Skipping as a workout – does it work?

Most of us have skipped at some point in our lives, especially when we were younger on the playground with our friends. But what about skipping as a form of exercise? Is it a good way to lose weight? How long do you need to skip for and what’s the best way to go about doing it? 

Park all of those questions, because we’ve answered them all for you in this article. Read on for all you’ve ever wanted to know about skipping as a workout.

Is skipping rope exercise something that should feature in your workout regimes? Does it do anything more than get your heart rate up, depending on how fast you skip and how long for? 

The general consensus is that skipping can help you lose weight, although how much you lose and how rapidly varies from person to person. Not everybody skips at the same rate, for the same amount of time, or sticks with skipping for the same length of time either. Plus, the fact people’s initial weight, metabolism and calorie intake are different too. However, all of these variables doesn’t mean it’s not possible to lose weight. 

In fact, skipping exercise is widely hailed as being a great full body workout that most people can do. And when it comes to its ability to help you lose some pounds, the American Council on Exercise, says that a person who weighs 155 pounds can burn up to 420 calories from skipping for 30 minutes. The same amount of calories can be burnt by running for almost 8.5 miles in the same amount of time.¹ 

Skipping can help you lose weight How much you lose varies from person-to-person You can potentially burn the same amount of calories skipping as going for an 8.5 mile run

That all depends on your personal motivation for skipping. Is it to lose weight? Or do you see skipping as a way of making sure you’re doing some form of exercise? 

The NHS recommends adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week to stay healthy. Ideally, we should aim to be physically active every day. Any activity is better than none, and more is better still.² If you happen to enjoy skipping, then you may decide that skipping every day for 30 minutes or more is your chosen exercise. It’s entirely up to you, and your energy levels, as to how long your skipping sessions last for. 

Well, it all depends on if you’re a skipping novice or a seasoned skipper. If you’re just starting out with skipping rope workouts, then skip in 20 to 30 second bursts. And if you’ve been doing it for a while, try skipping in 60-second intervals.³ The more comfortable and confident you get with skipping, the longer you can do it. 

It’s best to start slow for shorter periods of time and build up to longer intervals. One way you can easily achieve this is by incorporating skipping into your workouts every other day. If you’re a beginner, aim for intervals of one to five minutes, around three times a week. More advanced exercisers should try 15 minutes and slowly build toward a 30-minute workout, three times a week. 

It is if you’re just getting into the swing of adding jump rope workouts to your usual exercise regime. Based on what we’ve just mentioned, 10 minutes of skipping is suitable for people, who are in between being new to skipping and a skipping pro. If you can complete 10 minutes or more of skipping just like that, without having to build up to it, then great. However, the recommended way of doing 10 minutes and above of skipping exercise is to work your way up. 

The NHS recommends adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week Skipping can be your main form of exercise or contribute towards your 150/75 minutes of active time If you’re new to skipping, try skipping in 20 to 30 second bursts and build up to 60-second intervals

Has all this talk of skipping exercise got you thinking you quite like the sound of doing some jump rope workouts? Here are 3 skipping rope workouts to get you started:⁸

What you’ll need: One 2-pound rope and one 1-pound rope. (If you only have one rope, that’s ok). 

Directions: Use the heavier rope for the first circuit, and the lighter rope for the second circuit. Rest for 30 seconds between the two circuits. This will take 11 minutes. 

The moves: 

Circuit 1 

Circuit 2 

What you’ll need: One 1-pound rope, one 1/2-pound rope, and one 1/4-pound rope. (It’s ok to have just one rope). 

Directions: Use the heaviest rope for the first circuit, the 1/2-pound rope for the second circuit, and the lightest rope for the third circuit. Rest for 30 seconds between each circuit. This will take 16 minutes.

The moves: 

Circuit 1 

• Basic jump (20 seconds), rest (40 seconds) 
• Squat jump (30 seconds), rest (30 seconds) 
• Basic jump (20 seconds), rest (40 seconds) 
• Mountain climber (30 seconds), rest (30 seconds) 
• Basic jump (20 seconds), rest (40 seconds) 

Circuit 2 

What you’ll need: One 1/4-pound rope and one 1/2-pound rope. (If you only have one rope, that’s ok). 

Directions: Use the lighter rope for the first and third circuits, and the heavier rope for the second circuit. Rest for 20 seconds after the first circuit and 30 seconds after the second circuit. This will take 16 minutes. 

The moves:

Circuit 1 

Circuit 2 

• Freestyle jump (40 seconds), rest (20 seconds) 
• Repeat five times total 

Circuit 3 

• Freestyle jump (30 seconds), rest (30 seconds) 
• Repeat five times total

Skipping is an exercise most of us can do that delivers a whole host of benefits, ranging from boosting cardiovascular health and strengthening your knees, to helping burn calories and shedding some extra pounds. And the beauty of it is, we can make our skipping exercises as steady or intense as we like, and still feel some form of benefit from them! Skipping is one of those exercises you can do inside or out. 

For more indoor exercise inspiration, check out this article, ‘5 exercises that you can do indoors.’