In my quest to become totally shredded (and this is week #3, day #3 in this personal challenge), I'm trying to incorporate a whole different range of exercises, from cardio to weight lifting, as well as HIIT and my usual BJJ training. One of the new things I have added is rope skipping.
Who would have thought that a game we played as kids on the playground would later become a staple exercise for our all over health. Skipping rope is indeed an excellent cardio vascular exercise, it teaches you coordination, burns calories and works all those little muscles in your feet, ankles and legs which you normally don't use every day. For BJJ practice it is also extremely beneficial because it helps you better control your breath, and it increases your breathing efficiency. In BJJ it's important to manage your breath properly in order to avoid gassing out too soon.
But more importantly, it's fun!
You could probably get the same benefits while jogging, but I personally don't enjoy running at all. I find it boring as hell, and that's why I always say that I'll run only if someone is behind me trying to kill me....
With rope skipping I feel like that kid all over again, especially when I discover new tricks, and while pushing myself to new limits.
How I got into it
Initially I started jumping rope again as an adult during warm up in Muay Thai classes several years ago. We had to do 3 X 3 minutes at the beginning of each class, and while most people hated it, I thought it was pretty neat. I was actually pretty good at this, so I bought my own rope to use at home. Over time, it has become an easy exercise to incorporate whenever or wherever I went, and I honestly could go on for a very long time doing very simple jumps with both legs together, or alternating.
My problem is not cardio or resistance, it's coordination!
Lately, I have been working out with my brother in law and his girlfriend in our home gym, and my BIL is a bit obsessed with rope jumping. He started to show us all the new tricks he had learned from videos, crossing his arms and doing all sorts of funky stuff with the rope.
Since I Iove challenges, of course I had to try it myself. Once I want to learn something, I won't stop until I master it, but it's a gradual process. In the below video, you will see me trying, and of course in the beginning, it's not as easy as it looks on YouTube. But don't worry! I will keep practicing until it actually looks smooth.
Get ready to laugh a little.... (view video here)
As you can see on the video, I'm still jumping way too high when I do the cross jump. I guess it's a mental thing, only my arms switch position, but somehow I think that I have to jump higher in order to make it.
Filming myself sideways also helps to check my posture. While I do stand fairly straight, I notice that my arms are swinging a little all over the place, and I'm holding the handle too close to the bottom. Recording yourself really helps you analyze yourself after the fact, and allows you to identify which mistakes need to be corrected.
Some of the things I tried to learned an be viewed in the following YouTube video (PS this is NOT my BIL): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUCQ2pvnyW4
I hope you've enjoyed this content, and that you'll keep following my journey to become 100%, totally, completely shredded LOL.
I look forward to your comments or advice below!
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