When you enter a professional boxing gym you are likely to hear the sound the sound of a fast skipping rope somewhere in background of the symphony of noise created by all the punching bags and bells that boxers use to train with. One might be tempted to think that the latest generation of high-tech exercise equipment has made jumping rope obsolete, but the opposite would be more correct. No matter how many new pieces of exercise equipment and new fitness routines have been developed, the venerable jump rope is still a staple in every boxer’s conditioning program because boxers and many other pro athletes know that jump rope training will enhance coordination agility quickness footwork and endurance as well, or better than any other single exercise regimen known today.
Jumping rope could be the single most effective and inexpensive way to get in shape and burn calories at the same time. Jumping rope is easy to learn and you can burn up to 1000 calories per hour if you work at it. It is also portable, private, affordable, and relatively quiet. Any exercise activity that can make claims like those obviously has a lot going for it, and the benefits don’t stop there either. Testing has shown that jumping rope helps develop lean muscles in all of the major muscle groups in both the upper and lower body areas. Jumping rope can also improve cardiovascular conditioning and maximize any athletic skill requiring agility, coordination, timing, endurance.
Exercising with a jump rope is entirely self regulated and allows a person to workout at their own individual pace which means people of all skill levels can enjoy exercising and reaching their own levels of endurance. Jumping rope can also be a lot of fun because of the variety it offers. Even for beginners, jumping rope promotes creativity and allows very flexible and varied workout routines. There is not much that can compare with the equipment required and the costs involved. Jumping rope is one of the most accessible items of fitness equipment on the market today, and as a result, you will find them in use at nearly every gym and health club in the nation.
In addition to jumping rope at the gym, jumping rope is also a perfect exercise for traveling exercise fans, since you can carry a rope with you just about anywhere you need to go. Jump rope is also a great way to get young children to exercise more often because it is a fun exercise game and kids will get a cardio workout while increasing their skills and self-esteem at the same time. Jumping rope also has the advantage of being one of the few types of exercise that the whole family can do together anywhere there is enough space.
Those exercise fans that simply cannot get enough high-tech fitness equipment in their lives and think that the simple, old fashioned jump rope is just too primitive, now have a new high-tech toy they can play with in the form of an electronic, ropeless jump rope. Major sporting goods retailers are now beginning to stock the $59.95 ropeless jump rope that allows users to skip rope without the possibility of getting the rope caught in their feet. The ropeless rope handles feature controls that allow users to input their height and weight into the device, and an LCD readout conveniently displays the calories burned, number of jump repetitions, and elapsed time. The electronic ropeless jump rope further reduces the space required to enjoy the only exercise that is beneficial for your cardiovascular system, exerts less stress on the knees than jogging, strengthens the arms and shoulders, and burns as many calories as running an eight minute mile.
