{"id":1288,"date":"2017-06-21T18:37:00","date_gmt":"2017-06-22T00:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yogapantsdiary.com\/?p=1288"},"modified":"2017-07-12T14:37:54","modified_gmt":"2017-07-12T20:37:54","slug":"favorite-exercise-1-jump-rope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogapantsdiary.com\/?p=1288","title":{"rendered":"Favorite Exercise #1: Jump Rope"},"content":{"rendered":"

In elementary school we ran a fundraiser every year called Jump Rope for Heart. \u00a0You had to get sponsors and jump rope for so many minutes in gym class each day. \u00a0I also remember not being very good at it, as I was most sports. I lacked the coordination and cardio strength to be successful at jump rope. \u00a0This left me feeling like a failure, unfit and added to my self doubt. \u00a0As a child, I always blamed myself for not being able to do certain movements in gym class or at sports practice. \u00a0Now that I am studying fitness training and how programs should progress, I realize how unprepared I was for many of the movements that they expected us to be able to do. \u00a0Did we jump rope each day for just a few minutes before being asked to do it for 20? No. \u00a0Did we do supportive strength exercise for the muscles needed to jump rope? No. \u00a0Did we do cardio regularly? Maybe 5 minutes to start each class. \u00a0The problem was in the program, not the exercise.<\/p>\n

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Now I love to Jump Rope. \u00a0I use jump rope as my cardio in a circuit before anything else. \u00a0I love to jump rope and I recently learned to do Double Unders. (Two rotations of the rope in one jump) Here’s some benefits to jumping rope:<\/p>\n

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  1. \u00a0It’s super cheap!<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0 You can find speed or regular jump ropes on Amazon for $5-$8 that will actually last for a while and start you on your path of jumping rope. \u00a0You don’t even have to buy one when you’re starting. (See Invisible Rope below!)<\/li>\n
  2. \u00a0It’s portable!<\/span> <\/strong>\u00a0You can literally jump rope anywhere and everywhere. \u00a0I used to have a jump rope in my office for quick cardio bursts. \u00a0I have a jump rope with me almost everywhere I go. \u00a0It’s so easy to get in a few quick minutes.<\/li>\n
  3. It’s a HIGH calorie burner!\u00a0<\/strong>Jumping rope is one of the only activities that burns calories as quickly as running, without actually having to run. 10-16 calories a minute!\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Good for the Brain!\u00a0<\/strong>Jumping rope is great for the brain because it demands both physical and mental focus. \u00a0In order to do it correctly, so many systems need to work together. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Agility!\u00a0<\/strong>One of the typical mental images of jumping rope is a boxer. \u00a0The reason for this is because boxer’s jump rope for the foot strength and agility on the balls of their feet. \u00a0Always jump rope on the ball of your feet!\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Bone Density!\u00a0<\/strong>Most people would be surprised to hear that jumping rope is better for your joints than running because the shock is absorbed by both legs instead of one at a time. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Source Article: 6 Surprising Benefits of Jumping Rope<\/a><\/p>\n

    While I’ve been jumping rope for a few years now, I tried to go back and think about how I really learned. \u00a0Hopefully this helps a few of you be more successful:<\/p>\n

