If you’re like many people today, your day is full of responsibilities. Going to work or school, attending to your family and home, finding time for friends and—if you’re lucky—finding a few minutes at the end of the day to take care of yourself. It seems the one thing that you don’t have enough of in your day, is time! And with all that’s going on in your life, we understand that it’s sometimes difficult to find time for a workout. But not to worry. Getting in a good workout doesn’t always require giving up an hour or two. In fact, there are some exercises that are so efficient, you can burn up to 135 calories in just ten minutes of activity. And one of those exercises is jumping rope.
Forget the myth that jumping rope is for school girls on the playground, the fact is, jumping rope is one of the most intense, effective, inexpensive, quick and portable forms of cardiovascular exercise you can do. Practiced by many different types of athletes and endorsed by many different types of trainers, including those at Train With Corey–jumping rope not only burns fat, it also sculpts your shoulders, chest, arms, abs and legs. And did we mention that it burns fat? Jumping at a steady pace can help you burn 800 to 1000 calories in an hour. Who’s the school girl now?
Here’s how you do it:
Jumping rope is easy. You probably don’t need a lesson on the actual mechanics of it, but just in case…with feet shoulder length apart, jump one to two inches off floor, giving rope just enough space to slip under feet, while swinging the rope from your wrists and forearms, not your shoulders. Be sure to work with a rope that fits your body—test this by placing one foot in the center of the rope and lifting the handles to your sides. They should come to just under your armpits.
To get the most out of your ten minute workout, try following these tips. Of course, if you’re just getting started, be sure to work at your own pace a gradually increase you speed, and if you can, your time.
- For the first minute (1), warm up by grasping both handles in both hands in front of your body, and trace a sideways figure eight, moving from your right shoulder to left hip, then left shoulder to right hip, while shifting your weight from your right to left foot as you move.
- For the next two minutes (1-3) jump rope normally with your feet together, taking one jump per rope turn.
- For the next minute (3-4) with your feet together, jump forward 6 inches—on the next turn/jump, jump 6 back inches. Repeat for the full minute.
- For the next two minutes (4-6) jump rope normally with your feet together, taking one jump per rope turn.
- For the next minute (6-7) with your feet together, jump left 6 inches—on the next turn/jump, jump right 6 inches. Repeat for the full minute.
- For the next minute (7-8) jump over the rope and land with your feet wider than hip-width apart—on the next turn/jump, land with your feet together. Repeat for the full minute.
- For the next minute (8-9), run in place while turning the rope. The rope should pass under one foot at a time.
- For the last minute (9-10) repeat the figures eights, performed in the first minute, to cool down.
