Jumping rope vs. jogging

Rope skipping has become more and more popular in leisure sports over the last few years. In view of its positive effect on endurance, jumping rope is often compared to jogging. A look at current studies reveals that both sports have a similarly positive effect on the cardiovascular system. In terms of burning fat, however, skipping rope can have an advantage over jogging. In addition, jumping rope uses comparatively more muscles, making it an ideal full-body workout for at home or outdoors. It also benefits the development of your coordination skills, as the timing of the jump and arm swing must be precisely connected. If you would like to find out more about this topic, you are welcome to read the following sections in more detail.

Skipping rope - the new megatrend

Jumping rope is often associated as a leisure activity for children or as a warm-up program for boxers. However, skipping ropes are also an indispensable training tool in many other sports these days. Especially in sports disciplines that require a high level of whole-body coordination, it is mainly used for warming up or in the form of an interval training session. Due to the promising positive effects on endurance, jumping rope is often compared to jogging and some people ask themselves: is jumping rope just as effective as jogging or even better? 

 

Does your body good and boosts fat burning

In fact, the topic was already being addressed at the end of the 1970s. A study conducted at that time found that 10 minutes of jumping rope had the same positive effect on the cardiovascular system as 30 minutes of jogging [1]. However, there are no current studies that can prove or disprove these findings. Nevertheless, current studies show that regular rope skipping has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system [2]. But that's not all: jumping rope is also ideal for burning fat. A 57 kg person burns around 300 calories in 30 minutes when jumping rope. In comparison, they would have to jog at an average speed of 9.45 km/h to burn the same amount of calories in the same time [3]. 

Full body workout

Jumping rope also has a clear advantage in terms of muscular strain. While jogging only works the leg muscles, jumping rope also trains the upper body. So if you want to burn fat in the shortest possible time and also strengthen your whole body, you should go for the skipping rope.

Your brain trains with

In addition, jumping rope requires coordination skills that are not necessary when jogging. Several muscle groups in the arms, legs, shoulders and torso have to be activated simultaneously so that the rhythmic movements of the arm swing and jump can be precisely linked together. Studies have already shown that jumping rope promotes the development of motor skills. It has been shown that a few weeks of rope skipping training are enough to improve coordination skills in children [4] and adults [5].

 

[1] Baker, J. A. (1968). Comparison of rope skipping and jogging as methods of improving cardiovascular efficiency of college men. Research Quarterly. American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, 39(2), 240-243.

 

[2] Arazi, H., Jalali-Fard, A., & Abdinejad, H. (2016). A comparison of two aerobic training methods (running vs rope jumping) on health-related physical fitness in 10 to 12 years old boys. Physical Activity Review, 4, 9-17.

 

[3] Harvard Health (2004). Calories burned in 30 minutes for people of three different weights. Harv Heart Lett.

 

[4] Trecroci, A., Cavaggioni, L., Caccia, R., & Alberti, G. (2015). Jump rope training: Balance and motor coordination in preadolescent soccer players. Journal of sports science & medicine, 14(4), 792.

 

[5] Ozer, D., Duzgun, I., Baltaci, G., Karacan, S., & Colakoglu, F. (2011). The effects of rope or weighted rope jump training on strength, coordination and proprioception in adolescent female volleyball players. Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness, 51(2), 211.