The simple piece of equipment is a total-body burner.
By Amy Marturana, Self
When you're traveling, it can be really difficult to fit in workouts.
You never know what you're going to get at a hotel gym, or what the
running routes might be like in a new city. The one thing you can always
rely on to take with you and get a great workout? A jump rope.
[post_ads]Jump ropes seem so simple, but they are actually one of the very best pieces of gym equipment
you can own. They're insanely easy to pack in a bag—even when you're
just traveling with a measly carry-on—or carry into a park or your back
yard for a quick outdoor workout.
And they truly deliver on fitness benefits. Jumping rope for an hour burns, for most people, over 100 calories more than running
at a 10-minute-per-mile pace. The motion requires you to engage your
arms, particularly your shoulders, your back, quads, and even your abs.
And, if you get a little creative and do some things beyond just
jumping, you can hit even more muscles in your arms, legs, and core.
That's why Amanda Kloots, a former Broadway dancer and Radio City Rockette, created The Rope class,
which she teaches at Studio B in New York City. "It really is a
full-body workout," Kloots tells SELF. "A lot of times people will say,
'I only have 15 minutes to work out, what can I do?'" Her answer: jump
rope.
We asked Kloots to put together an
easy-yet-effective 15-minute jump rope workout for SELF readers. Below,
she shows us exactly how to do it. "This is a workout you can do
literally anywhere, you barely need any space," she says. As long as you
have a jump rope, you can fit in some great cardio and bodyweight work with this simple routine.
Here's what the workout includes:
Jumping rope — 1 minute
Jump rope out-and-ins — 1 minute
Arms and abs squeeze — 1 minute
Jump-overs — 1 minute
Stability lunge — 1 minute
Do each move for 1 minute. Repeat the circuit 3 times for a total of 15 minutes.
Jumping rope — 1 minute
Jump rope out-and-ins — 1 minute
Arms and abs squeeze — 1 minute
Jump-overs — 1 minute
Stability lunge — 1 minute
Do each move for 1 minute. Repeat the circuit 3 times for a total of 15 minutes.
Here's how to do the moves:
1
Basic Jump Rope — 1 minute
Basic Jump Rope — 1 minute
Start by warming up your body with some classic jumping rope. "You want to always make sure you keep your elbows right at your waist and your arms at a 90-degree angle, shoulders right over your hips, and stay low to the ground." Engage your core and keep your back straight—this will help you keep all your muscles engaged so you get the most out of each jump.
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The goal here is to just get your heart rate up. Kloots says to shoot for 120 jumps-per-minute, but it's more important to just move for a full minute without stopping.
2
Jump Rope In-and-Outs — 1 minute
Jump Rope In-and-Outs — 1 minute
For this next minute, you'll just keep jumping rope, but add in a jumping jack motion with your legs. "This helps you work on a little bit of coordination with the jump rope," Kloots says. Focus on squeezing your thighs tight as you jump in and out.
3
Arms and Abs Squeeze — 1 minute
Arms and Abs Squeeze — 1 minute
To get the most out of this abs and arms move, Kloots says to pull the rope really hard so there's resistance between your arms. "You don't want any slack in the jump rope," she says. This ensures that you initiate movement from your core, back, biceps, and triceps.
[post_ads]To do it, stand with your legs shoulder-width apart. Fold your jump rope in half and hold it at both ends, arms overhead. Pull down by squeezing your elbows down toward your waist and then up two times. Reach your torso over to one side, arms still overhead, to do two standing side crunches. Repeat this movement, alternating between pull-downs and oblique crunches, for 1 minute.
4
Jump-Overs — 1 minute
Jump-Overs — 1 minute
Jumping back and forth keeps your heart rate raised, and gets your body working laterally—which helps improve your balance and coordination. To do it, place the rope on the ground and jump over it, side to side, with your feet together. Make sure to keep your legs, butt, and abs engaged, and keep your legs as straight as you can. Continue for 1 minute.
5
Stability Lunge — 1 minute
Stability Lunge — 1 minute
This move gets a little more into your lower body, while also showing your obliques some love."Think about ringing out a towel with your waist so you work those obliques," Kloots instructs.
Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart. Fold the jump rope in half and hold it firmly in both hands, your arms straight overhead. Take a big step back with your right foot and lower into a lunge. Twist your torso to the left, then back.
Next, push off your right foot to stand up, and bring the knee out in front of you at a 90-degree angle, arms overhead. While holding the knee up, bend your torso forward to do a standing crunch, bringing the rope all the way down to your shins. (If this is too hard, you can touch your front toe to the for balance.) Step back into a lunge. Repeat this sequence for 1 minute.
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