Jumping rope is a fantastic way to get your heart rate up, and it burns between 9 and 15 calories per minute (depending on your bodyweight, gender, body fat percentage, etc).

This simple cardio tool engages almost all of the body’s muscles, including the glutes, quads, triceps, biceps, lower back, abs, deltoids and obliques. The exact muscle groups that you target will depend on what kind of styles of jumping rope you utilize.

At around only $10 for this extremely portable cardio tool, it is a fantastic way to blast calories and tone up with minimal equipment.


How to choose the best jump rope for fat loss?

There are a number of things you want to consider when shopping around for this piece of equipment – they might be cheap, but buying 10 flimsy, ineffective versions before you happen across the best jump rope that works for you is still a waste of money. Here’s the checklist to run through to find a product that works:

Length - Obviously, you want a length that’s going to work for your height and arm length. When you stand on the middle of the rope with both feet, the handles should come up to about your armpits. There are adjustable jump ropes out there, which can be ideal if more than one person in the house is going to be using it (or if you are going to leave it for use in a public gym).

Weight and material- If it is made of a very light material, it can make it harder to get the rope to do rotations. That’s not necessarily a deal breaker, just something to keep in mind for how you intend to use it. A leather jump rope would be long lasting and heavier in weight, making it easier to rotate, while a thin plastic one might take more work from the upper body to make each revolution.

Handle material and grip - You want one that is comfortable to hold onto, you don’t want to get hand cramping because the handle is not padded or cushioned, and you also don’t want blisters from repeated rotations.

Other features to consider - A few of the many other design options are weighted handles, handles with ball bearings to make rotations smoother, soft foam handles, digital calorie counting jump ropes, those made with plastic beads, and more.


When you jump rope…

Be aware of the surface you jump on: You want to stay off of unforgiving surfaces such as concrete or asphalt. This is a pretty high impact exercise and with hundreds or thousands of landings in one workout, you want to make sure that you aren’t subjecting your joints to repetitive and overly brutal impacts each time your feet touch the ground.

The surface should also be even, and free of things to trip over or catch with the rotating rope.


Wear proper shoes while you do this cardio: Shoes that are meant for running or jogging should provide ample impact absorption. Doing a workout over a few minutes long barefoot can lead to sore knees and hip joints.


Time your workout: Time can feel like it’s going a bit slower when you’re huffing and puffing for air and your calf muscles are screaming at you. Set a timer or watch a clock while you’re doing jump rope workouts so you don’t mistake your 90 seconds of exercise as nine or 10 minutes.

On the flipside, just a few minutes at a time of this kind of cardio adds up and can make a significant difference in your metabolism and bodyweight and composition. The key would be to do those short intervals multiple times throughout the day. A timer can help keep you disciplined about pushing through the length of workout that you are striving for.


Turn on some music to keep yourself motivated: Music that you enjoy can help break up the monotony of any workout. Turn on tunes that you enjoy to help keep you motivated through your entire workout routine and it will also distract you from fatigued muscles and lungs.