Do you want a fun, fat-busting workout? How about skipping? I've got not one jump rope HIIT workout for you, I've got three...
If I said skipping rope, what images would it conjure up for you?
Having fun with your friends in the school yard?
Playing games.
Well, how about reigniting some of that fun with a workout? A jump rope workout.
I’ve recently started skipping again.
It’s been a while. And honestly, it takes some getting used to. But, it is just as fun as I remember.
And that’s what we’re looking for, right? Fun ways to workout.
As always, I’ve got ya, because why would you want to do something that’s not fun?
You wouldn’t.
You’ve already got to do loads of things that aren’t’ fun. Cleaning, cooking, meal planning, food shopping, taxiing, arguing with your three year old about, well, just about anything.
All not fun.
Working out should be fun.
Something you do should be fun!
Well, let’s try a jump rope HIIT workout on for the fun factor.
It may have been a while since you last jumped the rope, so you
might have forgotten just how tough it is.
Don’t worry, I’ll fix that with the workouts below. He he he.
It is tough.
It’s primarily a cardio workout, so expect your lungs and your heart to be pumping. But, it will also get some of those muscles working overtime.
Especially your calf muscles.
But, I’m guessing your calves aren’t an area of your body that you particularly want to work on.
I know it have more wide ranging benefits, but I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman, unless they were intending to compete in a body building competition, that has said, I really don’t like my calves. I want to work on them.
Nope.
It’s usually belly, bum, boobs.
They are usually, not always, but usually the areas my clients want to work on. Maybe arms.
So, how do you turn skipping into a workout that hits those areas. I just gave you a clue there….
If you guessed the clue was ‘hits’ you’d be right, because you turn it into a HIIT workout.
HIIT is great. It’s a great way of working out. You can turn,
pretty much, any type of exercise into a HIIT workout.
The best thing about HIIT is that it is great for burning fat. Which you will have to do if you want those troublesome spots to look less wobbly.
HIIT, or high intensity interval training, is where you work all out for a short period and then you have a few seconds of rest.
You give your maximum effort and you’re rewarded with short break. Just enough to bring your heart rate down slightly, so you can go again.
I go into the technical details of high-intensity interval training over on What is a HIIT Workout, if your interested in diving into the specifics.
If not, I’ll just reiterate that HIIT is the best way to workout if you’re looking for weight loss, fat loss, improved fitness levels, or you just fancy a challenge. Fancy being pushed out of your comfort zone a bit.
Because we all love a challenge right? Why else did we have kids? He he he.
Anyway, back to it…
HIIT is also really good if you haven’t got much time.
It’s a much more effective workout than say, steady-state cardio, where you keep one, steady pace for a lot longer.
So whatever you’re hoping to achieve, whatever your fitness goals are, if you’re short on time, try a HIIT workout. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with how much you can achieve in just 15 minutes.
But let’s get back to jump ropes.
You might think this one is simple, obviously I’m going to need
skipping rope. Move on.
But would it blow your mind if I told you you can now get a weighted jump rope.
It blew mine, I have to say.
Weighted jump ropes. I can’t decide if they’re a good idea or not.
The idea of a weight, any weight swinging above my head is not a good one.
My head tends to be a magnet for things that are flying around. The amount of times I’ve ended up with concussion I wouldn’t like to guess.
And yes, I’m only joking about weights swinging above your head. The weights are in the handles.
I’ll stop with the jokes soon, promise.
Anyway, adding a weighted rope to your workout routine will very quickly have you burning serious calories, and working on your strength.
They come in a variety of weights, if you’re a beginner opt for a lighter rope> If you’re a more advanced skipper, you can go for a heavier rope.
As always, if you’re unsure about how to do any of these exercises with proper form, please seek instruction from a qualified personal trainer. If you can’t or don’t want to see anyone locally, then please do get in touch. We can go through your form together.
Don’t worry, you’re not that far out of the loop, jump roping
hasn’t changed that much.
Well, not the basic jump anyway.
But, there are other movements and exercises that you can combine with the basic jump to make a full-body workout, or perhaps one focusing on the upper body and one focusing on the lower body.
