Picture this: you’re seven, running around the school yard — playing hopscotch, double dutch, jacks, and red rover. Ok, maybe that wasn’t your childhood — maybe that hasn’t been anyone’s childhood in 50 years — the point is that one of those innocent kids’ games actually holds the key to some major adult fitness. We’re talking, of course, about jumping rope!

It’s amazing that one simple exercise can do so much — the benefits of jumping rope are many, and we’re gonna be talking about that in a bit. But first, let’s get into some different ways to jump rope to get you started off on the right foot, so to speak.

Different Jump Rope Exercises

Basic Jump: Nothing much to see here, just your basic up-down-up-down.

Alternate Foot Jump: Bump things up a notch by jogging in place while your rope passes under each foot. 

Boxer Step: Make like Rocky Balboa by shifting your weight to each foot on each step, shuffling as boxers do. This method allows you to go for longer, as each raised leg gets a slight rest.

High Knees: When you’re ready for some higher intensity — next stop: sweat town — lift those knees up high and feel the burn. 

Jump Rope Jacks: For some great coordination training, try performing a jumping jack with your lower body during alternating jumps. 

Mummy Kicks: To engage your hip flexor muscles, kick out your feet during each rope swing, landing on and pushing off of your heels.

Criss-Cross: This is mostly just to spice things up, impress your friends, and keep things interesting. Plus it also engages your upper body, too. Cross your arms on alternating jumps — it takes awhile to learn, but you’ll get it soon enough. 

Side-Swings: These are less of an exercise, and more of an active resting technique. Simply keep your basic/boxer/alternating foot jump, but swing the rope with your hands together, from side to side. Side Swings are great for extending your workouts for much longer. 

With that outta the way, let’s hop right into the bouncing benefits of jumping rope, and why you should be incorporating it into your fitness routine, like now.

Quick, Efficient Cardio

Some forms of cardiovascular exercise involve extended warm-ups and cool-downs — not here. Once you start jumping rope, within seconds you’re going to start feeling it, and that heart will be pumping. It’s considered in the health industry as a vigorous exercise, so it technically does twice the work of a moderate exercise like walking.

Easy on the Joints

It might seem like all that jumping might be pretty hard on the joints, but it’s actually known as a low-impact exercise. This is provided you’re keeping proper form: landing softly on the balls of the feet and springing back up again. And in fitness, whenever we come across a movement that’s both high-intensity and low-impact, we call that a winner. 

Take it Anywhere

Are you heading out on a business trip? Going on vacation? Spending long hours at the office? Stuck at home on a rainy day? Another benefit of jumping rope is pure versatility — you can do it anywhere! Many other forms of cardio involve a whole host of equipment. Ever try bringing your rowing machine with you to that business conference in Duluth? Actually, try that and let us know how it goes.

Balance & Core

The repetitive motion of jumping rope requires a strong core to keep your form going strong. That translates to better overall balance, coordination, and posture in the long run, which gets more and more important as we grow older. 

Explosive Power

Another amazing benefit of jumping rope is that it boosts your agility, stamina, and explosive power, which leads to a stronger athletic performance in all your exercise endeavors! Imagine, the simple action of jumping rope can make you a better runner, tennis player, mountain climber… anything! 

At Studio SWEAT onDemand, we believe in the mighty power of this humble piece of fitness equipment — which is why we offer tons of Virtual Jump Rope Classes, filled with challenges and drills that’ll keep you bouncing your way to better fitness. And if you dig that, you’ll love our full collection of Indoor Cycling, TRX, HIIT, Yoga, Pilates, Kickboxing, Barre, Bootcamp, and tons of other streaming fitness classes that you can do anytime, anywhere. We’ve even got a 7-Day Free Trial that’ll let you try before you buy. Don’t wait, the path to better health and fitness starts with you… so hop to it!