Jumping into Fitness: Elevate Your Routine with Crossrope

What is one of the most basic exercises you can think of? For me, it's jumping. Jumping is such a basic activity that we humans have been engaging in for thousands of years. Granted, back then it was likely more related to hunting, escaping, and surviving. These days, jumping is rarely used outside the gym. Think of the last time you jumped outside of the gym - I bet it's hard to remember.

However, overlooking jumping is a mistake! Jumping offers a variety of benefits. Some benefits are more pronounced when you jump for maximum height and explosiveness, while others come from smaller, more repetitive jumps.

Coordination: Jumping requires significant coordination and balance. Your body must synchronize multiple muscle groups to execute the movement. And how about jumping onto an object? Now you’re adding even more complexity. Or put a jump rope in your hand that has to be perfectly timed so each time you jump it passes under your feet. Ever heard of crossovers and triple unders? That's where real coordination skills come into play!

Balance: Both takeoff and landing demand that your body maintain balance. Regular skipping, which requires less balance compared to a high jump or jumping onto objects, especially odd-shaped ones, challenges your balance more intensively.

Power: Jumping is fundamentally a power-based movement. The more power you have, the higher you can jump. Vertical jumps or high box jumps are true tests of power.

Bone Health: Regular jumping can improve bone density, particularly through smaller, more frequent jumps like skipping. The repetitive impact applies stress to the bones (a good kind of stress), essentially requiring them to rebuild and get stronger. This is especially important for women, who are at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis where improved bone density can help prevent, decrease, or delay the disease.

Relatively Low Impact: While jumping applies stress to the bones, it does so in a healthy way when done in moderation. Overdoing it, like with any exercise, can of course lead to stress and injury. However, regular jumping is a low-impact exercise with many benefits and little potential for harm, especially skipping.

Cardiovascular Health: Jumping, especially repetitive jumping like skipping, improves your cardiovascular health. It does so by increasing your heart rate and therefore improves your conditioning, which in turn reduces the risk of heart disease, lowers blood pressure, and improves cholesterol levels. Sounds like a win, win, win, win to me.

Personally, I love jumping! It's a fun way to exercise and an excellent way to change things up. And of course, as a professional CrossFit athlete, we are likely to get tested in various jumping so I can’t neglect it.

And with that, I want to introduce you to Crossrope, a sponsor of mine that I believe has revolutionized jumping by making it interactive, fun, challenging, and accessible. In today's world, where technology is allowing us to dive deeper into things than ever before, Crossrope has done exactly that. They stand out with their vast selection of jump ropes AND a super fun Bluetooth rope. They literally have ropes for every occasion and then some. Whether you're looking for a traditional speed rope for efficient single, double, or triple unders, a slightly heavier rope for all-around use, a beaded rope for crossovers, a Bluetooth-enabled rope that syncs with a fun and interactive app, or even a ropeless jump rope. I wasn’t kidding when I said they have a rope for every purpose!

Exploring Different Types of Rope and How I Use Them

• Speed Rope
• This is my go-to for regular double-unders, which I typically have on my program once or twice a week. It's also handy for practicing triple unders, although they don't make it into my program as often. The speed rope lives up to its name - it's lightweight and quick, making it perfect for those fast and effortless rotations. Click here to check it out.
  
  
• Classic Rope
• Think of this as the traditional jump rope, but with a twist. The rope is a click-system that allows for easy rope changing to suit any need. It's the Swiss Army knife of jump ropes, versatile and dependable. When I have heavy double unders on my program, I add the heavy 1 1/2 lb or 2 lb rope. It’s sure to challenge grip and arms! I also use this rope when a workout calls for a mixture of double under and crossovers. In that case, I use the lighter 1/4 lb rope as it’s lighter for speed, but heavy enough that I have a good feel with the rope. And that’s where the classic rope shines, the ability to change rope weight with a pair of solid handles. Click here to check it out.

• Beaded Rope
• For crossovers, feel is everything, and the beaded rope provides just that. It might be slower than a speed rope but for crossovers, "slow and steady" is the way to go. The added weight and texture make it ideal for mastering this technique. This is my go-to if a workout calls for crossovers only. Regardless of single or double crossovers. Click here to check it out.
  
  
• AMP Bluetooth Rope
• This advanced jump rope system features Bluetooth-enabled handles, offering a modern twist on the classic exercise tool. If the Classic Rope is the equivalent of a Swiss Army knife, then the AMP Bluetooth Rope is the equivalent of a Tesla - loaded with tech and quality ;) The smart handles connect with the Crossrope app (rated 4.8 stars by over 10,000 users on the App Store) for a range of follow-along workouts. It tracks your rotations, offering a fun and interactive way to improve and get a good workout in. It includes other movements so you are not only jumping, but getting an all-around workout in. I use this on my recovery days when I’m looking for more of a blood flow workout. Don’t get me wrong, you can EASILY find some tough workouts that will challenge you, however, as I have my usual program from my coach where I need to push hard on my training days, I prefer to use this for days when I’m looking to slow down a little bit and have more fun with it. Click here to check it out.

• Ropeless Rope
• At first, I thought this was a little odd. But this rope is probably the one that has surprised me the most. As the word indicates, it’s a jump rope with regular handles as you are used to, but instead of a rope that connects the two handles, each handle is attached to a short rope with a small weight at the end. This means you don’t have a long rope rotating around you, making it easier and more versatile. It even comes with different weights so you can make it harder or easier according to your liking. It might sound odd, but I have used it a couple of times through layovers on long travel days. I just look for a quiet spot to avoid drawing too much attention. It’s a great way to get the body moving after a long flight, and I cannot tell you how amazing you feel after a quick 10-15 minute easy workout on your layovers. It’s like you completely re-charged your batteries. Combine it with a little bit of stretching and you are golden! It's also been a hit in tight spaces or for lighter workouts, again typically on my recovery days when I don’t go to the gym, I try to do something different. Sometimes that puts me in tight spaces where options are limited, but with the Ropeless Rope, it’s easy! Lastly, I want to mention how this rope has been a game-changer for my dad and Ras’s (my husband) parents. My dad has a prosthetic leg and Ras’s parents aren’t used to jumping. With this rope, they are all able to get some great workouts in! They get the same benefits, as talked about earlier, from the jumping, but don’t have to worry too much about coordination. So if you are looking for a rope you can bring and use anywhere OR if you have someone who’s not used to jumping, then this rope is AMAZING! Click here to check it out.

There you have it. I hope you've learned more about the benefits of jumping and why we should never stop bouncing up and down. And if you are looking for a new jump rope, regardless of what style of jumping you are doing, I encourage you to check out Crossrope. If you're interested, use my code FISHER15 for 15% off across their entire website. They really make some fantastic ropes!