Even the jump can be done in a few ways.
So, lets talk about the different movements and exercises you’re going to be doing in the following workouts.
Standing with your feet hip-width apart and holding the ends of
the skipping rope in your hands. That’s one end in each hand. The
skipping rope should be behind you.
Swing the rope over head and when it gets to your feet, jump over it.
And repeat.
If you’ve never skipped before, or it’s been a while, it will take a few attempts to get this down smoothly.
You will stumble. You will get your timing wrong. Just keep trying and keep practising.
You will get there.
This is an advanced skip.
There aren’t any double unders specified in the workouts below, but, wherever it says basic jump, you can replace that with double unders if you want to.
They are essentially the same as a basic jump, but the skipping rope swings over and under twice for your one jump.
So your jump has to be slowed down and your skipping rope swing sped up.
As I said, they are an advanced move.
But it’s something to work towards.
Stand with your feet together, core engaged and an end of the
skipping rope in each hand.
Swing the rope over your head and as it comes down in front of you jump over it. Just like the basic swing.
On the next swing open your legs to about shoulder width, and jump with them apart.
Think start jump motion with the added complication that you have to jump over a skipping rope.
Same set up as all of the other skips...core engaged, holding
skipping rope handles in each hand, skipping rope behind you.
Swing the rope over your head, this time as the rope comes down in front of you, instead of jumping with both feet together, jump with the right foot. On the next swing, jump with the left foot.
This can also be changed to jumping with just one foot. So instead of changing to the left foot on the second jump, stay with the right foot.
Stand with your knees hip-width apart and engage your core.
Sink your bum back whilst your bend at the knees and hips. Keep moving downward until your thighs are parallel with the floor.
Return to the starting position by pushing through your heels, straightening your knees and hips.
Repeat.
Start in a high plank position with your hands under your
shoulders.
Engaging your core, inhale whilst slowly bending your elbows and lowering yourself to the floor, getting as close as you can.
As you breath out push yourself back up to the high plank position.
Push ups are a tough workout so drop your knees to the floor if you need to. Focus on getting close to the floor rather than staying on your toes.
Wall walks are a bit of a bizarre exercise, but they use every
muscle group in your body. And they’re quite fun.
Start crouching close to a wall. Hands on the floor.
Engage your core and start walking your feet up the wall whilst moving your hands closer to the wall.
Walk up the wall as far as feels comfortable for you, or until your body is completely flat against the wall. Whichever is sooner.
We’re starting with a simple workout. It’s just involves
skipping.
It’s simple, but not easy. It is going to test your cardiovascular system to it’s limits. Knuckle in, and stick with it.
It’s an AMRAP, as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes. Rest where you need to, and you will need to rest. Try to make it all the way through a round before you rest though. It might not be possible, especially as you get to the end of the workout. But do try.
It will be something to work towards.
Each round is 400 reps.
Yeah, you read that correctly. 400 reps. But it is skipping so it will go quickly, I promise. You should be able to get about 3 rounds in 15 minutes.
Again, one you can try at a later date to check if you can get any more rounds in.
For this jump rope HIIT workout we're going to add in a couple of body weight exercises. It's make sure your entire body gets a nice workout. Although I’ve called it
bodyweight, if your fitness levels allow, you can use weights.
It’s a tabata, which means 20 seconds of work, followed by 10 secs of rest eight times. Rest for a full minute before moving on to the nest exercise.
This is another simple jump rope HIIT workout. Every minute on the minute you
complete the required movement. At the top of the next minute move on
to the next movement.
Do this for 15 minutes.
Rest for whatever is left of the minute.
There are only two movements in this workout. So keep repeating, moving between the two movements for the 15 minutes.
Jumping rope is definitely a fun way of working out. And when you
combine that with HIIT, great things can happen.
Weight can be lost. Bodies can change. Minds can change. Happiness can be found.
I hope you have enjoyed a 15 minute jump rope HIIT workout. If you do, then do let me know. I love to hear how people are getting on.
And if you want more fun, efficient workouts sent directly into your inbox, remember to sign up for my newsletter.
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