Jump Rope Workout: Intervals Equal Fat Loss

Interval Cardio Training and Jump Rope Workout….

by Callie Durbrow

What’s up everyone? I hope that you are doing great and you are well on your way to achieving your fat loss goals. Even when you get to that point that you are looking great, feeling great and your friends are asking what you’ve been up to…there is always more work to do.

If you have been reading my posts for a while or if you work out with me on a regular basis you know one thing….I hate cardio. When I say this, I guess that I mean I hate cardio the way it’s typically done. You know what I’m saying, you jump on the elliptical trainer or one of those stupid stair steppers (not the real stair climbers, those are actually pretty brutal). So you’re on the machine and you’re doing your 45 minutes of cardio in the “fat burning” zone and watching Oprah give away some rediculous prize to her whole audience. Okay so that part is cool, but the workout, not so much…

First of all, I want to let you know about this fat burning zone. I think most people are over this but it still lingers a bit. The whole idea is that when your body is working at really, really low intensities it uses fat as it’s main source of fuel. So when the machine says “fat burning zone” it’s going to keep your body at a really low intensity for the duration of the workout. The problem here is that you don’t burn very many calories. Yes, you might burn fat but it’s all relative because we’re also focused on what your body is doing AFTER the workout. So you might have burned 100 calories in your “zone” but think of how many calories you could burn in a full-body, intense interval training session that takes much less time and cranks up your metabolism so that you are burning them for up to 36 hours after you’re actually done working out.

One way to get a great fat burning workout that will help you tone and lose weight is to break out the old jump rope. Yeah I know, you probably haven’t jumped rope since middle school and I’m sure that somehow you remember those cheesy little songs too….trust me, your body will remember the movement pretty quick.

Seriously though, jumping rope is an awesome way to help your body lose fat, get toned up and break out of the boring “cardio” workout routine.  This workout will take less than 20 minutes and will really crank up your metabolism so that your body is ready to burn fat efficiently and at all times.

This is going to be something new for those of you that are still in the mind-set of more is better when it comes to cardio. That’s true in a way…more intensity is better, not necessarily duration. If you really want to get toned and athletic then check out these fat burning jump rope workouts…

Technique:

1. Find the right sized jump rope. If you stand on the rope with your feet together and holding one handle in each hand, pulling the rope straight along your body, the handles should sit directly under the arm pits. This is the correct size.
2. Focus on little or no movements from the upper body. The jump rope workout does not involve a lot of swinging from the shoulders. Focus on just rotating your wrists.
3. Your jumps should be small and quick. Get your feet off the floor as soon as the rope rotates and hits the ground
4. Foot patterns can be both feet together, alternating, front and back, side to side or single leg (mix these up for variety, more calorie burn and weight loss)

Jump Rope Routines:

1. Jump for 1 minute, rest for 1 minute and repeat this 8-10 times, increasing up to 12 as your fitness improves
2. Jump for 2 minutes, rest for 1 minute (this is more advanced) and repeat this 8-10 times
3. Jump for 5 minutes and rest for 2 minutes, repeat this 3 times

Jumping rope benefits your entire body, tones your legs, improves your heart functioning and most of all, helps your body boost it’s metabolism to burn fat effectively without the long, slow and boring cardio workouts at the gym. Plus, you can do this anywhere (I wouldn’t recommend this if you live on the 3rd floor though, cause your neighbors might start banging on the ceiling. I’m just saying)

So kick start those fat loss workouts with a jump rope routine 1-2 times a week in addition to healthy eating and strength training for ultimate fat loss results.