“I hate running…”
I think the vast majority of people you would ask say that they hate running. Running is really hard and it’s also hard on your body.
I get it.
However, there is an exercise that you can do inside, that burns just as many calories and is a very low impact on your body.
The exercise?
Burpees.
Just kidding, although they do burn a ton of calories.
No, the exercise I’m talking about is the good ole fashioned jump rope.
That’s right! With just a little rope and some basic level coordination, you can burn as many calories as running in the comfort of your home and without all the wear and tear of running.
There are a million studies that compare these two that you can find on the internet, but I’ll go with the simplest one to digest from Arizona State University that you can read here.
If you want the gist of it, here it is:
92 college students were split into 2 groups. The first group was to jump rope for 10 minutes a day and the other group was to jog for 30 mins per day. The study lasted 6 weeks long.
At the end of that period, the students’ cardiovascular endurance was tested via the Harvard Step Test (a very popular cardiovascular test).
At the end of the 6 weeks, the cardiovascular endurance of the jump rope group was essentially the same as the joggers.
This means that for 1/3 of the amount of time, you could receive the same benefits without all the negatives associated with running.
So, how can you get started with jump roping?
Jumping straight into 10-minute jump rope sessions is not easy.
What I recommend is breaking that down and working your way up. Obviously, you’re going to have to develop the skill and timing to go for long periods of time without hitting yourself, but that doesn’t take long.
So, a great place to start is by doing two rounds of jump rope Tabata using a Tabata timer (you can find these on any app store for free).
Set the timer settings to the following:
Work time: 20s
Rest time: 10s
Sets: 8
This means that each Tabata will be 4 minutes, times two rounds means that you’ll have done an 8-minute Tabata workout, only you’ll have broken it down into small, 20-second bites. Much more doable!
So, if you hate running, get yourself an $8 jump rope on amazon, and get to work!
Jordan Tank, Personal Trainer, Columbus, Ohio
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