Jump Rope
Jump rope (single unders) is a rhythmic, low two-footed bounce on the balls of the feet while your wrists turn a rope once under your feet for each jump. It is mainly a conditioning and footwork exercise: the calves and ankles do most of the work, with the forearms and shoulders keeping the rope turning.
Also called: Skipping, Skip Rope, Single Unders, Rope Skipping · Equipment: cardio
Step by step
- Size the rope: stand on its middle with one foot and pull the handles up to about armpit height.
- Stand tall with your feet close together, ribs down and eyes forward. Hold the handles lightly, elbows close to your ribs and hands slightly in front of your hips.
- Start with the rope behind your heels and swing it over your head with a small circle of the wrists.
- As the rope comes down in front of you, hop 2–5 cm off the floor from the balls of your feet so it passes under them.
- Land on the balls of your feet with your knees soft and ankles firm, and rebound straight into the next hop: one hop for each turn of the rope.
- Keep turning the rope with small, quick wrist circles while your arms stay close to your body and your shoulders stay relaxed.
- Hold an even rhythm and breathe steadily. At the end of the round, let the rope come to rest against your feet.
- Turn the rope from your wrists
- Low and light, barely leave the floor
- Quick off the ground on every landing
- Tall and tight, elbows in
- Land where you took off
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Gastrocnemius: medial head | Prime mover | C |
| Gastrocnemius: lateral head | Prime mover | C |
| Soleus | Prime mover | C |
| Forearm flexors | Secondary | D |
| Flexor hallucis longus / flexor digitorum longus / foot intrinsics | Stabiliser | D |
| Rectus abdominis | Stabiliser | D |
| Tibialis anterior | Dynamic stabiliser | D |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Jumping too high
Fix: Hop only 2–5 cm and turn the rope faster from the wrists so it clears you.
Arms swinging wide
Fix: Keep your elbows by your ribs and turn the rope with small wrist circles.
Landing flat or on the heels
Fix: Land on the balls of your feet with ankles firm and knees soft.
Folding at the hips to clear the rope
Fix: Stay tall; check the rope length and turn faster rather than tucking.
Rope the wrong length
Fix: Stand on its middle; the handles reach about armpit height when it fits.
Carrying on as rhythm falls apart
Fix: End the round when your rhythm slips, rather than at a set time.
What the research says
General fitness · first choiceFat loss & conditioning · first choicePowerSport performanceEndurance
- Training effects — A meta-analysis of 21 controlled studies, mostly in young people, found jump-rope training improved cardiorespiratory endurance, leg and upper-body strength, jumping and sprinting compared with no training, with small-to-moderate effects.
- Intensity — The Compendium of Physical Activities rates rope skipping at about 9 METs at a slow pace and about 12 METs at a moderate to fast pace, a vigorous intensity and among the highest energy costs of common conditioning activities.
- Muscle size — Research on jump training finds small-to-moderate gains in muscle size, with calf size changes often absent. Its main adaptations are a stiffer Achilles tendon and better jumping performance.
- Formats — Common formats are intervals of 20–60 seconds of work and rest, short 10–30 second bursts at high speed for footwork, and longer continuous rounds for endurance. No research compares these formats directly.
- Progression — Many coaches progress the total number of jumps per session gradually rather than only the minutes. This is coaching practice rather than a tested protocol.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the jump rope in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.