Say you’re looking for an alternative to running a mile and still want to burn the same number of calories, improve your BMI, and get an intense cardiovascular workout. Many athletes turn to jump rope to maintain physical health, and studies prove its benefits, but how long do you need to jump rope to gain an equivalent workout to running a mile?
How many jump ropes equal the equivalent of running a mile varies according to body weight, gender, and the intensity of your workout. Half an hour of slow, low-intensity jump rope burns the same number of calories as running a 12-minute mile at five mph. More intense workouts burn more calories.
This article sets out the benefits of jump rope, assesses its effectiveness in burning calories, and considers its advantages over running to get fit, reduce BMI, and improve overall cardiovascular health. We also advise on how to build it into your exercise routine. Read on to discover everything you need to know about jump rope.
The Perks of Jump Rope
Jump rope is a fantastic way to burn calories and improve cardiovascular health, so long as you manage it as part of a consistent daily workout. Studies on young athletes taking up a jump rope for seven weeks show a 10.33% improvement in cardiovascular endurance and improved agility of 3.17%. Additional benefits have been identified by studies on the jump rope, too. This include:
Improved agility including hand-eye coordination
Improved balance
Cardiovascular endurance
Muscular strength
Body composition
Flexibility
While a very different exercise compared to running, you’d have to run an 8-minute mile to burn off the same amount of calories you’d burn by skipping rope. It is a very effective aerobic exercise for burning calories, specifically when you do it at a fast rate. You can expect to burn 1,200 calories per hour. At a vigorous pace, every jump consumes about 0.1 calories.
Calories Burned in Thirty Minutes of Exercise
Using the American Council on Exercise calorie calculator, we’ve compared the number of calories burned by males and females during thirty-minutes of exercise according to the type of activity.
We’ve taken the average U.S. adult weight as our guide and detailed men versus women in the calorific burn since gender and weight variations impact the amount of energy required to perform an exercise.
You might be interested in What Burns More Calories Burpees or Jump Rope?
| Exercise Type | Male 88kg (195lbs) | Female 76kg (165lbs) |
| Jogging | 311 Cal | 266 Cal |
| Running 12-minute mile at 5mph | 355 Cal | 299 Cal |
| Jump Rope (Slow) | 353 Cal | 299 Cal |
| Jump Rope (Fast) | 530 Cal | 449 Cal |
Running vs. Jump Rope: Can One Replace the Other?
The advantages of jump rope are clear, so should you replace running with high-intensity jump rope sessions? Every type of exercise works different muscle sets. For example, cyclists are best to focus on cycle workouts to ensure the muscles they need in the competition are honed to their optimum. The same goes for running and jump rope.
If you are training for a specialist sport, you’re best to identify sports and exercises that develop the muscles you need for that sport. However, do we see boxers regularly jumping rope in the boxing ring? Jump rope benefits boxers in hand-eye coordination, agility and builds cardiovascular stamina demanded by long bouts in the ring. They do it to supplement their sporting ability.
Picking up a jump rope and putting it into your routine for building all-around fitness will have powerful effects on your standard of health. Balance it with other types of exercise, such as stretches, or alternate with running—one day on, one day off—to gain the advantage each sport offers athletes. Suppose you want to enhance hand-eye coordination, rhythm, and timing; then, do jump rope more often than running.
Jump Rope: Basic Requirements
What does it take to get started? Jump rope is a highly affordable means to exercise. For less than $20, you can pick up a jump rope from your local sports store and get started. You can go all out and get a rope that counts your number of jumps, or you can opt for a less fancy but equally effective, highly-rated skipping rope.
When picking out your skipping rope, we suggest picking a rope with adjustable length and full-rotation to limit tangles. If your rope is too long, you’ll end up in a jam, and if it’s too short, you’ll keep thwacking into the rope and quitting.
Once you’ve got the rope adjusted to your physique, the rest is simple. Here are the steps laid out for you:
- Adjust the rope to your size. Grasp the handles and let the rope hang down to the floor. Step onto the rope while it’s on the floor.
- Lift the handles level with your armpits to get the length you need. Reduce the excess by adjusting the rope. This method varies according to the brand of rope you have.
- Ensure you have the right clothing. Baggy clothing risks catching in the rope, and decent trainers absorb impact from the jumps you’ll make.
- Clear the area. You will require approximately a four-by-six foot area that’s clear of obstructions or hazards that’ll catch the rope. Check you have space above your head to let the length of the rope clear the ceiling.
- Get the right flooring. Jumping rope impacts your knees and ankles, so be sure not to jump on hard surfaces like concrete. Look for a smooth, comparatively giving surface like a wooden floor or upon a rubberized impact mat.
How To Jump Rope
For first-timers, it can be exasperating once you start jumping rope. You’ll also discover your heartbeat racing faster than you might anticipate. All of this is part of the journey towards building your stamina. Start slow, looping the rope over your head and letting its dropdown. Remember, practice makes perfect, so stick with it. You will see the benefits.
Here are our tips for building your rhythm and coordination with jump ropes:
- Practice foot and arm movement independently. Start with precise rope movements and keep arm movements simple until you have developed coordination.
- Hold your rope in one hand and swing it to get a sense of rhythm and weight.
- Practice jumping. Much of your jumps come from the ankles and not the knees. You’ll use slight movements that work the lower legs. However, the benefits will reach your arms, hips, and glutes.
- Combine the elements of jump rope—and be patient.
- Persevere.
No matter your expectations, co-ordinating body and rope movements are more challenging than you expect, so no matter how many consecutive jumps you achieve, even if it’s very few, be kind to yourself. You’re on your way to developing a new skill and building your agility. As you increase your ability, you’ll develop physical awareness of what your body is doing and, in turn, make connections in the brain that complement hand-eye coordination and agility.
Last but not least, before you take up a jump rope, be aware that this is a high-impact sport. If you suffer from weak ankles or your joints are susceptible to high-impact sports, take it easy. Wear comfortable trainers that can absorb shock and practice lightly. Even moderate use of a jump rope will produce powerful results.
Final Thoughts
Jump rope is an excellent alternative or complementary exercise to running. It delivers a high-impact burn rate when you do it vigorously and consistently. For the most significant effects, be sure to stick to your exercise routine, managing at least 75-minutes of high-intensity exercise per week.
I Advise You To Read More About Aerobic Exercise
- What Burns More Calories Burpees or Jump Rope?
- How Many Burpees Equal 1 Mile Run?
- How Many Jumping Jacks Equal 1 Mile?
- Does Strava Work on a Treadmill?
- Does Cardio Burn Muscle or Fat First?
- Workout Math: How Many Trampoline Jumps Equal 1 Mile?
- Is Running in Place as Effective as Running?
- How Much JUMP ROPE Is Good For CARDIO?
- Jump Rope, Jumping Jacks, or Both? What Works Best?
- How High Should You Jump While Jumping Rope?