How often should I jump?
This is a question that is often asked and is of great importance because how often you jump not only has an impact on your results, but also plays a key role in injury prevention.
Short answer:
Everjump recommendation for experienced athletes: 3-5 times per week
Everjump recommendation for beginners: 1-2 times a week
Long answer:
There has been a lot of discussion about how often you should jump and how long a training session should last. Some say it's fine to jump every day. Others say it's only good to use the rope once or twice a week. But the real answer depends on your answers to some important questions.
In this post, we ask you some important questions you should ask yourself to determine how often you should jump rope each week to reach your personal goals:
- What is my current fitness level?
- How good am I at skipping rope?
- Do I have any previous injuries?
- What kind of surface am I jumping on?
- What are my personal fitness goals?
Let's look at each point in detail:
1. what is my current fitness level?
Do you already train regularly every week?
If you are an avid fitness enthusiast, you should have no trouble integrating the skipping rope into your current routine. However, this doesn't mean that you should start using the rope every day straight away.
Even if you train regularly, you should gradually incorporate the rope into your training. You need to give the muscles and connective tissue in your legs time to adapt to the new stresses that jumping rope entails.
If you're a beginner, this is even more important. We've seen many new jumpers get caught up in their excitement and start their journey with daily, hour-long training sessions. More often than not, this ends in injury.
You should start slowly with an overall low weekly training volume and increase it bit by bit when you notice that your muscles are getting used to the strain.
Always listen to what your body is telling you. If it signals to you that you should rest, then listen to it. It's better to take a day off here and there than to have to take a break for a few weeks or even months due to an injury.
2. how well do I currently jump rope?
Are you just starting your jump rope training journey?
We find that beginners often make the same common mistakes - landing aggressively, spinning the rope inefficiently or adopting a poor jumping stance. Mistakes like these hinder your progress, lead to rapid fatigue and can ultimately result in injury.
So if you're just starting out, keep your training sessions short and focused. Focus on learning one thing at a time. If you start to get frustrated or don't make progress, take a break and try again tomorrow. There is no rush.
The last thing we want is for you to jump with poor or even incorrect technique. You should make sure that you have mastered the basic technique before you start increasing your weekly training volume.
Tip: Invest around five minutes before your workout to work on your technique and coordination. This is a great way to lay the foundations for jumping rope and also warms you up for your subsequent workout.
As soon as you feel that you have mastered the technique well, you can start to increase your training volume as required.
3. do I have any previous injuries?
Injuries are annoying and unnecessary. If you have previous injuries, it is very important that you consider the following two aspects:
- Pay attention to how your body feels when jumping rope and adapt accordingly. When you are ready to jump again after an injury, keep your initial training volume low and the sessions short.
- Also make sure that you take plenty of breaks so that you can recover. Once you get a better feel for how your body reacts to the new stress of jumping, you can start to build up the sessions accordingly.
Jumping rope is easier on your joints than running, so it can help strengthen your bones and joints.
Our recommendation after injuries: 1-3 times a week, short units and consult your doctor first.
4. what type of surface am I jumping on?
One of the coolest advantages of jumping rope is that, unlike training in the gym, you are not tied to a fixed location. You can take your rope with you anywhere and jump on almost any surface.
At Everjump, we focus a lot on designing and building skipping ropes that can be used in the roughest terrain while maintaining impressive durability.
Regardless of this, we recommend jumping on softer surfaces or using a rope skipping mat, as this will protect both your joints and your rope.
If you are constantly jumping on harder surfaces (such as concrete or asphalt), it is important that you not only keep your weekly volume low, but also shorten your training sessions.
However, if you are jumping on a softer surface (such as rubber flooring or hardwood) or using a rope jumping mat, it is okay to increase your weekly volume.
Recommendation for hard/rough surfaces: 1-3 times a week (5-15 minute sessions)
Recommendation for soft surfaces: 3-5 times a week (15-30 minute sessions)
5 What are my personal fitness goals?
Your fitness goals will ultimately determine how often you should integrate your skipping rope into your weekly training. There are two main factors that play a role here: Duration of jump & jump intensity.
For example, if you want to improve your endurance, you will probably focus on longer, lower-intensity jumps.
Jumping rope for longer periods (20 - 60 minutes) is an excellent way to build up aerobic fitness. You should be aware of the strain on your legs and connective tissue during long jumps and slowly approach longer training sessions.
A suitable jumping surface (see point #4) is essential for a longer jumping time.
If you consistently complete longer jumps at a lower intensity, you should be able to jump comfortably 3-4 times a week as long as you pay attention to how your body responds and adjust accordingly.
If your goal is primarily to burn fat by jumping rope, you should jump at high intensity for a shorter period of time.
HIIT training is great for getting your heart rate up, burning calories and turning your body into a fat-burning machine even after your workout.
Recommendation for endurance training: 3-4 times a week (long duration, lower intensity)
Recommendation for HIIT units: 2-4 times a week (short duration, higher intensity)
That's it - you now have 5 questions you should ask yourself.
Always remember that your current fitness level, jumping rope ability, previous injuries, jumping surface and overall training goals all play a role in determining your ideal weekly training volume.
You have to start with testing.
And once you've done that, you need to listen to your body. If you feel pain and discomfort too often, reduce your weekly volume and shorten your training sessions. If you find that your training sessions are too easy, then simply slowly increase the duration and intensity.
You will find that as your fitness and skipping rope experience improves, your training volume will naturally increase.