Jumping rope

T

tenn23

Rookie
Hey,

I am looking to become more fit for tennis. I am 5'10.5" and 152 pounds. I was wondering whether jumping rope everyday and doing 50 curl ups a day is sufficient to make and keep me fit. 5 days ago, I consistently jump roped for 1 minute 25 seconds before giving up due to exhaustion. Today i jumped rope for 4 minutes 45 minutes before reaching the same amount of exhaustion. My ultimate goal is 20 minutes per day. Is that good to improve my fitness?

Thanks
 
5'10 and 150 is pretty fit isn't it? Are curl ups the same as pull ups? In anycase, to improve your fitness jumping rope can't hurt but I would suggest integrating some running or jogging a few times a week as well. If you want to gain some lean muscle and get toned then you need to start lifting weights as well.
 
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tenn23 said:
By fit I mean reducing that blubbery movements under my arm and around my belly. Curl up is this: http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/823/431293.JPG

To be specific, I am looking at improving my endurance and reduce the blubbery movement around my legs, belly, and the lower part of my upper arms.
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Ooh ok, those will help build a strong core, which is never a bad thing. So if I understand correctly, you want to increase your endurance and lose some fat. That tells me that you need to do cardio. If you don't have access to a gym then hit the streets and do some road work. 30 minutes a day a few days a week, eat a healthy diet and you'll see changes.
 
Thanks for replying. My main concern is time. Is 20 minutes (I am working towards this) of jump roping everyday better than 30 minutes of running 3 times a week? Also, which (jump rope or running) is better atreducing fat throughout the body overall?
 
Forgot to add: I have a treadmill because it is very cold to run outside. So is treadmill ok? This is an issue if you recommend running over jumping rope.
 
Well there's nothing that says you can't run 30 minutes every day. But for weight loss I would definitely recommend running over jump rope because It will get your heart rate up at a consistent level with no stops. Unless you are really, really good you probably won't be able to jump rope for 30 minutes non-stop. Jump rope is a good cardiovascular exercise, and it works out many muscles in your body as well, so a good idea would be to alternate jumping rope and running so you don't get bored.
 
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Ok so would you recommend jump roping if I said I could jump without stopping? Because I am able to go for a long time without messing up while jump roping. When I do mess up, I keep jumping and readjust while I am jumping. That is I never stop my jumping.
 
Just saw your edit. By the way, is the ability to edit posts only for members with many posts? Because I can't edit my posts. Ok so treadmill running is not a problem?
 
Yea I'm not sure how many posts you need to be able to edit, but I don't think it's too much. Treadmill running is not a problem at all.
 
ummm if you are 5'10" and 152, you are too skinny to lose weight. you just think you need to because you have very little muscle. gain a little weight and continue to work hard and you will see better results. just my 2 cents
 
cncretecwbo said:
ummm if you are 5'10" and 152, you are too skinny to lose weight. you just think you need to because you have very little muscle. gain a little weight and continue to work hard and you will see better results. just my 2 cents
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That's good advice as well. At your height you probably shouldn't lose any weight, do your cardio, eat right, and supplement that will lifting weights or doing exercises that use your own body weight and you'll see that flab go away.
 
tenn23 said:
...Also, which (jump rope or running) is better at reducing fat throughout the body overall?
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Is your body fat % all that high? Kinda doubt it. Given your height & weight, I would think that your BMI is in the lower half of the normal range. You might want to have your body fat % tested if you don't think that the BMI tells the real story. Alternately, you could buy one of those body fat scales.

Muscle development or toning is probably what you need more than fat loss.

tenn23 said:
Ok so would you recommend jump roping if I said I could jump without stopping? Because I am able to go for a long time without messing up while jump roping. When I do mess up, I keep jumping and readjust while I am jumping. That is I never stop my jumping.
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Sounds like you are shooting for developing your aerobic endurance. That is a worthwhile goal but it should be pointed out that tennis is not really an aerobic activity. For the most part it is anaerobic and it is important to develop endurance anaerobically as well. Your body has a number of ways of producing energy.

If you are training for tennis, then you really need to develop those anaerobic systems as well. This can be done with interval training -- alternately low intensity exercise with high intensity bursts. For tennis, unless you have a lot of very long rallies, the ball is in play in about 20% of the time. Your interval training should reflect this.

