Skipping, or “jump rope,” is an old school, but effective exercise you can do anywhere. It’s all about the rhythm, timing, and coordination. Whether you’re looking to lose weight, increase your cardiovascular health or simply burn some calories and have fun at the same time – skipping is for you.
On average, jumping rope burns approximately 10 calories a minute but the amount of calories you burn while skipping depends on your weight, age, skipping intensity and how long you skip for.
Factors Determining The Amount Of Calories Burnt
Calculating the amount of calories burnt while jumping rope is not an exact science, and there are many different factors that affect the amount of calories you burn while skipping.
Age: As you age, the intensity of your workouts falls off . A forty-year-old will burn fewer total calories during a workout than a twenty-year-old in the same time period.
Weight: Generally, the more weight you have, the more calories you burn when skipping. Larger participants tend to burn a little bit more than smaller people as their larger mass requires a greater amount of energy in order to move it.
Intensity: The more intense your footwork is, the more calories you burn when you jump rope. The faster you move your feet, the higher the amount of calories your body burns when skipping.
Duration: Generally, when you start jump roping regularly (at least 30 minutes or more), your body automatically adapts to the high number of calories your body burns.
How To Calculate Jump Rope Calories Burnt
To calculate the amount of calories you burn while skipping rope, use the following formula:
Calories burned per minute = (MET x body weight in Kg x 3.5) ÷ 200
*MET is short for Metabolic Equivalent (a standard measure of energy expenditure), and is expressed in calories.
Use the Follwing MET according to your intensity
| MET | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 12.3 | Fast pace, 120-160 skips/min |
| 11.8 | Moderate pace, 100-120 skips/min, general, 2-foot skip, plain bounce |
| 8.8 | Slow pace, < 100 skips/min, 2-foot skip, rhythm bounce |
How To Burn More Calories In Rope Skipping?
To increase the amount of calories burnt during skipping try the following:
- Increase the intensity of your footwork by increasing the number of skips for a given period of time.
- Vary your footwork and rhythm – hop on your left foot instead of your right, skip over both ropes, double-skip, etc
- Skip with a partner – this way you can synchronize footwork and rhythm and increase the intensity even more.
- Use a weighted Rope – this will increase the intensity of your rope skipping and make it more challenging.
The Benefits Of Jump Rope
The main benefit of jump rope is the cardio workout jump roping gives your body. Jumping rope is a great cardiovascular exercise that will build up your endurance and keep your heart healthy.
A strong cardiovascular system means that you’re able to get enough oxygen to the rest of your body when doing strenuous work, like running, jumping, lifting and others.
- Burning Calories: As mentioned above, jumping rope burns approximately 10 calories per minute if you are jumping fast. This alone makes it an effective exercise for burning calories and losing weight.
- Improving Cardiovascular Endurance: After jumping rope you build up an important skill called cardiovascular endurance, which is how much more you can continue to do cardiovascular exercise until you are completely exhausted.
- Building Muscle Tone: Skipping rope is a great way to tone your muscles. This can be done by skipping in place or walking while skipping and jumping on your rope. These types of exercise help build several muscles at the same time due to the amount of weight that is being moved throughout the body.
Rope Jump Tips
- Don’t forget to breathe, and keep your eyes on the ball.
- Concentrate on your rhythm: this will help you get in sync with the beat of the music. You don’t want to lose timing or skip too high or too low.
- Keep your arms at a 90 degree angle.
- Practice and perfect your form: this will be better for you in the long run.
- Get creative: come up with your own dance moves! Jumps can be for great fun and you can have the most fun doing it by yourself!
- Try different songs, jumps, and skips to keep things interesting.
Conclusion
The benefits of jumping rope are endless. If you are looking for a way to lose weight and increase your cardio endurance, then skipping rope is the workout for you. The best part is that it is inexpensive, easy to find and can be done almost anywhere at any time. Just start out slowly and stay focused on your form – avoid using your arms as much as possible.
This will help you build up a stronger cardiovascular system and tone your muscles without putting too much stress on them during the beginning stages of your jumping rope work out.
You will burn more calories and lose more weight over time as you continue to jump rope. With a strong cardiovascular system and lean muscle tone you will see great improvements in your overall health, which will make you feel good about yourself.
