What is the Correct Length of a Jumping Rope?

If you are going to get the most from any sort of workout, you need to make sure your equipment is right for you. If you cycle, the wrong-sized bike can make the shortest ride uncomfortable and who’d want to run in sneakers that are too big or too small.

So then, when it comes to skipping ropes, why do so lots of people simply pick up whatever rope they find tucked away in the corner of the health club or buy any old length of skipping rope when they head to the sporting goods shop? It’s no wonder that so many prospective skippers find skipping so difficult!

The length of your skipping rope can make or break your exercise. Too short and you’ll constantly trip over it or need to bend forward to give yourself space to get through the loop. Too long and it’s really difficult to time your jumps as there will be lots of rope dragging on the floor and the rope won’t spin as fast or as smoothly as it should.

So exactly how do you choose the best jumping rope length? Great question!

The quickest and easiest way to check your rope is to place one foot on the center of your rope and hold a handle in each hand. Pull the handles up; they should just reach your underarms. If your rope is too long, just tie a knot or more in the rope to shorten it. Make sure you tie the knots below the handles and not above or you’ll interfere with how the rope spins. If the rope is too short, discard it and get an additional one because it will cause you nothing but grief!

If your rope is a high quality adjustable model, just follow the manufacturer’s instructions and shorten or lengthen it accordingly. Feel free to make further minor adjustments after subsequent workouts to get your jumping rope length absolutely perfect. It’s also fine to trim off any excess and unwanted length away but be careful to do this only when you are absolutely positive you have actually got your rope the right length. If you are adjusting a rope for a growing kid, do not trim the excess as they’ll need a much longer rope in a few months time.

Alternatively, if you have a measuring tape handy, you can always use the chart below to size your jumping rope. At the very least, this gives you an idea of where you should be starting with your jumping rope length. You may still need to fine tune your rope length for optimum performance.

Height – Cable Length
5’0″(152cm) – 7’10″
5’1″(155cm) – 7’11″
5’2″(157cm) – 8’0″
5’3″(160cm) – 8’1″
5’4″(163cm) – 8’2″
5’5″(165cm) – 8’4″
5’6″(168cm) – 8’6″
5’7″(170cm) – 8’7″
5’8″(173cm) – 8’8″
5’9″(175cm) – 8’9″
5’10″(178cm) – 8’10″
5’11″(180cm) – 8’11″
6’0″(183cm) – 9’0″
6’1″(185cm) – 9’1″
6’2″(188cm) – 9’2″
6’3″(191cm) – 9’3″
6’4″(193cm) – 9’4″

Getting your jumping rope length right means you’ll get much more out of your workouts as you’ll trip less often and be able to jump faster and more smoothly. Take time to get this aspect right and you’ll appreciate your workouts much more!

Jumping Rope Workout Routines for Boxers

Boxing is just one of the hardest sporting activities around. Three-minute rounds with one-minute rests means that fighters must be supremely fit. Boxers also have to be strong, powerful, have tremendous core strength, and be fast, agile and skilled. They also need to not mind getting hit but that’s a whole different type of fitness!

There are a number of traditional types of training that most fighters engage in including road work, sparring, body weight and weight training workouts, working the heavy bag and speed ball and skipping rope. Jump rope is good for most people but it is especially useful for fighters.

Making use of a skipping rope can help a fighter develop some critical fitness components and abilities that transfer very well to the ring. Regular skipping rope workouts will…

• Improve fitness
• Improve endurance
• Enhance foot speed
• Improve speed
• Improve coordination
• Help with weight control
• Improve footwork

It’s no wonder then that speed rope and jumping rope training is so commonly connected with fighters and boxing. Heck– there is even a skipping rope technique called the boxer’s skip!

So what are the most effective skipping rope workouts for fighters? Excellent question! When it comes to skipping rope training for fighters you are really only limited by your imagination when designing workouts but to save you having to flex your grey-matter too much, below are some tried and tested boxing skipping rope exercise programs.

1.Three-minute rounds
Skip for 3 mins then rest for one, similar to real rounds of boxing. Mix up your strategies during each round and include tricks like double unders, crossovers and travelling. Make your exercise mirror the ebb and flow of a real fight.

2. Tabata double unders
To really crank up your heart rate, do 20-seconds of double unders (2 rope turns per jump) then rest ten seconds. Repeat 8 to ten times for a short but extremely intense exercise.

3. Heavy bag and skipping rope intervals
Hit the bag for 60-seconds then skip rope for 60-seconds for an active recovery. Continue alternating boxing and skipping for twenty mins or more. Make sure you mix up your punching combinations and also inject some more advanced skipping rope skills to keep things interesting.

4. Burpee and skipping rope descending pyramid
Do ten burpees then skip rope 50 times. Do 9 burpees and skip rope once again 50 times. Keep doing one less burpee until you get all the way down to one. Make sure you skip rope as fast as you can as this exercise is against the clock.

To get the most from these or other skipping rope workouts, you need the ideal equipment which means getting the most effective skipping rope you can. Speed ropes are ideal and wire ropes are even better as they fly round very quickly and smoothly. A good boxing skipping rope will certainly make your workouts more effective as you will trip less and be able to skip rope more smoothly.

Reasons to do Jumping Rope Exercises

In fitness and physical exercise, trends come and go but jumping ropes have been around for hundreds of years and will probably be around for plenty more. Using a speed rope might seem like “old-fashioned” but this simple kind of exercise is still around for one reason and one factor only; it works!

Skipping isn’t just for boxers and school kids either; it’s an effective form of exercise with so many benefits that really, the title of the article ought to have been why everybody should do speed rope exercises!

