Jump Rope

So awhile ago I had bought a jump rope because I thought it would be kind of a cool way to exercise. I did it for a few days, then put it somewhere I couldn't find it for about a year and I kind of forgot about it. Last week I found it, and pulled it out and started jumping and I've done it twice. I am, by no means, any good at it at all. I'm lucky if I can get a minute straight without it getting caught on my feet. Tonight I finally got down somewhat consistently the crossover move, or whatever it is where you keep jumping while you cross your arms. I can do one foot, and switch, but not consistently and I definitely don't have the stamina to keep it going for very long at all. And flipping the rope twice for one jump, I just can't seem to get the timing or the swings right.

Anyway, I finally looked up a cross training routine that boxers do. It just consists of this:

Jumping rope is strenuous and may be hard to sustain for the 30 minutes that you need for a good aerobic workout. Try this routine, used in boxing classes:

• Skip rope for three minutes. (A round in boxing is three minutes long.)
• Take a minute off, and do as many crunches as you can.
• Skip rope for another three minutes.
• During the next minute between rounds, do as many push-ups as you can.
• Back to skipping for three minutes
• Do crunches for another minute. Repeat.

You can alternate rounds of skipping with crunches and push-ups until you've completed 30 minutes or more of exercise. After the second or third round of skipping, your heart rate wonít drop that much during the crunches and push-ups. You might not be able to do more than a few intervals of push-ups. Use any exercise you want during the minute between rounds. Try doing squats and lunges (with or without weights) to give your larger leg muscles added work. Do upper-body exercises with dumbbells during that minute. (Use proper form. Don't rush.) One more thing: Skipping rope emphasizes your calves, so be diligent about stretching them.

So that's all. And then I saw this video on middleweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. It looks like it's a joke how fast he's swinging the rope at times. I totally want to get this down though. I think it looks so cool, and it requires so much coordination. Not to mention...how hard is that work-out!? I'm trying it this week. Maybe I'll have a follow up, if only briefly.