You might want to perform some intervals where the high intensity phase is 30 seconds or less. Follow this with 90 seconds of low intensity. You could do some fast jump roping for the high phase and some easy walking of the low phase.

You could also alternate fast sprints with walking (the same distance). Interval training can also be performed on a bicycle or on any cardio equipment.
 
BTW, don't give up the jump rope even if you decide on running or other cardio exercise. Jumping rope provides excellent conditioning for many sports. It should also help with tennis footwork since it has you on the balls of your feet for long periods of time. Too many ppl are flat-footed too much of the time when playing tennis.
 
Jump rope would increase your level of fitness more than long-distance running. Jump rope burns more calories too in less amount of time.
If you want to run, do sprints instead.
You should also incorporate leg and core strengthening exercises with free weights at least twice per week.
 
Thanks for all the replies and advice. It is really helpful. SystemicAnomaly, thanks for pointing out that tennis is a different type of exercise. Since you said tennis is more about bursts of intense activity, I was wondering whether doing jump roping extremely fast for a few minutes is better than what I do now, which is jumping rope at a constant speed for a longer time (by the way I went up to 5mins 40 seconds today :)).

jasonbourne, is there any way to strengthen legs and core without free weights?
Thanks
 
I would think jumping rope faster than you do right now will build more speed in your legs. I would alternate sprints with regular speed jump rope, which is a form of interval training.

Lunges are a great way to build some leg strength. Also, jump squats and vertical max jumps are good for improving explosiveness in your legs.
 
tenn23 said:
jasonbourne, is there any way to strengthen legs and core without free weights?
Thanks
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You can start with your body weight. However, in short time I would expect you will grow stronger. Using your body weight only limits what your body can do. Eventually, your body will need heavier weight for greater resistance.
 
I find running to be dreary, monotonous, and taxing on the body. Plus, unless you're doing sprints, it's rather time consuming. Jumping rope is awesome. There are some great medicine ball moves that will beat you up in a short period of time as well.
 
Thanks for the replies.

I am a little over 5'10" but not quite 5'11" and 152 pounds. Today I reached 6 min 15 seconds, and find jump roping with music more satisfying than running. I will get into sprints once the weather gets better, but until then I am working towards my goal of 20 minutes. Does going this long (compared to 1:25 on my first day) mean that my heart is stronger? what exactly does it mean? Is it all about the heart (in the physical sense) or is it about some other muscles as well? Such as the ones in thighs legs arms chest etc.
 
tenn23 said:
... SystemicAnomaly, thanks for pointing out that tennis is a different type of exercise. Since you said tennis is more about bursts of intense activity, I was wondering whether doing jump roping extremely fast for a few minutes is better than what I do now, which is jumping rope at a constant speed for a longer time (by the way I went up to 5mins 40 seconds today :)).

jasonbourne, is there any way to strengthen legs and core without free weights?
Click to expand...

Did you take a look at the 3 web links that I provided in my earlier post (#14)? Moderate-to-high intensity rope jumping non-stop for even "a few minutes" may likely be more of an aerobic training rather than an anaerobic training.

It's great that you're building up your aerobic stamina. Getting past 15 mins of aerobic jumping is a worthwhile goal. Research indicates that two 10 min sessions are virtually as good as one 20 minute session for aerobic exercise.

But, as I implied previously, the aerobic content of tennis is rather low. This makes anaerobic training a very important component for tennis endurance. According to one of the links below, "specificity of training dictates that the training should closely resemble the activity".

This would seem to indicate that your training should emulate the work to rest ratio that is seen in tennis. This is where interval training comes in. One of the anaerobic energy systems utilized by our body comes into play for high-intensity activity of duration of 30 seconds or less. Some of your rope jumping should incorporate intervals where the high intensity portion is 30 secs or less. The rest period (or low intensity) portion might be 1 or 2 mins.

A different anaerobic energy system is utilized for high-intensity activity that is longer than 30 seconds but less than 2 minutes in duration. You should also perform some of your intervals to reflect this longer duration of high-intensity activity. For 2 more links on types of training:

Aerobic Training
Anaerobic Training

Excerpt from link above:

"Athletes involved in activities with a low aerobic component..."(such as tennis)"may see a decrease in power and strength with excessive aerobic training. These athletes should limit their aerobic training to the early preparation of off-season training and then engage in a minimal amount of aerobic training to maintain good general fitness."


