With all the different workouts and exercises you can do with a jump rope; it can be difficult to figure out what the best workout is to reach your goals. That’s why I’ve created a tailored workout for each set of goals.
For anyone looking to lose weight, achieve greater abdominal definition, or strengthen their calves, I’ve got a specific workout for you. I’ve even got a workout exclusively for Beginners, as well as Boxers.
Each of these workouts can be performed with virtually any skill level. However, some of the jump rope movements may be a bit more advanced for some of you.
If you struggle to perform any of the jump rope tricks or movements, just swap them out with the basic jump.
Additionally, it’s always best to consult your doctor before beginning any new workout or exercise.
“This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!”
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s jump into it!
Jump Rope Workout for Weight Loss (Duration: 30 minutes)
Jumping rope is one of the best exercises for weight loss. This is because jumping rope burns more calories than most other cardio exercises. And, for a workout focused solely on weight loss, calories burned is the key indicator of success.
To get a better idea of how jumping rope stacks up against other cardio exercises, look at the following chart. As you can see, jumping rope and running are the most efficient forms of cardio.
While running can be great, I prefer jumping rope. It is more convenient, easier on my body, and works both my upper and lower body.
So, grab your jump rope and let’s get after it!
Goal:
The goal from this jump rope workout is to lose weight. We want to burn as many calories as we can, in as little time as possible. The more calories we can burn, the more likely we will hit our weight loss goals.
Warm-up:
To get started, we’re going to do a quick and light warm up. This shouldn’t take you more than a couple minutes. The warm-up includes 4 different movements.
- Toe Touches (30 sec)
- Jumping Jacks (20 reps)
- Forward Lunges (12 reps each side)
- Arm Circles (30 sec)
Workout:
For this workout, it’s important to keep your pace and energy high. The goal here is to keep your heart rate elevated, about 70% – 80% of your max heart rate. Additionally, make sure to limit the amount of downtime between rounds.
You shouldn’t take more than 90 seconds to rest, between rounds.
I’ve broken this workout up into 6 rounds. Each round should take you about 4 minutes, with roughly 60-90 seconds of rest between each round. The workout itself includes a total of 3 exercises.
One round (repeat for 6 rounds):
- Exercise 1: Jump Rope High Knees (2 minutes)
- Exercise 2: Burpees (15 reps)
- Exercise 3: Jump Rope Crossovers (1 minute)
- Rest: 60-90 seconds (between rounds)
Jump Rope Workout for Abs (Duration: 30 minutes)
One of the great things about jumping rope is it works the entire body, including the abdominal muscles. It’s also a great exercise to burn calories, which can help burn fat and make your abdominal muscles appear more defined.
That said, this workout is best paired with a clean, healthy diet.
Working out alone will not give you the abs you’re likely looking for. Your diet will be equally important, if not more important, than the exercises you’re doing in the gym.
If you’re looking for some guidance on how to get your diet in check, look no further than intermittent fasting. I won’t go into much detail here, but I highly recommend checking out our article on the subject.
That, paired with this jump rope abs workout, was a game changer for me!
Goal:
The goal from this jump rope workout is to strengthen our core (abdominal muscles). Additionally, as a secondary goal, we want to burn as many calories as possible, helping our abs appear more defined.
Warm-up:
To get started, we’re going to do a quick warm-up and stretch out some of the muscles we’ll be utilizing in this workout. This shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes. The warm-up includes 4 different movements.
- Quad Stretch (20 sec each leg)
- Jumping Jacks (20 reps)
- Supermans (30 sec)
- Cat-Cow Stretch (30 sec)
Workout:
Once you’re warmed up, grab your jump rope and get started.
The goal with this workout is to keep your core engaged during every exercise, including while you’re jumping rope. You want to literally focus on keeping your abdominal muscles contracted.
The workout itself is made up of 5 different exercises and broken up into 5 total rounds. Between each round you’ll have the opportunity to rest for 60-90 seconds.
That said, try to keep limited downtown between each exercise. You should be moving from one exercise to the next, as quickly as possible.
