Novice Jump Rope Routine
Welcome to case study number one where we look at a novice skipper and how to build a program that will work for someone with limited skipping experience.
Our subject for our first case study is Mark (yes, that is me). As the title suggests, I am a novice at jumping rope. I have always wanted to jump rope but never was able to get serious about it and add it into my weekly regiment of exercise. Part of my goal for this blog series was to learn about jump rope programming to be able to build myself a program that would be challenging yet modifiable for someone that is new to jumping rope. The major goals of the novice program are as follows:
Challenging enough to build fitness but not so hard to stress the joints associated with jumping (namely your ankles, knees, hips and back)
Give the opportunity for practice of skipping technique—being new, having lots a practice is key to honing technique that is required to become a competent skipper.
Fun—trying to make the task as fun as possible will help to keep the exercise in your regular routine.
The Breakdown for a Novice Routine:
With using the above goals, my skipping program uses intervals with rest periods. For my program I use 2 minute intervals of skipping followed by 30 seconds of rest. In terms of rounds I opted for 13 rounds making the entire workout a total of 32 minutes. For this workout I recommend utilizing a interval timer (there are dozens of free apps for both Android and Apple) but it can be completed using a clock with a seconds and minute hand if you prefer a little more old school method.
The great part of this simple workout is that is is easy to customize depending on your fitness and skill level. If you find that you are running out of breath you may lower the length of the work interval (say 1 minute and 30 seconds) or you can increase the rest interval (45 seconds to 1 minute). As you progress in your ability to skip you may increase the work interval and decrease the rest interval or add more total intervals.
The key thing to remember when your starting a new program is to challenge yourself but also to be kind and don't be afraid to make modifications that will allow you to be successful with your new activity. Part of making a program fun is that you can be successful at it and feel you can make progressions. The key is consistency and before long you will be able to skip each interval without any errors (my first goal!).
Thanks for reading and I hope you take the opportunity to add skipping to your own exercise routine!