With regards to your last question above... Are you asking about strength development without any weights at all or, specifically, w/o free weights? If you are asking about the latter, you could certainly use a leg press machine to develop leg strength. Leg extension machines may be less desirable cuz of possible stresses that it places on the knees. Plyometric leg exercises are also a great idea.

Jumping rope is one type of plyometric exercise. Some of the exercises in the USTA player development program in the link below will be plyometric exercises and core development exercises:

Strength Training and Conditioning for Tennis
 
Be careful with the surface you are jumping rope on-should be on wood or mat vs. concrete or asphalt to avoid injuries. Also, mix your rope jumping up with a series of intervals-skip for 100 jumps and then rest for 30 seconds, doing 5-10 sets. To improve footwork and intensity, and have more fun be sure to cycle through various foot skips. Try this circuit, mix and match as you please: 1) two feet, 2) right foot , 3) left foot, 4) two feet hopping front to back, 5) ski jump side to side, 6) split step-this really impresses people when they try and can't do it! , 7) alternating feet front to back like your walking, 8} jog in place 9) alternating high step with knees to chest, 10) hips/knees rotated to left, middle, right, middle, left, ect., 11) cross overs, 12) double and triple jumps ! Do the above steps in any order you want and alternate-great fun and excellent for tennis.
 
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I jump rope as well but i do it 3 times a week rather than everyday. Reason being is at my 40 years, it is considered high impact, so I cycle everyday.

I would suggest you try 3 times a week and cycle as well.
 
5 minutes?! Sheesh! Dude, I am a kid, and I have done 45 minutesstraight, without stopping, and I wasn't exhausted. You need to work on your fitness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
tenn23 said:
I am looking to become more fit for tennis. I am 5'10.5" and 152 pounds. I was wondering whether jumping rope everyday and doing 50 curl ups a day is sufficient to make and keep me fit. 5 days ago, I consistently jump roped for 1 minute 25 seconds before giving up due to exhaustion. Today i jumped rope for 4 minutes 45 minutes before reaching the same amount of exhaustion. My ultimate goal is 20 minutes per day. Is that good to improve my fitness?
Click to expand...

Jumping rope is great exercise. Although we are all different and what works for one might not work for another, I have greatly increased my tennis fitness by jumping rope.

http://www.rossboxing.com/thegym/thegym26.htm
 
Thanks for the tips everyone! I have reached 10 minutes now. I have to admit it does get boring. I will try out those variations.
 
montx said:
I jump rope as well but i do it 3 times a week rather than everyday. Reason being is at my 40 years, it is considered high impact, so I cycle everyday.

I would suggest you try 3 times a week and cycle as well.
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Montx, how long do you jump rope and do you do intervals or continuous jumping. Do you do road cycling or lifecycle-I own a lifecycle and I love it-great workout with interval training!
 
i do between 50 jump rope and 300 at a time. Last big one i did was 3000 jumps in 25 minutes but usually nowadays I do 100 jumps every Monday Wednesday and Friday and 50 Jumps for warm up on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I do continuous jumping followed by other excercise routines.

I do lifecycle and yes i love it too. Its great.
 
You know... Just jump roping on two feet gets quite boring. I used to jump rope... I did...

3 Minutes two feet
1 Minute left foot only
1 Minute right foot only
3 Minutes two feet
1 Minute right foot only
1 Minute left foot only
2 Minute shuffle (right foot front, left foot back and shuffling them)
2 Minute two feet
1 Minute double jump (Ropes goes under your feet twice in one jump)

So thats about 15 minute ish work out.
Used to do 2 of them with 5 minute rest.
I thought I was going to puke after the first time but it got better.
 
montx said:
i do between 50 jump rope and 300 at a time. Last big one i did was 3000 jumps in 25 minutes but usually nowadays I do 100 jumps every Monday Wednesday and Friday and 50 Jumps for warm up on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I do continuous jumping followed by other excercise routines.

I do lifecycle and yes i love it too. Its great.
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Montx,how many sets of the 100 jumps do you do and how long is your rest period between sets?
 
