If you are looking for a workout equipment that costs less than RM10, portable enough to be carried anywhere, can be shared with family members and friends, also enhance cardiovascular fitness while bulking up muscle, a jump rope is the answer. A jump rope, also known as skipping rope, is a tool used in the jumping rope or skipping exercise, in which one or more individuals jump over a rope swung under their feet and over their heads. Jump ropes come in a variety of type including basic rope, speed rope, weighted rope, beaded rope and the list goes on. Jumping rope exercise has numerous advantages, ranging from weight loss to severe diseases prevention such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Therefore, here are several benefits of jumping rope exercise including burn calories effectively, strengthen the bone and improve coordination of the body.
To begin with, jumping rope is an effective way to lose calories in a short amount of time. Jumping rope is classified as a thermogenics exercise which means that it generates a lot of heat in your body since it engages most of the main muscle groups. To generate this energy, your body must burn more fuel, which results in a large number of calories being burned. According to celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels, founder of The Jillian Michaels Fitness App, jumping rope burns more calories than any steady-state cardio, such as rowing, jogging, walking, and swimming. According to Science Daily, this aerobic exercise will also reach a “burn rate” of up to 1300 calories per hour, with around 0.1 calories burn per hop. Jumping rope for ten minutes is approximately equal to running a mile in eight minutes. Evidently, jumping rope is one of the most effective forms of exercise when it comes to burning calories compared to other cardio exercises.
Subsequently, jumping rope exercise is able to increase the bone mineral density hence strengthens your bones. Bone density is a measurement of bone strength; the more nutrients, such as calcium, in your bones, the less brittle and prone they are to crack. According to a report, published in the Public Library of Science in 2017, girls aged 11 to 14 who engaged in weekly jump roping had higher bone density than those who did not jump rope. Moreover, during the jumping rope exercise, you are putting more pressure on the bones than most other forms of exercise. When the body is under tension, it remodels the bone to make it thicker and denser. However, patients with serious osteoporosis and those who have previously fractured a bone should use extreme care. High-impact exercise or activity, notably jumping rope, can trigger compression fractures in the spine, as well as wrist and other bone fractures if undesirable scenario such as falling while doing so. Thus, you should seek for medical advices from a certified doctor before doing this exercise.
A part from that, the jumping rope’s steady cadence and tempo can help improve coordination between your eyes, feet, and hands. Based on a research reported in the Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology in 2017, jumping rope helped autistic children improve their motor coordination and balance, which they often struggle with. Jump rope sometimes seems simple and straightforward, but the process of constantly twisting the rope around the body while jumping at precisely the right moment for the rope to clear the feet necessitates the whole body in synchronization for an extended period of time. Furthermore, this exercise necessarily requires a high level of coordination, particularly as you progress to more advanced moves. For instance, Boxer Skip, Criss Cross, Double Under and Double Under Criss Cross. Finding the rhythm does take practice, but once you do, it is as if you have discovered your physical potential. Additionally, this exercise also involves rapid tapping motion of the feet up and down. During the jumping rope exercise, you are moving your feet up and down with a swift tapping motion. As a result, it is ideal for sports like basketball, boxing, and soccer, which require constant changes of direction. As well as any other sport that necessitates a great deal of full-body coordination.
To sum up, there are numerous benefits of jumping rope exercise which are burn calories effectively, strengthen the bone and improve coordination of the body. So, here are some tips and advice that may be helpful to those who are interested in including the jumping rope exercise as a part of their workout routine. First, do not forget the warm up and cool down session before and after the exercise, respectively. Spending about five to ten minutes for each session should be enough to help reduce muscle pain or soreness after exercising. Secondly, it is crucial to choose the right shoes. A decent pair of shoes will cushion your feet so you do not hurt or injure yourself. Thirdly, ever do this exercise on a slippery mat to prevent unpleasant situations like slipping and causing a bad injury. Last but not least, take your time. It is impossible to turn yourself into an expert jump roper within a day. Begin by going at a slow and steady pace. Then, subtly and gradually increase the pace day by day. Remember, Rome was not built in a day!
