Article originally published 2/20/2022. Edited by Wes Stroud on 6/30/2022.

Not too long ago, I put up a simple video on BloomtoFit’s channel.

It was just me showcasing a bunch of different skipping variations with a nice tune bumpin’ in the background.

Nothing special.

Well, in 8 years, the video has been viewed over 3 million times! (I still can’t believe so many people want to watch me skip…kinda cool!) And it seems like they genuinely liked it because the video has over 65k likes.

But more important than anything, the video has sparked some interest. Hundreds of comments and questions were posted under the video with people looking to get started with skipping. Mission accomplished.

I noticed, however, that a lot of the same questions kept coming up. A lot of people didn’t know where to get started. So, with all this wisdom brewing up in my head (separate from the ego), I thought it would only make sense to put together an in-depth post to answer every single question (and then some) that was asked. Due to its level of detail, the post is a little lengthy (sorry), but it’s jam-packed with useful information. You’ll find everything you need to know about skipping rope.

I have appropriately named it the Jump Rope Manifesto.

I hope you guys find it useful.

Let’s get started…

What are the Benefits of Skipping Rope?


I spoke before about how effective skipping can be. Think about it – with only one simple (and cheap) tool and just a little bit of space, you have absolutely everything you need to construct a very powerful workout.

In terms of bang for your buck, skipping is an extremely efficient form of training. Your entire body is engaged from repetition to repetition. You are engaging your calves, hamstrings, core, shoulders, and arms while simultaneously strengthening your most vital organ – your heart.

When jumping rope, you are improving your balance, coordination, and overall sense of awareness. You are training your speed, agility, and explosiveness. You are developing mental toughness and the ability to focus even when under stress. You are building a skill set and developing a fitness level that will transfer well into any and all activities you choose to pursue in life.

The benefits of skipping rope are endless and are completely worth the effort of learning how to use this powerful tool.

Getting Started with Skipping Rope

The fact of the matter is that skipping rope takes time to learn. It takes practice. It requires great overall coordination and timing. On top of that, it demands excellent cardiovascular fitness and mental focus.

With that being said, when you’re first starting out, you want to make things as easy as you can for yourself. This includes fitting yourself with the right style and length of rope.

Which Type of Rope to Choose?

If you’re a beginner, you don’t need anything more than a simple plastic (PVC) speed rope to get started. You can get this rope for super cheap from any general fitness store. I would avoid fabric and beaded jump ropes as most beginners quickly outgrow them.

As you get better and you want to invest in a higher-quality rope, you can look into something like the Buddy Lee Jump Rope.

I currently use a jump rope system called the CrossRope. It’s an interchangeable system of jump ropes that allows me to work with both speed and heavy ropes.

For a fuller understanding of which rope to choose, read our guide on selecting the right jump rope for you!

Choose your Surface Wisely

If you’ve ever played tennis before, you’ll know that you need to adjust your game depending on the surface that you play on. The same thing goes when you’re skipping rope. You’ll have to adjust your mechanics a bit depending on your surface of choice. Different surfaces will cause the rope to bounce and slide differently, so if you don’t make the proper adjustments, you’ll make more mistakes. Also, harder surfaces will have a greater impact on your joints than softer surfaces. These are all things you have to take into consideration.

The best surface to skip rope on is a wooden floor (such as in a gymnasium). They’re soft enough for your joints and offer great bounce for your rope if you’re interested in picking up momentum and even pulling off a few multiple unders.

If a gymnasium is not at your disposal, look for gyms that have rubber padding. These are also great for your joints and offer a good bounce for your rope. If you got some money to spare, you can get your own rubber padding and build a little section at home that you can skip on [here’s an example].

Carpets are also great for your joints, but they are much bouncier so you’ll have to get up a little higher on each jump to avoid the rope catching your heels.

The one surface I would avoid at all costs is concrete. It’s very hard on your joints and it will tear your rope into pieces. Plus it’s hardness will result in a greater buildup of fatigue, meaning you won’t be able to skip for long periods.

Proper Jump Rope Technique

There is a right way and a wrong way to jump rope. Here are some short guidelines to follow to help keep you on track:

  • Jump on the balls of your feet
  • Keep your knees slightly bent
  • Keep your jumps to 1/4 to 1/2 inch off the ground
  • Keep your elbows close to your sides
  • Use your wrists to turn the rope, not your arms
  • Keep your head straight and looking forward
  • Keep your upper body relaxed, not tense
  • Focus on keeping your shoulder blades retracted
  • Control your breathing

These are the basic guidelines you need to follow and they are very dependent on you choosing the right length of rope. When you first start off, you’ll have the tendency to jump really high, kick your heels back and make huge swings with your arms. That’s fine. But you’ll want to work your way towards smaller hops and less arm movement. Note that as you get better, some of these guidelines do get broken for specific variations. But it’s very important that you master the basic jump rope technique before you move onto anything else.

How to Improve Your Timing

With skipping, timing is everything. Your brain is required to make extremely quick calculations to recognize the skipping rope’s distance, direction, speed, and position. All of this comes down to timing.

The one thing that makes skipping so difficult is that there is a lot of work that is required upfront to master the technique and build up the necessary timing and coordination. When you have poor technique, or poor timing and coordination, you tend to trip up a lot. And for those who have tried skipping before, you’ll know how frustrating (and sometimes painful) this can be. This is what causes a lot of people to quit.