One round (repeat for 5 rounds):
- Exercise 1: Jump Rope Crossovers (1 minute)
- Exercise 2: Bicycle Crunches (20 reps)
- Exercise 3: Jump Rope High Knees (1 minute)
- Exercise 4: Mountain Climbers (20 reps each leg)
- Exercise 5: Flutter Kicks (25 reps each leg)
- Rest: 60-90 seconds (between rounds)
Jump Rope Workout for Calves (Duration: 30 minutes)
The jump rope is one of the best tools to help build strength and definition in your calves. Especially when paired with some simple calf exercises. This jump rope workout is specifically designed to help you do that.
If you came looking for a workout like this, then you probably know how difficult it is to build size and definition in your calf muscles. You’ve likely been told “it’s all genetics, bro” …or “there’s nothing you can do about it”.
While it’s not easy, the truth is you can absolutely do something about it.
To see growth in your calves you need to stress the calf muscles enough to cause that muscle tissue to break down. The regrowth (or repair) of that muscle tissue is how you’ll build stronger and larger calves.
This is done through a combination of high-rep and heavy weight calf exercises.
The following workout has done wonders for the aesthetics of my calves and is, to this day, one of my favorite jump rope workouts.
Goal:
The goal from this jump rope workout is to work the calf muscles from a variety of different angles, using both light and heavy weight exercises, to cause muscle hypertrophy in the calves. Aesthetically, the goal is to stimulate growth and size in the calves.
Warm-up:
To get started, we’re going to do a quick warm-up to prepare some of the muscles we’ll be utilizing in this workout. The warm-up is entirely focused on the lower body, particularly the calves and hamstrings. This warm-up includes 4 movements and shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes.
- Wall Calf Stretch (20 sec each calf)
- Knee Hug (20 sec each leg)
- Toe Touches (30 sec)
- Jumping Jacks (20 reps)
Workout:
Once you have warmed up, grab your jump rope and get started.
The focus of this workout is entirely on the legs, particularly the calves. The workout includes both jump rope calf exercises, as well as some weight calf exercises.Q
This workout is best done using either dumbbells or a standing calf machine. Many of you probably won’t have access to either of those. If you don’t have access to weights, just use your body weight and double the reps for exercise.
The workout itself includes 5 rounds and each round is comprised of 5 different exercises. Each round should take you about 5 minutes and then allow for a 60-90 second break between rounds.
As mentioned with some of the workouts above, transition between each exercise as quickly as possible, and limit the downtime between rounds.
Let’s get after it!
One round (repeat for 5 rounds):
- Exercise 1: Jump Rope Scissor Step (1 minute)
- Exercise 2: Standing Calf Raises (20 reps/heavy weight)
- Exercise 3: Jump Rope In & Outs (1 minute)
- Exercise 4: Standing Calf Raises (20 reps/heavy weight)
- Exercise 5: Jump Rope Scissor Step (1 minute)
- Rest: 60-90 seconds (between rounds)
Jump Rope Workout for Boxers (Duration: 45 minutes)
Jumping rope and Boxing go together, everyone knows that. And there’s a reason for that. Jumping rope is one of the best tools to train your footwork, hand-eye coordination, and increase your overall conditioning.
This workout does all of that, and more!
Through a combination of shadow boxing, jumping rope, and body weight exercises, this workout will enable you to train like a Boxer.
The workout is a bit longer than the others and puts an emphasis on training some of the basic Boxing fundamentals, like shadow boxing and footwork. If you find the workout is too long, try reducing the total number of rounds.
Let’s get after it!
Goal:
The goal from this jump rope workout is to train like a real-life Boxer! The skills utilized in this workout are conditioning, footwork, and hand-eye coordination. Additionally, as a secondary goal, we will be learning proper boxing form (via shadow boxing).
Warm-up:
To get started, we’re going to do a quick warm up to get your blood pumping and warm up the muscles utilized in this workout. This warm-up consists of 4 exercises, utilizing both the upper and lower body. It shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes.