Combo up. Jump rope one day, run 4 miles next day, jump rope, lift, run stairs... it all adds up. People discount the endurance part of the game which running will def benefit. If you want to get stronger add some weight as well as working out. Dolamite used to say put your weight on it.. and Dolamite ain't never been wrong.
 
fuhzball said:
jumping rope gave me horrible shin splints...I stick to cardio machines (eliptical or summit)
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Perhaps jumping on a more forgiving surface than concrete or an unyielding floor will diminish the likelihood of shin splints. Even grass may be an unsuitable jumping surface. Better shoes may also prevent this from happening. Improper jumping technique can also be the culprit. Many novices jump much higher than necessary. Try to stay light on the balls of your feet. Avoid direct heel strikes, alway allow the ball of the foot to strike first.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shin_splints#Prevention

www.mayoclinic.com/health/shin-splints/DS00271

www.eastsidechiropractic.net/JumpRope.shtml

Warmup slowly w/some dynamic stretching. Also start you jumping at an easy pace before engaging in faster or more energetic jumping.
 
Ok I tried doing the intense and short jump rope sessions, and it really does feel like tennis! It is so intensive I can't handle it yet. Today i could only do this:

1 min intense
1 min slow/lazy
1 min intense

after this, I was more tired than after my 8 mins of jump roping I did a few days ago. This is really different, and I think I now know the difference between aerobic and anaerobic now. This 3 minute thing is definitely not long enough I know. What is the ideal length of time i must do these intense bursts for?
 
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SystemicAnomaly said:
Perhaps jumping on a more forgiving surface than concrete or an unyielding floor will diminish the likelihood of shin splints. Even grass may be an unsuitable jumping surface. Better shoes may also prevent this from happening. Improper jumping technique can also be the culprit. Many novices jump much higher than necessary. Try to stay light on the balls of your feet. Avoid direct heel strikes, alway allow the ball of the foot to strike first.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shin_splints#Prevention

www.mayoclinic.com/health/shin-splints/DS00271

www.eastsidechiropractic.net/JumpRope.shtml

Warmup slowly w/some dynamic stretching. Also start you jumping at an easy pace before engaging in faster or more energetic jumping.
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I'm at a young 15 years old. I find myself as graceful as a gazelle. Should I worry as much as it looks painful?

Also, do you recommend the jump rope from TW? I'm just wondering if its bad. I grew too tall for my kid jump rope.
http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/descpageMANIKE-NROPE.html
 
tenn23 said:
Ok I tried doing the intense and short jump rope sessions, and it really does feel like tennis! It is so intensive I can't handle it yet. Today i could only do this:

1 min intense
1 min slow/lazy
1 min intense

after this, I was more tired than after my 8 mins of jump roping I did a few days ago. This is really different, and I think I now know the difference between aerobic and anaerobic now. This 3 minute thing is definitely not long enough I know. What is the ideal length of time i must do these intense bursts for?
Click to expand...

Jumping rope can be a great addition to your fitness program, but please, don't do it everyday as a core part of your cardio program. (You will pull a calf muscle) Every other day max, its fine for a 2-5 minute warm up on off days. Jumping rope can be fun because you can quickly improve your skill level in days or weeks.
Vary the steps to decrease bordom as mentioned in previous post. I usually start out with 5 minutes of ramdom rope work, alternated between the many steps listed earlier.
Try some sprint work after that. Use the alternate foot step, just count your right foot only for a benchmark on how many jumps.
Do this alternate foot step for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds. Try this 5 times, and as you get better increase one at a time with each session till you get to 10 reps.
Once you get to 10, try the same routine, 60 seconds jump, 60 seconds rest, total of 5 times, then increase to 10 reps.
Next progression, 90 seconds jump, 60 seconds rest.
And if you can get to 120 seconds jump, and 60 seconds rest, with 5 to 10 reps of this, no one will ever question your fitness! (speed is the key to this, jump as fast as you can)
I try to end the session with double jumps, arm cross overs and backward jumping.
Jump for speed, lift for strength. Find a speed rope, buddy lee has great ropes, and work with a good rope. And please stretch your calves often!!!!
This program seems to simulate tennis points and has worked for me.
My 3 cents...
 
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