But I have a little trick that can help you overcome that.

Start off by holding both handles in one hand, with the rope to your side. Begin swinging the rope on that one side (kind of like a helicopter). Make sure you let the rope hit the ground on each revolution so that you can hear the rope making contact (remember how I said the beaded ropes work well for this).

Now, the objective is to try to hop every single time the rope makes contact with the ground.

At first, it will seem like the most awkward thing in the world. But, the reason why it works is that you can’t trip up. By listening to the rope hitting the ground and trying to time your hops to match, you’ll slowly begin to improve your timing, coordination, and overall feel for the skipping rope without having to deal with the frustrations of tripping up.

If you’re new to skipping, start off with this slowly. You don’t need to swing the rope quickly, just at a pace, you can match with your hops. Then pick up the pace as you progress. Once you feel like you got the timing down, try proper skipping. You should feel a big difference.

Adding Variation (once you get good)

This is invariably where most of you started as this is exactly what the original video is all about. This is what made me famous! (just kidding)

Once you get fairly good at skipping, you’ll want to add some variation to keep things fresh. Adding variation to your routine eliminates the boredom that comes with repetitive movements. It keeps skipping fun and challenging.

Here’s the video I made that highlights 23 skipping rope exercises you can incorporate into your routine. (Note: if it doesn’t load, please refresh the page and it will magically appear)

Choose two or three of these variations and start implementing them into your routine.

A Simple Skipping Workout

The beautiful thing about skipping is that you’re only limited by your creativity. As I mentioned earlier, all that you need is a rope and a little bit of space and you have everything at your disposal for putting together a great workout.

Just to give you an example, I’ve put together a simple little skipping workout to show you exactly what I’m talking about. This is as simple as it gets (it’s simple in theory, tough to actually do). Watch the video below.

As you can see, the workout itself is short but intense. You can utilize any of the jump rope variations I showed earlier to construct numerous workouts like this.

As you get better, you can mix up your jump rope training with other forms of training like kettlebells, bodyweight exercises, etc. The possibilities are endless.

See Also:

Other Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Skipping Rope a Better Exercise than Running?

This was a question that came up frequently and it’s a difficult one to answer because it depends on a number of factors.

Number one would be your intensity. Skipping at a high intensity will yield better results on average than jogging at a light, consistent pace. But skipping will never out-do sprint training.

The second would be your preference. A lot of people hate running. They’re bored of it. So they don’t do it. Skipping is a great alternative for cardiovascular exercise and if you add some variation to your movements it can keep you motivated to a greater degree.

My suggestion would be to alternate between the two. That way you will get the benefits of both and you’ll never be bored.

Should I Jump Rope with Ankle Weights?

I think too many people have this misconception that jumping rope with ankle weights is more efficient than regular skipping.

The truth is that jumping rope on its own has incredible benefits. You can get everything you need from this tool without having to strap on extra weight to your legs.

I don’t have a lot of experience with ankle weights. I’ve tried them a couple of times, didn’t like them, and ended up scrapping them for good. Some jumpers claim that ankle weights can cause issues with the joints, while others say they’ve become lighter on their feet.

My recommendation is to avoid any and all ‘extra weights’ (ankle weights, weighted vests, etc.) until you become proficient with jumping rope. If you really want to make things challenging, start by using heavy ropes.

Do you do a warm up before skipping?

The short answer is yes.

But, generally speaking, skipping is my warm-up. I typically spend 3-5 minutes jumping rope at a very light pace. Nothing too intense or too explosive. I focus on a few minutes of light skipping where I alternate between different variations.

Once I’m done with that, I’ll typically do some mobility exercises for my ankles, knees, and hips before I get into my more intense training (whether it be heavy rope training or double under work).

This is the same typical warm-up I’d use for all of my training.

Can I Lose Weight by Skipping Rope?

This was probably the most common question asked on my channel. People want to know whether you can lose weight by only using a jump rope.

The short answer is yes, of course you can.

But there’s more to it than that. You see, one of the well-known benefits of skipping rope is its calorie-burning effects, as I’ve mentioned in my previous post. Researches say that one hour of skipping rope (at a moderate pace) can help you burn over 1,000 calories. That comes out to roughly 20 calories per minute!

But whether you ‘lose weight’ or not is not determined by your training, but by your nutrition strategy. After all, you can’t out-train a bad diet.

So can you lose weight? Absolutely. But would I recommend you only skip? Probably not. Although you would still get results, they would not parallel to the results you would get if you combined your skipping routine with an effective weight training routine and a well-polished eating plan. But I’ll save those details for a future post.

Final Words

Man, that’s a lot of skipping information to consume. But I hope you can see just how effective this simple little tool can be.

If you haven’t picked up a skipping rope yet, it’s time to add this baby to your toolbox. It’s cheap, it’s portable, it’s reliable, and, most importantly…

It’s POWERFUL.

I hope you guys found the Jump Rope Manifesto useful. My goal was to give you everything you needed (information-wise) to get started with skipping. If you found this useful, please do me a favor and share it with others. I would really appreciate it!

What are your thoughts on skipping rope? Is it part of your routine? Will it become a part of your routine now that you see how easy and effective it can be? Share your wonderful comments below!