- Arm Circles (30 sec)
- Jumping Jacks (20 reps)
- Forward Lunges (15 reps each leg)
- Quad Stretch (20 sec each leg)
Workout:
Once you’re warmed up, grab your jump rope and let’s get started!
The focus of this workout is to keep your energy and pace high. We want to get a good sweat, while also working on some boxing fundamentals. The workout includes a variety of different movements, including shadow boxing and some body weight exercises.
The workout is broken up into 5 rounds. Each round will take you about 7 minutes, followed by a 2-minute rest between rounds.
Each round includes 2 minutes of shadow boxing, followed by a combination of jump rope exercises and body weight movements.
Make sure to move from exercise to exercise as quickly as possible and limit your downtime between rounds. You want to try and keep your heart rate elevated throughout the entire workout and burn as many calories as possible.
One round (repeat for 5 rounds):
- Shadow Box (2 minutes)
- Exercise 1: Jump Rope Boxer Step (1 minute)
- Exercise 2: Burpees (12 reps)
- Exercise 3: Jump Rope Double-Unders (1 minute)
- Exercise 4: Bicycle Crunches (40 reps)
- Exercise 5: Jump Rope Boxer Step (1 minute)
- Rest: 2 minutes (between rounds)
Jump Rope Workout for Beginners (Duration: 20 minutes)
Last, but definitely not least, is a jump rope workout for beginners.
This workout is perfect for anyone new to jumping rope. If you’re still learning how to jump rope, or you recently learned, this is going to be the workout for you.
Additionally, this is a great workout for anyone that’s currently out of shape or looking to get back in shape. It’s relatively short and doesn’t require as much effort as some of these other exercises.
The primary focus of this workout is to apply the skills you learned while getting a solid workout.
Given you may be new to jumping rope or been a while since you’ve been in the gym, mistakes are likely to be made. If you find yourself making mistakes or tripping over your rope, don’t allow yourself to get frustrated. It’s completely normal.
Be patient with yourself and try to enjoy the process.
Goal:
The goal from this jump rope workout is practice your jump rope skills while focusing on good form and fundamentals. In addition to practicing our skills, we will break a sweat and burn some calories.
Warm-up:
To get started, we’re going to perform a simple warm-up to get the body moving and stretch out some of the muscles utilized in this workout. The workout itself primarily targets the lower body, as does this warm-up. It shouldn’t take you more than a couple minutes to complete.
- Quad Stretch (20 sec each leg)
- Toe Touches (30 sec)
- Wall Calf Stretch (20 sec each leg)
- Forward Lunges (12 reps each let)
Workout:
Once you feel loose and warmed up, grab your jump rope and let’s begin.
The focus of this workout is to apply your new jump rope skills while remembering to practice good form and fundamentals. If you need a refresher, check out our 21 Tips for Jumping Rope.
The most critical of these fundamentals are keeping your knees slightly bent, staying on the balls of your feet, keeping your elbows tucked to your side, wrists pointed outwards, and maintaining good posture as you jump.
The workout itself is simple. We’re not doing anything too fancy or advanced, which will allow you to focus on the important stuff… the basics!
Outside of that, just try to keep a good pace. If you mess up or trip over your rope, that’s okay. Just pick up where you left off and keep going.
The workout is broken up into 4 rounds. Each round consists of 4 exercises and should take you about 4 minutes to complete. Between each round, you’ll rest for 60-90 seconds.
It’s easy, don’t overthink it!
One round (repeat for 4 rounds):
- Exercise 1: Jump Rope Basic Jump (90 sec)
- Exercise 2: Burpees (10 reps)
- Exercise 3: Jump Rope Basic Jump (90 sec)
- Exercise 4: Mountain Climbers (20 reps each leg)
- Rest: 60-90 seconds (between rounds)
Jump Rope Workout Benefits
With all the different cardio exercises out there, it can be difficult to choose the one best suited to meet your needs and fitness goals.
And everyone’s situation is different.
