How to Skip Rope? 6 Exercises and 3 HIIT Workouts for Intense Calorie Burning

Are you looking for a great way to burn maximum calories and get into shape in the shortest time possible? Combining HIIT and a skipping rope might just be the thing you need. You can pick from one of the difficulty levels: for beginners, intermediate and advanced athletes and start working out. Each training takes approximately 33 minutes with breaks. Or it can be reduced to as little as 14 minutes, meaning this routine will be ideal for days when you have only a very limited amount of time to work out, and need to get the most out of it.

Skipping rope is more than just a fun way to do cardio. It involves all muscles, including your glutes, abs and arms, meaning you will effectively work on these muscle groups at the same time. This type of exercise can easily improve your physical condition, which will come in handy not only during your trainings, but also in regular life. Last but not least, skipping rope helps you improve your coordination, explosivity and stamina.

This training will be ideal for you whether you’re trying to lose weight, improve your overall physical condition or simply want to make your routine a little bit more lively. One of the great advantages of the skipping rope is that you can take one practically anywhere you go, so that you can easily do your exercise whether you’re out for a walk in the park, or on a vacation.

If you’d like to learn even more about the great benefits of skipping rope, don’t miss out on our article Weight Loss, Increase in Physical Fitness and 8 Other Reasons to Start Jumping Rope.

How to pick and properly adjust your skipping rope

You might have already noticed that there’s a whole range of different types of skipping ropes, and that even a tool as simple as this does not escape rapid modernization. The simple string with handles we remember from our school years has been replaced with adjustable light metal cables coated with PVC and equipped with ball bearings for maximum rotation. This type of skipping rope is usually available with plastic handles, but the market also offers ropes with aluminium handles. This one come in particularly handy if your palms happen to sweat a lot, as this kind of handle provides a better grip. We can also recommend that you try a smart rope, which will do all of your counting for you, or a weighted rope which provides an extra challenge to your training.

How to properly adjust your skipping rope?

Once you’ve got your skipping rope ready at hand, it’s time to make sure it is adjusted right. Beginners should start out with a longer rope, as this translates to a longer swing, which gives you an ample window of time to learn the coordination of the movement. As you gain more experience, you may start shortening the rope, which leads to faster skipping.

How to set up your first skipping rope? Stand on top of it, keeping your feet together. Grab the handles, straighten up and pull the rope along your body to the height of your shoulders. The length of the skipping rope should reach up to the height of your armpits. [1]

How to skip the rope?

Before exercising, make sure you’ve got enough space, and don’t run a risk of getting your rope caught on furniture or other surrounding objects. You may want to use an exercise mat, which will reduce your impact on the floor. Don’t forget to wear solid footwear, which provides sufficient stability and support. Ideally, you want to be wearing light sneakers with a flat rubber sole. If you’re about to start with a HIIT routine, make sure you’ve got a stopwatch ready, so that you can monitor your interval lengths. You can use the default stopwatch app on your phone, or download an app that would allow you to pre-set interval lengths and a number of series. [2]

Before you start skipping, make sure you warm up a little by, for example, jogging in place for a minute. Follow this by a full body stretching, and pay extra attention to the proper dynamic stretching and joint mobilization, especially to  rotating your wrists and ankles, which are particularly strained during the skipping. Before starting a HIIT routine, quickly rehearse all of the exercises you will be performing, paying attention to proper technique.  

Crucial rules of rope skipping

If you’re picking up the skipping rope for the first time, make sure you focus on getting the technique right before anything else. This is the only way you will be able to derive maximum benefits from using it in your future trainings.

• In the basic position, your back remains straight, which means that you do not lean back or bend forward while jumping.
• Focus on basing your movement out of your ankles and wrists.
• Hold your upper arms close to your body and bend your arms at your elbows.
• When jumping, do not forget to activate your core, which will introduce your deep spine stabilization system into the exercise, ensuring your posture stays right.
• Do not hold your breath, and focus on breathing fluidly. 
• Make sure you hit the ground with the tips of your feet. 
• Try skipping in a regular rhythm. Pick up the speed only once you feel you’ve mastered the basic technique.
• Your skips should be reaching several centimetres above the ground floor.  [3–4]

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6 exercises using a skipping rope

1. Basic Jump

• Initial position: Stand with your feet next to each other, grasp the handles and place the rope behind you on the floor.
• Execution: Commence with a dynamic rotation of both wrists forward. Once the rope is swinging over your head, bend your knees slightly, and as you see the rope approaching your feet, jump up a few centimetres in the air. Follow with another repetition.
• Common mistakes: high jumping, moving entire arms.

2. Single Leg Jump

• Initial position: Stand with your feet next to each other and raise one foot a few centimetres above ground by bending your knee slightly. Grasp the handles and place the rope behind you on the floor.
• Execution: Commence with a dynamic rotation of both wrists forward. Once the rope is swinging over your head, bend the knee of the foot you’re standing on slightly, and as you see the rope approaching your feet, jump up a few centimetres in the air. Follow with another repetition. Switch legs after finishing one set.
• Common mistakes: uncoordinated movements, moving entire arms.

