
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    I would guess it depends on your overall activity and fitness. If you are not e.g. in the habit of walking or jogging,jumping does not sound like a good idea, but if you are already active, you can slowly increase the intensity. Just start slow, short intervals, and see how it goes. If there is any pain, stop. I suspect that age and past physical activity might have more to do with this than weight.
  • katarina005
    katarina005 Posts: 259 Member
    I think it depends on what feels comfortable for you. I love it! There's a community on facebook you can check it out, people can help
  • cait16
    cait16 Posts: 1 Member
    I use skipping as a warm up to my workouts with my trainer. Some advice from him on skipping (in addition to all the recommendations to start slow):
    1. You don't need to jump high - just enough to get over the rope which is only millimetres tall
    2. Knees should stay bent and not locked to help absorb impact
    3. Stay on the balls of your feet as much as possible to also reduce impact through the heel and into the shin
    4. You can vary the type of jump to work different areas of muscle in the legs (when you get more comfortable) examples include: front to back "bell hops", side to side "ski jumps", criss-cross, hopping on one leg, wide-to-narrow "jacks"

    Hope that helps :)
  • AliNouveau
    AliNouveau Posts: 36,287 Member
    I'd say try it and see if you can.
    Btw skipping is hard work. I did this with my son for "gym" class the other day. It's amazing how much of a workout it is and if you happen to have a shoulder that might have been injured and repaired in the past year you'll certainly feel it after
  • Samtyldesley58
    Samtyldesley58 Posts: 15 Member
    Hi, I have down loaded an app I think from playstore which is called jump rope which has different routines you can try, but I have also started a month challenge which is 5 mins ( I split it in to 2 x 2.30 mins) a day for 5 days you increase it by 1 min per day for 30 days. It is hard work to do 2.30 mins. It may be worth trying it out.
  • MidlifeCrisisFitness
    MidlifeCrisisFitness Posts: 1,106 Member
    I love jump rope. Used it for that last 4 years as my cardio. Running destroys my knees as I'm a heel striker. Jump Rope forces me to stay on the balls of my feet.

    Therefore it is better for my knees. BUT it uses different muscles. If you are just starting out try 30 seconds jumping 60 seconds rest. Try to get 5 min jumping as a session in. The next day if your Calves or shins are burning take one day off and then go again. If not keep going daily. After about a month increase to 60 seconds jumping and 60 rest. You want to built to 3 minutes so you can begin jumping to your favourite tunes. Then it's awesome!

    Jump Rope Dudes are the best!

    Get a jump matt, a decent rope and enjoy learning.

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