This skipping workout might only last five minutes, but it will improve your cardiovascular fitness, co-ordination and core strength.
There are many reasons not to exercise: you’re busy, bored of home workouts and would rather spend an hour catching up on the best that Netflix has to offer. While these are all valid reasons to step away from the workout kit, sometimes a good sweat session is what you need to help you de-stress from the day – no matter how little you feel like doing it.
That’s where skipping can be useful. One of the best things about this training style is that you don’t need a lot of time to get an effective session. Skipping can actually mimic the same effects of a steady run in a third of the time, personal trainer Kerry Dixon previously told Strong Women. That means just five minutes of jumping rope is enough to improve your fitness, work the lower body and release some well-needed endorphins.
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That doesn’t mean standing on the spot and jumping over the rope over and over again with a timer on. “I would recommend breaking the workout up,” says Kerry. “Skipping continuously for five minutes is hard – you don’t realise how exerting it is, even if you’re going at a slow tempo.”
Using an on/off period also makes the workout into more of a HIIT-style session, allowing you to really push yourself in the working phase before giving your muscles a short time to rest and your heart rate to slow a little.
Plus, if it’s boredom you’re trying to fix, switching up your skipping style across the five-minute workout period is the best way to keep your interest. “It just makes going out to play around with the rope for five minutes a little more manageable,” agrees Kerry.
The best five-minute skipping rope workouts
Workout 1: five-minute heart raising cardio workout
“I would break this workout up into 30 seconds of work with 30 seconds of rest to begin with. You can work your way up to 40 seconds of work and 20 seconds of rest if you like more of a challenge,” says Kerry.
- Double footed jump
- Left foot jump
- Right foot jump
- Double footed jump
- Alternating left and right foot jumps
Workout 2: five-minute cardio and core intervals
“Try adding some bodyweight exercises in alongside the jumps for that full body element,” says Kerry. We’ve suggested some core moves, but you can try mixing it up and adding in other simple moves.
- 60 seconds: skip
- 30 seconds: mountain climbers
- 30 seconds: recovery
- 60 seconds: skip
- 30 seconds: plank hold
- 30 seconds: recovery
- 60 seconds: skip
- 30 seconds: crunches
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Images: Getty
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