In no particular order then, below is a short list of reasons why you need to get yourself a new speed rope and get skipping …

• Jump rope exercises can help you reach and afterwards maintain your ideal weight. Skipping will certainly elevate your metabolism and burn calories which when combined with a reduced calorie diet will certainly lead to increased fat burning.

• Using a speed rope will certainly improve your coordination and balance. This means you’ll be more nimble and athletic and less prone to suffering a fall — important for older exercisers and sportsman alike.

• Jump rope can help increase your bone mass. As you age, your bones start to lose density and can become weak. Workouts like skipping strengthen your bones and can help reduce, remove and even reverse bone loss.

• Skipping improves the condition and for that reason the health of your heart and lungs. This lessens your danger of suffering numerous diseases including coronary heart disease, strokes, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.

• Skipping is not weather-dependant. Running or cycling in the rain and snow are at best uncomfortable and even worse dangerous. You can use a speed rope in the comfort of your garage, lounge or at the fitness center without having to worry about facing the elements and freezing your butt off!

• Jump rope are very fairly priced. Costing less compared to one average-quality running shoe, speed rope represents excellent value for money. Hardwearing and portable, very few exercise options offer such an excellent exercise for so little money.

• Jump rope exercises don’t just strengthen your legs; they also work your arms and shoulders as well! Skipping is virtually a full-body exercise as it uses many of your major muscles. Your chest, shoulders and arms get an excellent workout along with your hips and legs. This is why skipping is such an effective calorie burning activity.

• Once mastered, skipping will certainly provide you with countless exercise variations. You can skip fast or slow, do techniques such as double unders and cross overs, move forward, backward or sideways, use one or two footed landings, skip to music, do interval training … all with nothing greater than a speed rope. There is no need to ever get bored with skipping!

• Skipping is an excuse-free exercise. All you need is your rope and some space and you have everything you need to get in and stay in excellent shape. No fancy or pricey equipment needed, no pricey gym charges to pay, no need to buy specialist clothing … just grab your rope and skip your way to fitness and health!

Skipping could just well be the most effective exercise you aren’t doing so why not get a rope and jump in? You have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain from joining the ranks of regular rope skippers all around the world.

Are Skipping Ropes Suitable for Kids?

It’s a sad however true fact that an increasing number of children are becoming overweight. With fewer opportunities for exercising and a diet loaded with junk food, the number of overweight children is steadily climbing.

Schools don’t have the resources to invest on health and fitness facilities and a lot of parents are too busy working their butts off to spend time doing physically demanding activities with their children so, sadly, it’s all but inevitable that kids are getting fatter.

However, if children need to do even more exercise and facilities are thin on the ground, why not motivate them to take up that old playground classic activity of using a jump rope?

Not so many years ago, you could all but guarantee you would see children skipping at break time in schools throughout the country so maybe it’s time that jump ropes were reintroduced to schools or, better still, made compulsory?

Jumping Rope Techniques For Boxers

If you are a boxer, you already know just how hard a sport it is that you are associated with. For you non-boxers, below is a rundown on the physical fitness elements needed to excel inside the squared circle:
• Speed — hit fast and move quick
• Power — hit hard
• Core Strength — for protection against body blows and for generating even more punching power
• Cardiovascular Physical Fitness — to avoid running out of gas after a couple of rounds
• Muscle Endurance — to continue punching, blocking and moving for the period of the fight
• Skill — being healthy and strong is important but you also have to know about techniques, how to punch and cover correctly and all about ring craft. This comes with experience and good instruction
Developing these physical fitness components needs a well-designed workout program that will need to include a whole host of various kinds of training including:

Jumping Rope Exercises for Beginners

In case you missed the scoop, using a skipping rope is one of the most effective exercises you can do to help you stay in shape, lose weight and be healthy. It’s simple, easy to learn, inexpensive, readily accessible, can be done almost anywhere and anytime and most importantly is safe and effective. And while you can do fancy techniques like double unders, turns and crossovers, simple speed rope exercises are as effective for providing results as more complicated ones.

Making use of a speed rope provides so many advantages it’s difficult to detail them in one single, short, article but below are a few of the major ones to give you an idea as to just how powerful speed ropes can be!

• Enhanced heart and lung condition
• Enhanced heart and lung wellness
• Improved stamina
• Stronger leg muscles
• Stronger shoulders and arms
• Great for burning calories and consequently managing your weight
• Improves your coordination and balance
• Improves eye-hand-foot coordination
• Increases bone mass and strength
• Speed ropes are very portable, hardwearing and good value for money
• You can skip anywhere and anytime

Fantastic Benefits of Skipping

While it’s impossible to say who first took a length of rope and jumped over it for exercise, it’s safe to state that jumping rope, or skipping as it is often known, has actually been around for a very long time. It’s not hard to imagine the gladiators of ancient Rome or the early Greek Olympians making use of a jump rope made from thin leather in an effort to increase their fitness.

Fast forward to modern-day times and jump rope designs have actually improved greatly. Where old-fashioned leather and rope were once used, plastic coated cable and low friction handles now make certain that today’s speed ropes turn effortlessly and easily. This means that you can skip a lot faster and for longer and that makes for improved fitness benefits.

So what are the benefits of jumping rope? Excellent question!

Starting from the ground up, skipping rope is excellent for your calves and ankle joints, your knees and thighs and, if you really pick up the speed and progress to doing double unders, your hip muscles as well. The action of spinning the rope gives your shoulders and arms a good workout and your core, those muscles around your waist, likewise get in on the activity.

As well as your muscles, jumping rope is excellent for your heart and your lungs which means you’ll enhance your cardiovascular fitness and with it your health. Jumping rope slowly for extended amount of times is an aerobic activity whereas jumping much faster for shorter periods of time is an an aerobic activity akin to sprinting so jumping rope is a great way to enhance not just your slow and steady fitness but also your ability to work fast and furiously.