Monday's Move of the Week

The Move: Jump Rope

Let your inner child out and skip rope! It’s a killer calorie burner, good for the heart and builds strong bones (i.e. combats osteoporosis). I totally remember jumping rope for the entire 25 minutes of recess, three times a day my whole year in second grade, but I’m not going to kid you…jumping rope is not child’s play any more. It’s tough and a completely awesome change up to any cardio routine.

Muscles Worked: Heart, legs, arms, core

How to:

1. Make sure that you are in a space with a tall ceiling.
2. Grasp a handle of the rope in either hand.
3. Swing the rope from behind you to the front and jump over the rope before it hits your feet…keep going

Trainer Tips:

• Start with one minute of continuous jumping…and then work up to 5, then 10, then 15 and…well…you get the point.
• Keep the shoulders down and relax and focus on the rhythm of the rope and your jumps…this will keep you from “messing up.”

Make ‘em harder: Ever see the Rocky movies? Jumping faster makes you work work up a sweat faster…