Food & Fitness Friday: Jump Rope

If you're looking to push your calorie burning, fat-busting HIIT workouts to the next level, you should start skipping.

Not days in the gym, of course. Just skip out on the weights in favor of one of the most efficient pieces of equipment you probably laying around: the jump rope.

If you haven't picked up a rope since your elementary school days, never fear: This isn't just a kid's toy. The mindless, simple activity of your youth is actually one of the best ways you can take your HIIT workout to the next level.

Skipping rope is one of the most effective cardio exercises around, per a study that found just 10 minutes a day with the rope was comparable to 30 minutes of jogging. Experts tout the activity's benefits as a certifiable full body workout that promotes good heart health, too.

Grown-up skipping is focused on speed and coordination, so leave your slow schoolyard pace behind. Here's a quick explainer on how you should approach your skips.

Once you have the basics of the jump rope down, use it in your training as a warm up or a stand in for the cardio routine you've found yourself skipping most often. Even though the rope is more engaging than logging miles on the treadmill, you should still keep yourself focused by doing more than just a set period of time or a fixed number of skips, so check out this countdown workout to get started.

Skip on both feet for 10 skips, then shift to your right foot for 10 skips, then your left for 10 skips. Go back to both feet for 9 skips, then right and left for 9 each. Keep dropping a rep until you hit zero.

Or

You get the kids involved! Pick your 5 favorite songs and jump the entire song take a 1 min break and then go to the next song until all 5 have played!!!

Happy jumping!

katie