Your best $10 fitness investment

BY JASON JOHNSON

This $10 piece of exercise equipment will give you a better workout than a $2000 treadmill and won’t take up any space.

A jump rope! Jumping rope or skipping rope, as it’s sometimes referred to, is an excellent form of total body conditioning. I’m always a fan of getting the biggest bang for your buck in your workouts. Your goal should always be to work the most muscles and engage as many muscle fibers within the 1 exercise: enter the jump rope.

Buy Jump Rope, Look Like This

Jumping rope is a true form of TOTAL BODY conditioning. It works everything from your shoulders, chest, back, arms, abs, legs and all the way down to your calves and Achilles tendons. Ladies listen up: some suggest jumping rope is the best exercise to tone up your glutes. By working so many muscles within the 1 move, your heart rate and metabolism skyrockets and you burn more calories both during and after the exercise session. Again, this is our goal.

To get the most efficient workout. According to exercise research, a 10-minute jump rope session can be as effective as 30 minutes of jogging on a treadmill. According to the National Institutes of Health, you can burn between 750-1000 calories in 1 hour of jumping rope. Also, jumping rope is generally a safer form of cardio vs. running. With proper form, it’s much easier on your joints, specifically it’s much easier on your lower back and knees.

You probably haven’t jumped rope in a long time. Some probably haven’t done it since P.E classes in school. Some haven’t done it since they were a kid playing double dutch in the streets. Give it a try for your next form of exercise! It’s actually fun.

And brings out the kid in all of us. It might be a little frustrating at first, but with practice you’ll be able to skip without tripping up. In addition to burning a ton of calories, your overall balance and coordination will improve over time. If you’re the person constantly tripping over your own feet just walking to the mailbox, try jumping rope in your routine for about 3-4 weeks. You will notice better overall coordination.

Interesting, odd factoid: Jumping rope actually dates back to early human history. It has been said the ancient Egyptians used vines to jump over for various forms of exercise.

Let’s recap all of the benefits of jumping rope:

• Spend $10 and get a better workout than a $2000 treadmill
• Won’t take up any space. Where is your current treadmill. In your garage taking up space? In the guest bedroom being used a coat rack?
• 10 min’s of jumping rope=30 min’s of jogging
• Low impact. Is safer for your lower back, knees and ankles
• Works your entire body: shoulders, chest, back, arms, abs, legs, glutes, calves and Achilles tendons. Skyrockets your heart rate and metabolism.
• Great for improving your balance and coordination

So in the words of Kriss Kross you need to “Jump Jump” or as House of Pain said it, “Jump Around!” It’s great cardio!