Jump Rope

How to do it

1. Hold a handle in each hand with the rope behind your heels, elbows close to the body and hands at hip height.
2. Turn the rope with the wrists rather than the arms, keeping the hands low and slightly in front of the hips.
3. Jump just high enough to clear the rope, an inch or two, landing on the balls of the feet.
4. Keep the knees soft and the ankles springy so each landing becomes the next take-off.
5. Hold the torso tall and the eyes forward.
6. Keep a steady rhythm; the rope's speed sets the jump's timing.

Common mistakes

• Jumping too high. The rope is thin and the jump only has to clear it; big jumps tire the legs and break the rhythm.
• Turning the rope with the arms. Wide arm circles pull the hands away from the body and shorten the rope; the wrists turn it.
• Landing flat-footed or on the heels. The balls of the feet take every landing so the calves absorb it.
• A rope of the wrong length. Standing on the middle, the handles should reach about the armpits; too long catches the feet, too short catches the head.

Muscles worked

Primary

• Quads

Secondary

• Calves
• Hamstrings