For certain individuals dealing with injuries, swimming may make the most sense. For others, running may be the most enjoyable. Regardless of the type of cardio you decide to partake in, they each have their own pros and cons.
Jumping rope has always made the most sense for me. It’s easy on my body, specifically my knees, it burns a ton of calories, it’s super convenient… there are a variety of reasons why jumping rope is my preferred cardio.
I figured it would be helpful to share some of those benefits here.
I won’t cover every benefit of a jump rope workout, and the ones I do cover will be more of a quick summary. If you’d like more info, our Jump Rope Benefits article covers all the benefits and the science associated with each of them.
Let’s go!
Burns Calories
One of the greatest things about jump rope workouts is how effective they are at burning calories.
There are very few exercises that come close to burning as many calories as the jump rope. If you look at the chart above (top of the article), you’ll see that running is the only other exercise that burns as many calories as jumping rope.
This means you’re able to workout for less time and see similar results, especially in terms of weight loss.
For me, this is one of the most important aspects of a workout. I have a remarkably busy schedule, as I’m sure a lot of you do, too. I need to keep my workouts as efficient as possible, otherwise there’s a chance I don’t workout at all.
Even if you only jump rope a couple times a week, the number of calories you’re able to burn can make a big difference towards your weight loss goals and ideal aesthetic.
Low Impact Exercise
Another huge benefit from a jump rope workout is how easy the exercise is on your body.
Believe it or not, jumping rope is actually a low-impact exercise. When done properly, the weight from your body is loaded onto your muscles and bones as opposed to your joints. Not only does this help strengthen those muscles but it prevents injury.
This isn’t necessarily the case with a lot of other cardio options.
Running, for example, can be really hard on the joints and ligaments in the knees. This is why I had to stop running all together. My knees started becoming really sore after as little as a 1–2-mile jog.
Longevity, especially as we get into our 20’s and 30’s, is something we need to think more about. What exercises can I do to reap the most benefit while taking as little risk as possible?
Jumping rope is a great option if you’re experience difficulty with running or jogging. Swimming, cycling, and rowing are other great options as well.
Convenient
Convenience is such an important aspect to building a consistent workout program or regimen. If it’s not convenient, it’s going to be extremely hard to sustain for the long-term.
One of the great things about jump rope workouts is how convenient they are!
I will often climb out of bed and jump rope in my room or out on the back porch. This ability to get my cardio in, first thing in the morning, has been instrumental to my weight loss.
Another nice thing about jump rope workouts is they don’t require a gym membership to perform. In fact, they don’t require a gym at all. You can pick up a solid jump rope for less than $30, and that’s a one-time cost!
Seriously, it’s hard to come by such a convenient and low-cost form of exercise these days!
Improves Heart Health
Jump rope workouts are one of the easiest ways to improve the health and function of your heart.
And, while this isn’t exclusive to jumping rope, jumping rope is one of the best cardiovascular exercises to increase your heart rate. Which is required for a healthier heart and cardiovascular system.
It’s been shown that people who participate in rigorous activity, for as little as 2 days per week, have a 50% lower risk of having a coronary event, like a heart attack.
Rigorous activity, by the way, is defined as increasing your heart rate to about 70% – 85% of its maximum.
Jumping rope is one of the few exercises which enable you to get your heart rate up that high, in such a short amount of time.
To figure out what your target heart rate is, take a look at the following chart.
Builds Stronger Bones
Another huge benefit associated with jump rope workouts is its ability to strengthen your bones.
This is especially impactful for younger children going through puberty as it can significantly reduce their risk of osteoporosis later in life.
As mentioned earlier in this article, jumping rope is a low-impact exercise. Instead of the weight being loaded onto your joints, your muscles and bones absorb the impact from each jump. The absorption of that weight, by your bones, is what strengthens them over time.
This has been shown in a variety of studies.
Given that after the age of 35 our bone mineral density starts to decrease, it’s imperative that we do everything we can to protect and strengthen our bones. Jump rope workouts are one of the best ways of doing that!