Jumping rope is a fun and easy exercise that you can do as a quick 5-minute workout or add it into your cardio routine. It is known to have many benefits that help strengthen your muscles and get your heart rate up.
Jumping rope can help increase your endurance, strength, and coordination, all while not even having to think about what you are doing; you just jump! It is an excellent activity for everybody since it is not difficult to learn, and there are so many ways to challenge yourself by increasing the difficulty.
An easy and popular way to make jumping rope a bit trickier is using a weighted jump rope rather than a regular size one. They allow you to do all the same jumps and tricks you do with a normal rope, but the extra weight requires more muscle and strength. This results in a more intense workout that can burn more calories which can help with weight loss.
If you are interested in learning more about weighted jump rope benefits, we researched and created a list that makes you want to start jumping.
Burn More Calories
Jumping with a weighted rope is an effective way to burn more calories than going for a run or jumping with a regular skipping rope. It is known to be one of the most calorie-burning workouts; you burn more calories jumping rope than swimming, cycling, or rowing! The added weight in the weighted jump rope can either be stored in the handles or the rope itself.
Since using a weighted rope requires more muscles, it requires you to use more energy in strength which in the end burns more calories. Your body is forced to work harder to swing a heavy rope over your head than a rope with no weight to it, leading to more calories burned.
Weight Loss
In addition to burning more calories, using a weighted jump rope in your fitness routine can help with weight loss. It can help maximize or increase your metabolism, which helps you lose weight and keep the weight off. It is an effective and easy exercise that is an excellent addition to your fitness routine.
Only jumping rope without other exercises isn’t enough for every person to lose weight. It is best to incorporate jumping with a weighted rope into your cardio routine, along with the rest of your exercises.
Improves Core Strength and Posture
When you swing a weighted rope over your head, you are standing up straight with your whole body and mind engaged. As you jump, your core muscles and abs are being tightened and strengthened since you aim to keep the correct form while still jumping and swinging the rope. It can also improve your posture by standing and jumping with your back straight, which can help alleviate chronic lower and some upper back pain.
More Intense Workout
When you jump with a weighted jump rope rather than a regular one, it will be a much more intense workout. It requires more strength and muscle control and will get your heart rate up much quicker, especially if you are trying to jump at the same speed you would with an unweighted rope. Depending on how fast or for how long you jump, your workout intensity is sure to increase, leading to more calories burned during your cardio workout.
Improves Coordination and Endurance
Jumping with a weighted jumping rope is a great opportunity to practice your jump rope form. Since the rope is heavier, it will force your body to swing it properly and successfully over your head. This formation helps improve your coordination, especially since your entire body and mind are engaged and working together.
Your endurance can also improve by trying to jump for longer periods of time without getting exhausted. If you go from a weighted rope to a non-weighted rope, you will see how much your coordination and endurance improve.
Engages Your Whole Body
Jumping rope with a non-weighted rope is a full-body exercise already; however, using a weighted rope takes it to another level. Muscles that are generally not used when you use a non-weighted rope are being stretched and exercised. Compared to a non-weighted rope, your arms and shoulders will likely feel the burn a lot quicker.
Along with your arms, your calves, thighs, core and back muscles, and your glutes, are engaged and working together to jump and swing that heavy rope over your head. Weighted jump ropes are the perfect exercise for your whole body; whether you have 5 minutes or an hour, you will feel the burn regardless.
Fun and Easy Exercise
Lastly, jumping rope is fun and easy. There is not much learning involved besides figuring out how heavy and long the right weighted rope is for you. Most jump ropes, weighted and non-weighted, are reasonably priced and can be found in just about every fitness store. All you need is some open space, and you are ready to start jumping.
How to Properly Jump Rope with a Weighted Rope
As previously mentioned, jumping rope with a weighted or unweighted rope is a fun activity that does not take a ton of practice. To reap the benefits of jumping with a weighted rope, you want to make sure you are jumping in the proper form, so your muscles are engaged, and it is less likely to pull or strain your muscles.
We have put together some tips to help you correct your form and properly jump with a weighted rope:
- You want to keep your knees slightly bent at all times. This puts less stress on your knees from the impact of constantly and quickly jumping.
- You want to jump and land on the midsoles of your feet, rather than heels or just your toes, and try to land as softly as you can.
- Use your wrists when turning the rope over your head, not your shoulders or elbows.
- Keep your head up and looking forward along with your chest.
- Keep your feet close together when jumping.
- Try to keep a constant tall and straight spine; this helps your form and improves posture.
- You want your shoulders pushed back and elbows held down tight, also towards the back.
The Bottom Line
Jumping with a weighted rope is a fun and easy exercise that engages your whole body and helps burn calories fast. Over time, using a weighted rope can help improve coordination, endurance, posture, and balance.
So many muscles in your body are working together to swing the heavy rope over your head, making it an intense workout. There are so many ways to challenge yourself, such as jumping at the same speed you would with a non-weighted rope or trying to jump rope as fast as you can for 30 seconds straight.
Most weighted and non-weighted jump ropes are easy to find and not overly expensive. All you need is a bit of open space, and you are ready to get your weighted jump on! If you like this article, you might want to check out our jump rope HIIT workouts as well.
