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Other/Mixed Jump rope training for cardio?

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
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Kaisersemmel

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Hi SF-crew!

Do any of you have experience with jump rope training or know enough about sport science to evaluate it's use as a way to train the heart and lungs?

Is there any truth to the common phrase that 10 minutes of jumping rope equals about 30 minutes of jogging? (I personally doubt it)

What would a basic jump rope routine look like that would be similar to a beginner running program for a 5k/3mi run?

One of my goals for 2019 was to meet my governments recommendation for cardio vascular training and to build up 3-4 weekly 30-45min runs. Problem is I really struggle making time for running or going to the gym to cycle or row. It's not really something I enjoy doing.

So for the last couple weeks I have worked on Buddy Lee's 3 steps to master the basics were I will build up to 3-4 10 minute sessions a week. So far I really enjoy it but just getting to the point were I can jump for 10 minutes straight takes its time. No idea how feasible it would be to work up to 20 or 30 minutes. Any thoughts on this? Are there other approaches to jump rope training that would be more up my alley (cardio benefits vs. cool moves)?

Thanks everyone! I hope you can enjoy the last days of summer!
 
Its a great way to do some conditioning and with a heavier rope some resistance training/cardio crossover. The three to one ratio is probably pretty accurate, I cannot jump rope anywhere near as long as I can jog.

The biggest problem is that it tends to be a bit too high of a HR zone to do longer aerobic sessions, so your plan of doing intervals is a good one. It plays well with longer, easier jogging as well.

I worked up to daily sessions of 20 or 30 minutes depending on how much time I had. But, I was doing a lot of biking and running back then, so I cannot say for sure where it fit in the scheme of things.

When starting out I would do sets of 5 minute repeats, building up to where I needed less and less rest.

Currently I use it mostly as an easy warmup for 5 minutes prior to resistance training, and throw in the odd HIIT session - something it really excels at.
 
Thanks for the input North Coast Miller! Yeah, it feels like it's made for short, intense bouts of exercise. I use a pretty light rope so for me the biggest hurdle so far is getting used to the impact and fatigue in my lower legs and backside which makes me mess up my jumps.

I am curious what others have to say. :)
 
In ETK Pavel recommends rope jumping for maintaining conditioning when switching to PTTP.

And Tim Anderson recommends to accumulate 10 minutes of work while nose breathing with as little rest as possible im Becoming Bulletproof Project.

Have never used it much myself.
 
I am sure that doing jump rope is beneficial to an overall cardio improvement. (But so are other things of course)
What it won't do is replace LED locomotive training; which is integral to cardio health. (IMO)
 
Hello,

Jump rope works very well to get fast conditioning effects. However, it does not fully transfer to traditional running / trailing because the motion remains different.

In terms of heart / lung yes it can get the job done (at least this is what I feel). Nonetheless, it does not mimiks the running motion and the required balance when you run in the woods for instance. Plus it does not build this kind of "muscular strength" you need when you run.

Overall, I still consider is as a stapple of my conditioning tool, along with running and burpees :)

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Ok, thanks everyone. I guess I will have to adjust my expectations.

@offwidth: Can you explain what makes LED locomotive training special and why jump rope training doesn't give you the same benefits (assuming one can work up to 30 minutes or so) ? Thanks :)
 
One of the keys is to be able to keep ones heart rate under their aerobic threshold. The benefits of this include increases in blood volume, capillary density, mitochondrial mass, and aerobic enzymes. This improves aerobic and fat metabolism. All good stuff for the endurance athlete.
If you can jump rope and keep your heart rate in this zone then good.

But 30min is a pretty short effort for LED....
 
(y) all of the above. I'm sure somewhere out there is a jump rope with a low enough density cord you can perform for a long time at easy pace, low HR, but none of mine have ever fit that category.

What it is perfect for is fartlek type structured or unstructured intervals or maintaining conditioning under tight time constraints. Another big advantage is you can choose the surface you'll be jumping on, so repetitive impact forces can be a lot less than running.

It can certainly help with running endurance but is not really the same thing. As the weight of the rope increases it gets further and further from running carry-over.

My Maffetone number is about 133 or so, my lowest HR when jumping rope is about 142-145 and trends upward after about 15 minutes. I don't think I've ever managed to jump rope for more than 45 minutes, and 40 minutes was too much for a daily dose.
 
Hello,

I tend to agree with @North Coast Miller : jumping rope is better for any kind of interval training or short training session. Otherwise, 30 minutes or so of continuous jumping rope remains...boring. Plus, to a certain extent, it will not transfer that well to any kind of running activity.

As a boxer, I enjoy jumping rope sessions for 20 minutes. I do them with nasal breathing only. Nonetheless, it took me some time. 20 minutes can be enough as a daily dose but to avoid overuse, it can be interesting to vary: running, swimming, etc...

It is possible to adjust difficulty using a rope by:
- varying the pace
- varying the foot play (double unders, alternating, several times on the same foot, etc...)
This kind of motion can give "flow" and transfer to running (at least this is my feeling)

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
One of the keys is to be able to keep ones heart rate under their aerobic threshold. The benefits of this include increases in blood volume, capillary density, mitochondrial mass, and aerobic enzymes. This improves aerobic and fat metabolism. All good stuff for the endurance athlete.
If you can jump rope and keep your heart rate in this zone then good.

But 30min is a pretty short effort for LED....

Thanks offwidth, that helped a lot!
 
To be fair, most of the adaptive response to longer steady state aerobics is also present from doing high intensity intervals - increased mitochondrial and capillary density and improved fat metabolism.

The real differences seem to be increased blood volume and increased stroke volume, where HIIT mostly just increases stroke pressure.

Where you short yourself in some respects is doing longer sessions at high HR - going hard at zones 3/4 seems to produce the weakest response compared to HIIT or steady state.
 
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