Jump Ropin' to Fitness

When I was young, I loved to jumprope. Even when I got older, I used a jump rope workout to increase my vertical when I was told by my volleyball coach that I was too short to be a hitter. Watching Rocky, one of my favorite parts about the movie was watching him workout and overcome, with a jump rope also playing a part in his success. Summary: I have an obvious love relationship with the jumprope.

Paul and I recently completed one of the items on our 2011 Bucket List of working out for 60 consecutive days. The first few weeks were brutal, but once we got into the swing of things, I really started to particularly enjoy it. One of the more common workouts I did I called the "Backyard Workout". It consisted mostly of plyos that I had done from last summer's boot camp, and jump roping was one of the cardio increments.

It started with 100 each workout. Then Paul and I moved up to 300 with the workout. One inspired and motivated day, it became 500 and then 1000. Now it has become my solo workout, with a few days of running a few miles here and there. I'm excited to see that my love for the jump rope, while silent for years, has not dwindled. In the short time I've been doing it, I notice a difference in my arms, butt, core and calves.

My best workout was 2,600 jumps. I think my next task, however, will be to move towards timed jumping instead of sets and numbers. If I were brave enough, I would take a before and after picture of how my flab is turning to fab, but I've noticed that even my dog gives me a "your a disgrace" look when she sees me less-than-fully-clothed, so I'll hold off on that one. I will, however, keep you up to date with my progress and how I'm doing it. Maybe I'll even let you in on what songs I listened to when I was pumping myself up?