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Jump Rope for Cardio?

MissySki

Angel Diva
I purchased a jump rope recently. It kept coming up in things I was reading, and as I looked at it more and more it seemed like a fun way to get some cardio in (I DESPISE running.. though I do like to speed walk on my treadmill on incline etc.). I'm still in the process of seeing how long I like my rope as it came as a 10 foot section, so I obviously needed to cut it down some since I'm 5'4". I'm not sure I cut enough off yet as I was a bit worried about going too short, and I can always cut more as I go. So yesterday I took it outside after work to see how the initial cut length felt. I used to jump rope a ton as a kid, and I wasn't expecting how quickly it tired me out now that I'm 35 instead of 10! lol It also took me a little while to stop tripping over myself, but I got back in the swing of things pretty quickly. I think the fact that it's a speed rope and therefore very very light is what took some getting used to with the timing of the swing versus the school yard days with fat relatively heavy plastic or actual rope ropes!

I had all of these workouts saved for doing jumping jack legs and all sorts of tricky things with the rope that seemed fun, but after actually trying it I think I'm going to need to practice the basics a bit before I get to that. I can't even fathom the timing to move my legs around and not catch the rope! haha

Has anyone incorporated regular jump roping into their cardio routine? If so, can you recommend any good beginner routines for practice besides just regular one or two footed jumps? Also, any tips on how you know if your rope is too long? I think technically mine is based on how people measure against their bodies on YouTube, but I also likely don't have good form at all so I'm thinking extra is good to start so if my arms are too wide etc. it won't matter so much and force my posture to hunch or anything, but I'm not sure if being too long will hinder anything else?
 

SnowHot

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
When I was taking a bump lesson with Dan Egan, he said to jump rope to keep the feet quick. That's good reason for me.
 

kiki

Angel Diva
I used to jump rope a lot as a kid. I bought one in November for exercise but have found it really hard to get back in to. Part of the issue is space and not whaking the curious cats.
I do have a mini trampoline that i use and like. Similar motion with less risk of tripping.....
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
I went back out for a little bit after work today, and it actually went better than yesterday. Regular jumps felt better and I tried the jumping jack legs for fun as well with some success. I was noticing the rope hitting a lot in front of me, so I definitely think I do need to cut more length off.
 

CarverJill

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I have never considered jumping rope for cardio but it seems like a good option. I also despise running. I had a neighbor who was super fit and he used to jump rope all the time. As a kid I loved watching him, he did it super fast.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
I have a garage gym and my jump rope is my lifeline during the winter months. I spend 20-30 minutes alternating between jumping rope and things like star presses, overhead presses and banded good mornings with resistance bands like these:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IQM3W9...t=&hvlocphy=1020929&hvtargid=pla-305893890669
Double unders will kick your cardio into high notch too.

I'm trying to build a more mobile routine overall that I can do inside or outside or if I'm away etc.. no excuses! Part of that is also the resistance band route like you, though I don't have such a large variety as the ones you linked, I think I just have 3 of varying resistance. Do you have the specific set above, and do you find use for all of them?

I definitely don't think the double unders are even needed to kick anything into overdrive for me at this point. haha I've slacked on cardio big time for the last year and it really really shows as soon as I start jumping and very quickly get out of breath. Looking forward to when I build up a little bit of endurance!
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
I used to jump rope a lot as a kid. I bought one in November for exercise but have found it really hard to get back in to. Part of the issue is space and not whaking the curious cats.
I do have a mini trampoline that i use and like. Similar motion with less risk of tripping.....

Yeah, I'm too afraid to try it inside in my house, though it should be fine in my great room because the ceilings are high.. I'm afraid of hitting my dog as she would surely investigate. I am hoping I can do it in my basement, but I have too much stuff that needs to be adjusted and moved around from our recent move there, so trying that will have to wait. I've just been going right outside on my front walkway or driveway right now. I imagine my neighbors must be curious lol.
 

kiki

Angel Diva
Thats what I've been thinking about. I'm sure my husband will hear about it from my neighbors if I do that lol! We'll see.
 

Kimmyt

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
My climbing partner is a personal trainer and one of her favorite workouts is jumprope. She is super fit and buff, so I have to see that as a ringing endorsement!
 

Gloria

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm trying to build a more mobile routine overall that I can do inside or outside or if I'm away etc.. no excuses! Part of that is also the resistance band route like you, though I don't have such a large variety as the ones you linked, I think I just have 3 of varying resistance. Do you have the specific set above, and do you find use for all of them?

I definitely don't think the double unders are even needed to kick anything into overdrive for me at this point. haha I've slacked on cardio big time for the last year and it really really shows as soon as I start jumping and very quickly get out of breath. Looking forward to when I build up a little bit of endurance!

I have the full set of a different brand that I got of amazon “odoland” is the brand. I think they are a great investment for what you are trying to do as they can take the place of dumbbells etc for many exercises and are more portable, cheaper and take up less space. I have a handful of dumbbells and kettlebells as well as a barbell and power rack so I use probably 2-3 per day but if I were limited to them I would probably use the full set to it’s potential. The loop type is superior to the other types for durablility and versatility they last longer and being able to securely step on one end opens up the variety of exercises you can do as well. Having minimal equipment and not having to go to the gym has been not only incredibly liberating for me but there is a lot to be gained from simplicity - most of the best exercises are the basic ones. And now that it’s getting warmer being able to open the garage door up has been great and I am looking forward to working out outside as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Odoland-Resi...8578&sr=1-8&keywords=resistance+bands+pull+up
 
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MissySki

Angel Diva
Each day I've been going outside this week, and each day jumping has been getting better. Yesterday I realized I was holding my breath a bit while jumping, no idea why!?!? Once I concentrated on actually breathing it felt the best that it has yet. Now it's only been little bursts of 5-10 minutes here and there and I'm not following any type of routine yet for a specific workout or anything, just getting comfortable with the rope, but it feels like some progress. I was also playing with shortening a little since I can adjust it before cutting, but still not sure how I feel about it so I'm going to hold off on a permanent adjustment for awhile longer.
 