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    1. \u00a0Just get your feet moving: Sometimes starting with a rope just hurts. \u00a0If you are hitting yourself every few jumps, you’re never going to want to continue. \u00a0If you have fear of the rope, it could even get worse. \u00a0Jump rope with an “Invisible Rope” first. \u00a0Jump to the beat of the song.<\/li>\n
    2. Watch yourself in a mirror: Now, watching yourself jump rope can be quite shocking if you have as many ‘nonfirm parts’ as I do. \ud83d\ude42 \u00a0Just watch your feet. \u00a0If you are jumping with the invisible rope from step 1, make sure both feet are off the ground at the same time BEFORE adding the rope.<\/li>\n
    3. Rope Progression: Start with a softer rope, even one of the beaded ‘playground’ ropes. \u00a0DO NOT get one that is so soft that it holds NO shape when you are jumping. \u00a0(Even though they are usually super cute and brite) Work your way to a wire or thin speed rope to do more complicated jumps. \u00a0As you learn to jump rope, you’ll learn what you like in a jump rope. \u00a0If the rope is messing you up after you’ve been practicing a while, it could be the rope. \ud83d\ude42 Length of rope is also important. \u00a0To measure, stand on the rope and the handles should meet your armpits. \u00a0Some ropes are child length and some are for giants. \u00a0It makes a big difference.<\/li>\n
    4. Exercise those muscles: Jump Rope uses all of your leg muscles and even into your glute. (Duh!) Any additional leg strength exercises that you can do are going to benefit your jumping rope. \u00a0Calf raises, lunges, squats, deadlifts…..it’s all good!<\/li>\n
    5. Time: I started with a timer for jumping intervals. \u00a0At first I could go for a minute and eventually two. \u00a0The more I tried, the better I got. \u00a0You can see yourself improving with this exercise easily. \u00a0Now I count my jumps because I find it keeps me more accountable. \u00a0Now, if I use a timer, I’ll just slowly jump. \u00a0But if I give myself a number, I’ll try to get it done ASAP! \u00a0A typical AMRAP or Circuit for me these days has 200 single jumps and 20 double unders each round.<\/li>\n
    6. Keep Trying! \u00a0Don’t let more than a few days pass before practicing again! \u00a0With jump rope, muscle memory is key, so just keep trying. \u00a0I think you’ll get addicted pretty quick! \u00a0Get that heart pumping!<\/li>\n
    7. Form is really everything:\n
        \n
      1. RELAX! \u00a0When you are jumping rope, relax everything as much as you can. \u00a0This includes: knees, hips, calves, shoulders and especially neck. \u00a0Keep your body aligned but relaxed.<\/li>\n
      2. Jump Up and Down: I know how this sounds but what I mean is, jump in the same exact place each time. \u00a0If you are finding yourself moving forward or backward, your body isn’t aligned. \u00a0This can lead to knee and hip pain. \u00a0Until you are more advanced, you may lack the proper ankle and foot strength to do fancy jumps.<\/li>\n
      3. Don’t jump so high: Half the time I see new ropers, they are jumping 18 inches in the air! \u00a0You literally need just a few inches for the rope to pass below you. \u00a0The more force you use to jump up, the more force you put on your joints when you return to absorb the jump and reload for the next. \u00a0Also, a higher jump takes more time. \u00a0The closer you remain to the earth while you’re jumping rope, the faster you will become and the healthier your joints will be.<\/li>\n
      4. Shhhhhhh! \u00a0You should listen to yourself jumping rope just like you watch your feet. \u00a0If you sound like a herd of elephants, your putting an elephant’s worth of force on your joints. \u00a0If you sound like a mouse……duh. \u00a0Try to make as little sound as possible when you’re jumping rope. \u00a0This keeps your joints light and your form in check. \u00a0Aways jump on the pads of your feet. \u00a0Not your toes. \u00a0Not your heels. \u00a0Trust me.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

         <\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        In elementary school we ran a fundraiser every year called Jump Rope for Heart. \u00a0You had to get sponsors and jump rope for so many minutes in gym class each day. \u00a0I also remember not being very good at it, as I was most sports. I lacked the coordination and cardio strength to be successful … <\/p>\n

        Continue reading “Favorite Exercise #1: Jump Rope”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fitness"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4PFDd-kM","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogapantsdiary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogapantsdiary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogapantsdiary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogapantsdiary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogapantsdiary.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1288"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/yogapantsdiary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1288\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1292,"href":"https:\/\/yogapantsdiary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1288\/revisions\/1292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogapantsdiary.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogapantsdiary.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogapantsdiary.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}