Conditioning Exercises for Rope Jumpers

Peek into a boxing gym and you’ll see muscle-bound men skipping rope as if they're in a playground. Jumping rope is a total-body aerobic workout that strengthens your body while conditioning your heart. Repetitive hopping helps you to develop agility, coordination, speed and endurance. Conditioning exercises for rope jumpers can help to strengthen your legs, increase mobility and improve coordination.

  1. Squat, Hurdle and Lunge

    • When jumping rope, you use three key movements -- squat, lunge and hurdle -- according to strength and conditioning coach for the National Football League Greg Cook in “Athletic Body in Balance.” For the two-legged jump, you move in and out of a shallow squat. In other types of jumping, you’ll scissor or stagger your legs and use one dominant leg. Perform squats and various lunges -- forward, lateral or walking -- to build your legs. For example, begin a bodyweight squat by standing with feet shoulder-width apart and slightly turned out 10 to 15 degrees. Extend your arms in front of you. Inhale to brace your core and back. Exhale and slowly sink into a squat until your knees are bent at 90 degrees. Keep your knees aligned over your toes. Inhale and return to starting position.

    Speed via Circuit

    • Organize leg strengthening exercises as a circuit to improve endurance for rope jumping. For example, perform a circuit consisting of 10 reps of bodyweight squats, five reps of lunges on each leg, five reps of alternating step-ups per leg on a 14-inch box and five squat jumps. The objective is speed in which you aim to perform one rep per second, according, to “Athletic Development: The Art & Science of Functional Sports Conditioning” by Vern Gambetta. Perform three circuits, resting 30 seconds between exercises and a minute between circuits. As your endurance improves, increase the number of reps and try completing each circuit with no rest between the exercises.

    Mimic a Kangaroo

    • Rope jumping is a low level plyometric exercise in which your leg muscles are stretched and then immediately contracted in a spring-like motion. You can do other low-level plyometric exercises, such as single- and double-legged hops, as part of your conditioning regimen. For example, perform pogo jumps in which you bound forward with both legs as if you’re on a pogo stick. Move forward, backward, right and left, jumping 10 times in each direction. Keep your knees slightly bent throughout the exercise. Perform three sets.

    Get Mobile

    • If you’re not coordinated and can’t consistently clear the rope, the prospect of rope jumping can quickly turn into a nightmare and wear you out. Mobility exercises, such as lateral shuffles, cariocas, high knees and heel kicks, can help you to develop agility. Shadow jumping is also an effective way to prepare for jumping rope. Swing an imaginary rope and try to establish a jumping rhythm. Rotate your wrists on each swing and land softly on the balls of your feet. Another exercise is to hold both handles of the rope in your dominant hand. While turning the rope with your one hand, jump when you hear the flick of the rope on the ground. Perform 30 to 40 reps and then switch the rope handles to the non-dominant hand and repeat the exercise.