A Fat-Blasting Jump-Rope Workout For Beginners

POPSUGAR Studios
POPSUGAR Studios

Jumping rope is one of the best ways to work out: not only does it burn 330 calories in just 30 minutes, but it also helps strengthen your bones and muscles, while you increase your endurance and heart rate.

But there's lots to do with a jump rope besides just jumping up and down. Authors Brett Stewart and Jason Warner — both certified personal trainers, triathletes, and marathoners — created jump-rope workouts for every level for their new book, Ultimate Jump Rope Workouts ($16), to help you combine strength-training and cardio in one.

Ready to save time and burn major fat? Read on to get one of their basic beginner jump-roping workouts and learn how to do some of the key exercise moves!

The Superman
POPSUGAR Studios

The Superman

The Superman is a great exercise for strengthening your back. Here's how to do it:

  1. Lying face down on your stomach, extend your arms directly out in front of you and your legs behind you. Keep your knees straight as if you were flying.
  2. In a slow and controlled manner, contract your erector spinae (lower-back muscles) and reach your arms forward and legs backward toward opposite walls, and allow your arms and feet to raise three to five inches off the floor. Your head should maintain a straight position with your spine; don’t arch your back. This move is as much of a “stretch” as it is an exercise. Hold for five seconds.
  3. Lower slowly back to starting position.

Source: Ulysses Press

The Bird Dog
POPSUGAR Studios

The Bird Dog

Doing this move helps strengthen your back and core while increasing flexibility.

  1. Get on your hands and knees with your legs bent 90 degrees, knees under your hips, toes on the floor, and your hands on the floor directly below your shoulders. Keep your head and spine neutral; do not let your head lift or sag. Contract your abdominal muscles to prevent your back from sagging; keep your back flat from shoulders to butt for the entire exercise.
  2. In one slow and controlled motion, simultaneously raise your left leg and right arm until they’re on the same flat plane as your back. Your leg should be parallel to the ground, not raised above your hip; your arm should extend directly out from your shoulder and your biceps should be level with your ear. Hold this position for three to five seconds and then slowly lower your arm and leg back to starting position.
  3. That’s one rep. Repeat on the other side.

Source: Ulysses Press

The Skier Jump
Ulysses Press

The Skier Jump

Lateral moves help work muscles you don't normally use. Here's how to do the skier jump:

  1. Stand erect with your feet approximately shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent and arms extended along your sides. Throughout the movement, your weight should be distributed evenly on the balls of both feet. Grip the jump rope handles using a classic grip. Lower the jump rope on the ground behind your feet.
  2. Rotate your wrists forward to swing the rope overhead. Your arms should remain in a semistatic downward position along the sides of your body and your hands should rotate in small arcs.

See the next page for the rest of the exercise.

The Skier Jump (Continued)
POPSUGAR Studios

The Skier Jump (Continued)

Here are steps three and four of the Skier Jump.

  1. As the apex of the rope’s loop approaches the ground in front of your body and is six inches away from your toes, jump laterally to the side with both feet, approximately two to six inches (farther is harder) from your starting point, as the rope passes underneath. Land on the balls of both feet and bend your knees slightly to cushion the impact while continuing to rotate your wrists and swing the rope in an arc from back to front.
  2. As the apex of the rope’s loop approaches the ground in front of your body and is six inches away from your toes, jump laterally to the opposite side approximately two to six inches (farther is harder), returning to your starting point as the rope passes underneath. Your upper body remains relatively static, not moving too much. Your feet do most of the traveling and lead the way.

Source: Ulysses Press

The Bell Jump
POPSUGAR Studios

The Bell Jump

The bell jump develops ankle and hip strength. If you're new to jump roping, make the jumps small; longer jumps will increase the difficulty.

  1. Stand erect with your feet approximately shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent and arms extended along your sides. Throughout the movement, your weight should be distributed evenly on the balls of both feet. Grip the jump-rope handles using a classic grip. Extend the apex of the jump-rope loop on the ground behind your feet.
  2. Rotate your wrists forward to swing the rope overhead. Your arms should remain in a semistatic downward position along the sides of your body, and your hands should rotate in small arcs. As the apex of the rope’s loop approaches the ground in front of your body and is six inches away from your toes, jump forward approximately two to six inches (farther is harder) from your starting point with both feet as the rope passes underneath. Land on the balls of both feet and bend your knees slightly to cushion the impact while continuing to rotate your wrists and swing the rope in an arc from back to front (see the two middle pictures to the left).
  3. As the apex of the rope’s loop approaches the ground in front of your body and is six inches away from your toes, jump backward approximately two to six inches (farther is harder), returning to your starting point as the rope passes underneath. Your upper body remains relatively static, not moving too much. Your feet do most of the traveling and lead the way.
  4. Source Ulysses Press

The Workout
POPSUGAR Studios

The Workout

This workout takes around 15 minutes to complete, so in addition to being able to fit it in anywhere, you can fit it in anytime!

Get the printable version of the workout here.