Does Your Workout Get Boring? Give This Heart-Pumping, Boxer's Style Jump Rope Workout A Try!

Workout sometimes can be boring, monotonous, and repetitive. Sure, you have to try new things to keep it interesting, but it can be very tough when you feel like you’ve run out of exercises to experiment with. I get that, which is why I'm bringing you this heart-pounding jump rope workout to kick-start your routine to high gear with these boxer-inspired moves:

Jump Rope Techniques

1. Run In Place: Run in place while jumping rope. Land on with the balls of your feet and flex the lower leg to form a 90-degree angle with the back of your thigh. You can run in place with the knees lifted up or kept down. By lifting the knees up to hip level, you will target the quadriceps. By keeping the knees down, you will work the hamstrings.

2. Sprint In Place: A variation to running in place involves an all-out sprint with the rope. You will remain stationary and jump rope with a "sprint" pace. For this variation, you should run in place lifting your knees up. This is an excellent exercise to improve anaerobic endurance.

3. Side-to-Side: Jump with your feet together in a side-to-side motion while skipping rope.

4. Side-to-Side Twists:  A variation to the side-to-side jump involves a simultaneous rotation of the hips.

5. Heel-Toe: Jump once to each turn of the rope, alternating your right and left foot from heel to toe. The heel and toe of opposite foot will touch the ground at the same time. For example, your right heel will touch the ground in sync with your left toe and vice versa.

6. Forward - Backward Spread: Alternate one foot forward and one foot backward as you turn the rope. The left foot lands forward and the right foot lands back on the first turn, then the right foot lands forward and the left foot lands back on the second turn. Continue in this alternating fashion. This variation is commonly referred to as the Ali Shuffle.

7. Front-to-Back: With your feet together, alternate jumping forward and backward while turning the rope.

8. Corner Jumping: Jump in the pattern of a square. You will jump to each corner of the square while turning the rope. This variation will improve your agility in all directions. You will jump forward, backward, and side-to-side.

9. Straddle: Start with your feet together for the first turn of the rope. Spread your feet to the sides for the second turn. Continue as if you were performing jumping jacks with the rope.

10. Cross Straddle: For this variation, laterally cross the right leg over the left leg, and then cross the left leg over the right leg. Continue in this alternating fashion.

11. Criss-Cross: Cross the arms at the elbows on the downward swing of the rope. Jump through the loop of the rope that is formed in front of your body. Uncross the arms on the next downward swing. Continue to criss-cross the rope in this alternating fashion.

12. Single Leg Bounce: Bounce once to each turn of the rope, using one foot at a time. Alternate between right and left foot. A sample routine involves a ladder where you start with 1 jump on the left foot, then 1 with the right, and so on until you reach 10. You can then start over with 1 jump per foot and continue.

13. Double Unders: Make two turns of the rope for every one jump. Keep your feet together and turn the rope fast to allow two full turns for every jump.

14. Double Unders - Single Leg: A more difficult variation is to perform a double under on one leg at time. Work 5 double unders on the left leg, and then 5 on the right leg. Continue with this back and forth pattern.

The Jump Rope Workout

If jumping rope is new to you, you may start with Level 1 workout. Eventually, as you get better, you should progress to level 2 and level 3 workouts. Work your way up and never settle for the easy path. Let's go!

Level I

• Freestyle x 1-min, rest x 1-min
• Repeat 5x

Level 2

• Freestyle x 2-min, rest x 1-min
• Repeat 4x

Level 3

• Freestyle (slow pace) x 30 seconds
• Sprint-in-Place x 30 seconds
• Freestyle (slow pace) x 30 seconds
• Run-in-Place x 30 seconds
• Freestyle (slow pace) x 30 seconds
• Double Unders x 30 seconds
• Rest 1-minute
• Repeat Circuit 4x

"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." 

- Nelson Mandela