CrystalRose

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I've bought a jump rope (that I haven't used) for the same reason as you. I hate running and biking causes me hand pain. There's a YouTube channel I watch called the Jump Rope Dudes. They have tips on different jump ropes to buy like speed ropes vs weighted ropes, beginner mistakes to avoid, and beginner routines. They might be worth a quick look.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
I've bought a jump rope (that I haven't used) for the same reason as you. I hate running and biking causes me hand pain. There's a YouTube channel I watch called the Jump Rope Dudes. They have tips on different jump ropes to buy like speed ropes vs weighted ropes, beginner mistakes to avoid, and beginner routines. They might be worth a quick look.

Awesome, I'll definitely check out this channel, thanks! Continuing to see improvements everyday, and finding it fun so far, you should totally break out that rope! :smile:
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
I have the full set of a different brand that I got of amazon “odoland” is the brand. I think they are a great investment for what you are trying to do as they can take the place of dumbbells etc for many exercises and are more portable, cheaper and take up less space. I have a handful of dumbbells and kettlebells as well as a barbell and power rack so I use probably 2-3 per day but if I were limited to them I would probably use the full set to it’s potential. The loop type is superior to the other types for durablility and versatility they last longer and being able to securely step on one end opens up the variety of exercises you can do as well. Having minimal equipment and not having to go to the gym has been not only incredibly liberating for me but there is a lot to be gained from simplicity - most of the best exercises are the basic ones. And now that it’s getting warmer being able to open the garage door up has been great and I am looking forward to working out outside as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Odoland-Resi...8578&sr=1-8&keywords=resistance+bands+pull+up

Have you ever had any problems with band exercises causing you knee pain?? I just started a routing this weekend on Sunday that I found online for a butt/thigh workout, nothing crazy and I used a light band to start that's equivalent to 6-8lbs. The workout felt good, and later that day I felt a little sore but in a good way like I had targeted my butt and especially outer thighs. However, that night my right knee was suddenly in a ton of pain. Not just a little soreness, my knee cap was visually swollen and it hurt to put weight on it especially going up and down stairs. It came out of nowhere. The only thing I did differently that day was the band workout and I had done a bunch of yard work the day before, but the only thing I could think of was that perhaps I was thinking I was using my glute muscles when in actuality I was torqueing with my knees too much? Seemed so strange, bands are supposed to be super low impact and are even used for physical therapy of knee issues, and honestly I thought everything was quite straight forward that I was doing and that I did have good form, but I guess I could be wrong?? I want to try again and see if that is the issue, but I have a hike this weekend so I'm afraid to aggravate my knee before then as it feels for the most part back to normal, it was just a little sore still when kneeling down yesterday.

Anyone else ever experience this with band workouts, or have any suggestions for what I'm doing wrong?
 

Gloria

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Have you ever had any problems with band exercises causing you knee pain?? I just started a routing this weekend on Sunday that I found online for a butt/thigh workout, nothing crazy and I used a light band to start that's equivalent to 6-8lbs. The workout felt good, and later that day I felt a little sore but in a good way like I had targeted my butt and especially outer thighs. However, that night my right knee was suddenly in a ton of pain. Not just a little soreness, my knee cap was visually swollen and it hurt to put weight on it especially going up and down stairs. It came out of nowhere. The only thing I did differently that day was the band workout and I had done a bunch of yard work the day before, but the only thing I could think of was that perhaps I was thinking I was using my glute muscles when in actuality I was torqueing with my knees too much? Seemed so strange, bands are supposed to be super low impact and are even used for physical therapy of knee issues, and honestly I thought everything was quite straight forward that I was doing and that I did have good form, but I guess I could be wrong?? I want to try again and see if that is the issue, but I have a hike this weekend so I'm afraid to aggravate my knee before then as it feels for the most part back to normal, it was just a little sore still when kneeling down yesterday.

Anyone else ever experience this with band workouts, or have any suggestions for what I'm doing wrong?
One mistake people will make, and I see it demonstrated a lot this way online way too often, is to do lateral band walks with an outturned foot and large steps. This will definitely torque the knee, especially if the steps are too large. For most banded exercises, especially walks, a neutral forward facing foot is best. The steps in the lateral band walk should truly be no more than 4-5 inches and the knee should be soft. For anything where the foot should be at an angle make sure the rotation is coming from the hip and not the knee. The foot angle should be the same as your natural squat stance also. 9/10 when squats hurt knees it’s because people have been given a certain foot placement and are told to push their knees out over their toes. A better way to do this which usually eliminates pain is to do 3-5 air squats with your feet straight ahead and let your knees travel where they want to go, on the last rep stop at the bottom, look down and align your foot with your natural femur angle - this is your natural squat stance - OWN IT. Unless your knees are traveling inwards, then you would need to do some specific exercises to strengthen the glutes. In the meantime until your knee feels better, if you have some larger bands, banded good mornings are a great one for the posterior chain and the knee remains neutral.
 

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