While it isn’t recess and you might not be a kid anymore, that doesn’t mean you can’t still get the benefits of jumping rope. Many movements, sports, and activities from our childhood provide a wealth of health benefits and are worth continuing even when we become busy adults. For example, squatting builds your quads and, especially, your lower body strength, and kiddos do it all the time.
If you look at the playground, you’ll see kids pulling themselves up on the monkey bars, and while they aren’t counting their reps, they’re definitely pulling up their bodyweight and getting a good workout in. Happy children run around, play, and move their muscles often. Jumping rope is another playground classic that I remember being a fun and active part of my childhood. Let’s take it old school and check out the proven benefits of jumping rope for adults. Time to grab a rope.
What are the benefits of jumping rope?
Here are some of the evidence-based reasons why you should jump rope.
Increase your heart rate and burn calories
Jumping rope ramps up your heart rate and gets those calories burning. It’s a fun way to boost your cardiorespiratory fitness, which is good news for your heart health and metabolism. According to the Cleveland Clinic, depending on your pace, on average, you can burn around 100 calories jumping rope for just 10 minutes, which is a pretty efficient workout, especially for those with the goal of losing weight.
Fine-tune your coordination and balance
Researchers have found that regularly jumping rope enhances your balance and coordination.
Better bone density
Interesting research reveals jumping rope could strengthen bones. As your bones make a small impact landing after each jump, your body adapts and strengthens your bones over time.
Boost your brain power, attention, and cognition
Researchers found that long-rope jumping lowered anxiety levels and boosted cognition and attention, showing effects on brain function.
Improve your heart health and VO2 max
Researchers concluded that this simple exercise kids enjoy on the school playground can significantly enhance heart health by increasing heart rate, improving VO2 max, and boosting cardiovascular endurance. These are the long-term benefits when you pick up that rope.
Improve standing long jump performance
In an eight-week study, skipping rope notably improved the velocity of the center gravity at take-off and landing, and enhanced standing long jump performance and overall athletic performance.