3. Butt Kicks

• Initial position: Stand on your right leg, lift your left leg, bend your knee and pull the foot towards your buttocks. Grasp the rope handles and place the rope behind you on the floor.
• Execution: Commence with a dynamic rotation of both wrists forward. As the rope approaches your feet, jump up on your right leg, bend it at the knee, and pull the foot towards your buttocks. Then land on your left foot and leave your right foot raised. With another swing, jump with your left foot, bend it at the knee and pull it towards your buttocks. Alternate legs with each repetition.
• Common mistakes: insufficient motion range when performing the butt kicks.

4. High Knees

• Initial position:  Stand on your right leg, lift your left leg and bend your knee slightly. Grasp the handles and place the rope behind you.
• Execution: Commence with a dynamic rotation of both wrists forward. As the rope approaches your feet, jump up on your right leg, bend it at the knee, and pull it towards your stomach. Then land on your left foot while leaving your right foot raised. With another swing, jump up with your left foot, bend it at the knee and pull it towards your stomach. Alternate legs with each repetition.
• Common mistakes: insufficient leg raising.

5. Boxer Step

• Initial position: Stand up and place one foot a few centimetres ahead of the other. The weight of the body rests mainly on the hind leg. Grasp the handles and place the rope behind you.
• Execution: Commence with a dynamic rotation of both wrists forward. When the rope is approaching your feet, jump a few centimetres off the ground. Once you land, switch the initial position of the legs and at the same time shift your weight to the now hind leg. Alternate legs with each repetition.
• Common mistakes: Excessive motion of entire arms

6. Forward Straddle

• Initial position: Stand up and take one small step forward with one leg, while taking a small step back with the other. Grasp the handles and place the rope behind you.
• Execution: Commence with a dynamic rotation of both wrists forward. Once the rope is approaching your feet, jump a few centimetres off the ground. Upon landing, switch the position of your legs, the front foot falling back and vice versa. Alternate legs with each repetition.
• Common mistakes: Excessive movement in the entire arms, insufficient distance between the feet when jumping.

How long should you be skipping? Take advantage of HIIT for intense calorie burning.

Choose whether you prefer to do HIIT for beginners, intermediate or advanced athletes. The main difference is in the length of workout and rest intervals. All of these can be easily completed within 33 minutes.

Individual exercises in the routine may also be changed up as you see fit. For example, feel free to combine them with squats, push-ups, or other bodyweight exercises, that will allow you to turn your routine into a full body workout. It’s recommendable to maintain the same tempo throughout the entirety of a single interval, so watch out that you don’t start off too hard.

What’s the best place to go skipping rope?

A skipping rope is easy to store and carry around, so that you can take it anywhere you go. This is something you will appreciate especially if you live in an apartment building and want to avoid disturbing your neighbours. Just grab your skipping rope or throw it into your sports bag, and head outside, visit your local park, workout playground, or your gym.

How many calories do you burn by skipping rope?

Skipping rope is a high intensity activity that burns a lot of calories. In the table below, you will find average values for a 65 kg female and 80 kg male. Take this information with a pinch of salt, however, as energy output of an individual’s body is impacted by a significant range of factors, such as body weight, intensity of exercise, time spent exercising, as well as genetics. [5]

This being a physically demanding activity, you can burn the energy equivalent of up to 1 kg of fat in a single month. All you have to do is exercise 4 times a week for about 30 minutes. If you’d like to learn more about the amounts of calories burned in other activities, don’t miss out on our article How to Lose 1 kg of Fat, and How Much Energy Does It Really Contain?

Time spent skipping	How many calories does an average 65 kg female burn?	How long does it take her to burn 1 kg of fat?	How many calories does an average 80 kg male burn?	How long does it take him to burn 1 kg of fat?
60 minutes in a moderate tempo (100 – 120 skips a minute)	767 kcal	10 hours	944 kcal	8 hours and 12 minutes
30 minutes in a moderate tempo (100 – 120 skips a minute)	383 kcal		472 kcal

What’s the take home message?

Doing HIIT with a skipping rope is a great way to burn a large amount of calories in a short time span. Not only will you boost your weight loss, you will also improve your physical condition and coordination. Pick from the three difficulty levels or simply use these training plans as an inspiration to constructing your own routine. Always remember to watch your technique, the proper execution of which is described in detail in each section on each skipping exercise.

Did you find this article useful? If so, share it with your friends and inspire them to work out with a skipping rope.

Sources:

[1] BuyJumpRopes.Net. Jump Rope LengthMost Accurate Sizing Method. – https://buyjumpropes.net/resources/jump-rope-length

[2] Crossrope. Best Jump Rope Shoes: Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Shoe.– https://www.crossrope.com/blogs/blog/best-jump-rope-shoes

[3] Crossrope. Common Jump Rope Mistakes (And How to Fix Them). – https://www.crossrope.com/blogs/blog/jump-rope-mistakes

[4] Janine Delaney Wellness Coach. Why You Keep Tripping Over Your Jump Rope. – https://janinedelaney.com/why-you-keep-tripping-over-your-jump-rope/

[5] Compendium of Physical Activities. – https://cdn-links.lww.com/permalink/mss/a/mss_43_8_2011_06_13_ainsworth_202093_sdc1.pdf