- Jump roping gained popularity this past year as COVID-19 lockdowns kept people away from the gym and some of their normal exercise routines.
- Experts say the exercise can be done at home and provides a quick and intense cardiovascular workout.
- They recommend people begin with short sessions between 5 and 10 minutes when initially taking up the routine.
- They say stretching beforehand and jumping on a padded surface can help prevent injuries.
Jumping rope may seem like child’s play.
But as any boxer can tell you, it can also be serious exercise.
People have been skipping rope as exercise for most of civilized history. Egyptian athletes had a jump-rope workout as early as 1600 B.C.
Interest in the sport is now enjoying one of its periodic spikes since being introduced in the United States in the 1800s primarily as an exercise for girls.
Some rope jumpers have become social media stars on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Companies like Crossrope and Elevate Rope have reported surging sales of jump ropes.
One factor has been the COVID-19 pandemic.“As most people are stuck at home during the COVID-19 lockdown without their regular gym, many are looking for ways to stay fit and active with minimal equipment,” Sergio Pedemonte, the chief executive officer of Toronto-based Your House Fitness, an at-home workout and wellness company, told Healthline. “Jump rope is easy to pick up and learn for most people and also has a high ceiling for progression of skill and trick learning, keeping the workout fun and challenging. Jump rope is engaging because it works both the mind and body through full-body coordination and timing,” he said.
“As most people are stuck at home during the COVID-19 lockdown without their regular gym, many are looking for ways to stay fit and active with minimal equipment,” Sergio Pedemonte, the CEO of Toronto-based Your House Fitness, an at-home workout and wellness company, told Healthline. “Jump rope is easy to pick up and learn for most people and also has a high ceiling for progression of skill and trick learning, keeping the workout fun and challenging. Jump rope is engaging because it works both the mind and body through full-body coordination and timing.”
“Skipping is an excellent form of exercise and something that we saw even in the ‘Rocky’ movies,” Brett Durney, co-founder of Fitness Lab in London, told Healthline.
“I grew up in a boxing gym, so I was always jumping rope,” said Tommy Duquette, a former U.S. National Boxing Team member and co-founder and trainer at FightCamp. “Back then, I didn’t know anybody else outside of the gym who also jumped rope. Now, it seems like it has become a thing, albeit a niche thing.”
Source: healthline