Jump Rope for Fat Loss for Beginners

Jumping rope with a cranked up, lung bursting intensity will help you to blast off 20 calories per minute! Ten minutes of hardcore skipping is the same as you running at a steady state on a treadmill for 20-25 minutes. In an hour you can burn well over a 1000 calories, with the ‘after burn’ (the calories burnt recovering) lasting up to 24 hours post exercise (2). This a sure way to get your abs popping out and on show. Impressed with these calorie burning figures?

You should be– jumping rope rips off stubborn fat all over your physique, and gets you lean in no time! They’re cheap to buy and you can use them anywhere. Although it will take time to master the rope, but when your shredded body is on show- you know it will be worth it!

Just for the record, this form of exercise has the following major benefits:

• It improves your speed and strength– lifting heavy is linked to burning more body fat
• You can work harder for longer- increases the total amount of body fat that you can burn
• You will look trimmer and have a better muscular tone– be in shape for the beach
• It improves cardiovascular health– which is an excellent way to prevent lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease
• It boosts your mental focus and concentration– keeping you motivated, linking your body and mind onto the task of shredding fat
• It develops balance, ability and coordination– this helps with injury prevention, a better performance in the gym and keeping you on track with your fat stripping goals.

The basic bounce step

Don’t try to run before you can walk! This is a mistake that made by many gym junkies when they start a jump rope regime. You need to master the bounce step, then all of the above benefits will fall into place. Practice does make perfect, follow these instructions and you will not go far wrong:

1) The grip

1. Don’t suffocate the handle and hold it too tightly
2. Wrap your hand around the handle with thumb/index finger slightly extended
3. You should be able to move your wrists freely.

2) The starting position

1. The length of the rope should be just above waist height
2. It should be in contact with the belly of your calf muscle
3. Keep your back straight and engage your core
4. Always have your head straight, shoulders square with eyes looking forward
5. Hold your arms forward slightly in a comfortable position (they should remain at waist height throughout the whole skipping cycle)
6. Elbows tucked in (there should be a slight tension)

3) The bounce step

1. From the starting position, use your wrists to pull it over your head (it should never be more than 2 inches above your head)
2. Never use your arms or shoulders to move it over your head (this should be done with your wrists)
3. Keep both of your feet together and jump
4. Push off the ball of your feet and clear the rope by about 2 inches
5. Don’t jump too high and avoid bringing your knees to your chest
6. Land with a slight bend of your knees, keeping on the balls of your feet throughout the whole cycle
7. Jump once per ‘jumping cycle’, this helps with timing and rhythm
8. Relax, breath and enjoy the ‘swoosh’

5 Jump rope variations for beginners

Once you have the basic bounce step in the bag, it is now time to progress your skipping skills; so that you can show off some new ‘moves’ in the gym! Don’t panic, they are still classed as ‘beginner’ moves but when pulled together properly, they look stylish and hot. However, remember that the bounce step is the ‘Godfather’ of all moves, the following variations all stem from it!

1) Alternative foot step

1. Stand tall on the ball of your feet, with the rope in the basic bounce step position
2. Jump with alternative feet (this is a similar leg action to jogging on the spot)
3. Lift your knees up slightly
4. Don’t kick your heels back
5. Always have a straight back and keep your core tight throughout.

2) Butt kicks

1. Stand on the balls of your feet, with feet hip width apart
2. When jumping over, bring one heel to your butt
3. Alternate heels to butt
4. Try to get a smooth rhythm going
5. Keep your cadence throughout the whole jump cycle.

3) Bell jumps

1. Stand up very straight and on the balls of your feet
2. When pulling over the head- jump 2 inches forwards
3. On the next cycle- jump 2 inches backwards
4. Repeat.

4) High knees

1. Stand tall, on the balls of your feet
2. Feet should be hip width apart
3. Begin to skip and bring one knee upwards towards your chest
4. Then once the alternative foot has made contact with the ground, bring the other knee up  towards your chest
5. Focus on the rhythm and remember to breathe.

5) Short Sprints

1. Make sure that you have enough room to perform a sprint
2. Start off with short distances and at a slower pace
3. Look to get it under your feet ( 2 inches) when moving
4. If the rope tangles, start off with the basic bounce step and begin the running motion again
5. Remember not to lean forward, keep your on the balls of your feet and head up
6. The speed comes from your wrists, this helps with a better balance and cadence when  performing a short sprint!

Fat Loss Workouts

To shift the weight from around your middle, whilst getting those abs shredded, try the following 2 work outs. Some suggestions are to perform the work outs as many times as possible, to really hammer the intensity (after you have developed your technique) and to master ‘work out 1′ first. Let’s get ready to bust some sexy moves:

Work Out 1

Work Out 2

Conclusion

Jumping rope is the ultimate fat burning tool, that burns a far higher number of calories than steady state cardio. It is also improves your stamina, speed, co-ordination , balance, muscular tone and cardiovascular health. The bounce step should be mastered before you move onto the alternative foot step, butt kicks, bell jumps, high knees and short sprints. All of these jump moves use a high number of big muscle groups, this increases the total number of calories that you burn and improves your chances of tearing off that stubborn body fat. If you want a sexy torso and abs popping out, then you should invest in a rope!