Skipping or skipping rope is something that doesn’t need to be limited to younger exercisers. In fact, many adults can find that skipping adds a little variation to their boring old exercise routines and can help add some fun to their workout regime. However, there are plenty of things that you will want to learn about skipping before you try it.
Choosing the correct size skipping rope
While it seems easy enough, there is more to skipping than meets the eye. If you’ve ever picked up a jump rope after a long period of time, you already understand this notion. Skipping requires a lot of coordination as well as patience in learning how to time your body to move along with the jump rope.
To start, you will want to choose a jump rope that fits your body. You can do this by taking the handles of the jump rope in both hands and stepping on the middle of the rope itself. If there is a lot of extra rope when your hands are lifted to your sides, you will want to either find a shorter jump rope or double up the jump rope around your hands to make the length shorter. If you have a longer rope, you may end up tripping over it.
Next, you will want to be in an area where you will not be hitting the ceiling with the jump rope as you are skipping. You will also want to be wearing suitable tennis shoes that will protect your feet as they land.
Take the rope in both hands and move it up and over your head and under your feet as you jump to allow this to happen. Start off slowly to get the hang of it, and then slowly increase your speed. As you progress, you can move your feet in different directions, spin around, and even cross your arms are you are skipping. But for the beginning, keep it simple.
What are the benefits of skipping?
There are many benefits to skipping, including:
- Increased cardiovascular fitness
- Increased coordination
- Increased muscle tone
- Weight loss
- Improvement in endurance
It’s no wonder that so many professional athletes do skipping as a part of their regular workout routines. As you move faster, you can get a great aerobic workout without a lot of equipment or training needed.
How to skip correctly
However, there’s more to skipping than jumping up and down. You will want to keep your body straight and upright throughout the movement so that you’re not straining your lower back or legs.
You will also want to keep your knees slightly bent so as to keep pressure off of them. Looking straight forward can help you to keep your balance throughout the movements, while pretending that your head it attached to a rope from the ceiling can keep your beck from getting tired.
Skipping is a great way to bring aerobic exercise with you, no matter where you go. With its fun movements and small investment, you can start skipping today.
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