Joining us for the jump rope fitness challenge? You might be wondering what exactly you can do with your rope, besides just jumping over it and counting how far you can get before you get tangled up. That’s a start!
[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2019/01/januarys-fitness-challenge-is-jump-rope/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/f4gl1wqjnwuvufkv1b9m.jpg” title=”January’s Fitness Challenge Is: Jump Rope” excerpt=”When we asked what you liked from last year’s fitness challenges, many of you said that you enjoyed having something new to add to your routine. So we’ll continue the challenges in 2019 by highlighting some under-appreciated exercises you should know.”]
If you have trouble getting even that far, take a look at this video from Punk Rope about common beginner mistakes. If the rope is always hitting your ankles, or seems to shorten as you’re jumping, they know what you’re doing wrong:
When you’re jumping properly, you’ve got your elbows by your sides, using only your wrists to turn the rope, and you’re only hopping as high as you need to clear the rope (like, an inch). The trainer in the video demonstrates this on concrete, but if you can jump on a softer surface, like a gym mat, that will be easier on your joints.
Fancy Tricks
Here are some simple things that feel real fancy the first time you do them:
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Jump side to side. This is just like regular jumping rope—don’t change anything—except your feet just land a little bit to the side of where they took off.
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Jump forward and back. Same thing: you’re still jumping the usual way, but changing your foot placement ever so slightly with each hop.
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Foot to foot. Keep the same rhythm, but only put one foot down at a time. I’m stuck on this one, personally: I know it’s the same motion as jogging in place, but the rope is confusing my brain.
Give these moves a try, and let us know in the comments how the jumping rope is going so far!
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