Skipping, whether as a warm-up activity or as a component of your primary workout, is beneficial to your physical health and should be incorporated into both. Learn about the many health advantages of skipping your fitness routine and some exercises you can do to get started.Boxers, widely considered among the most physically fit athletes in the world, routinely engage in skipping drills to improve their hand-to-eye coordination and cardiovascular fitness. It is not a coincidence. So why not incorporate some jump rope into your workouts and take advantage of the other benefits of jumping rope for fitness listed below?
Skipping offers many health benefits, including the following:
- Cardiovascular fitness
- Musculature in the thighs Endurance Coordination
- Strength in the bones and equilibrium
- Agility
- Workout for the whole body
- Flexibility
- Endurance
Getting started skipping

Skipping has to be one of the cheapest exercises available. You need minimal equipment, minimal space and you can practice just about anywhere — indoors or out. To kick-start your skipping routine, this is all you need:
Check out our Skipping classes at Bayside Boxing.
Skipping/jump rope
Skipping ropes are very cheap and widely available in sports retailers, or you can even make your own. To make sure that your rope is the correct length for your height, stand on the middle of the rope and pull the handles upwards until the rope is taut. The handles should be in line with the middle of your chest. If the handles come up higher, cut a few inches of rope off one end until you have the correct length.
Cushioned training shoes
Skipping is a high-impact activity, which is good for bone strength, but it is important that you wear suitable footwear. The action of skipping – particularly if you progress to some slightly more advanced movements – means that your shoes need some lateral stability to provide support for your feet. Cross-training shoes that combine stability with cushioning are best – tell your retailer what you intend to do in the shoes to ensure you select an appropriate pair.
Correct surface for skipping.
On the same impact theme, cushioned training shoes alone aren’t the only consideration that you need to be aware of. Ideally, you should practice your skipping on a ‘giving’ surface such as a sprung gym floor, an exercise mat (ensure that the mat won’t move or slip), or a carpet. By skipping on a cushioned surface in correct footwear, you will avoid any lower leg problems that result from impact — such as shin splints.
Skipping exercise technique
It’s no coincidence that professional boxers look like they’re dancing on air as they skip in the gym – they have honed their skipping skills and technique through many hours of practice. Skipping is a straightforward exercise, but to get the most from your routine you should make sure that you adopt the following correct technique:
- Jump off and land on the balls of your feet.
- Avoid looking down at your feet, keep your head up and look straight ahead.
- Avoid hunching over; always skip with a straight back.
- Jump only a few centimeters into the air each time that the rope passes.
Skipping exercise suggestions
Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can do much more than simply jump up and down on the spot. Try some of these variations to bring variety into your skipping workout, improve your hand-to-eye coordination and impress your friends!
Double jump
Swing the rope slowly and complete a double jump for each revolution. Skip jump. Instead of jumping with both feet together, jump on one foot only, kicking the other out in front or behind on each revolution. Alternate your feet between each jump. Hop jump. Hop continuously on one foot as you skip. Start with a couple of hops before using the other foot, then gradually build up the number of hops that you can complete on each leg.
Check out our Skipping classes at Bayside Boxing.
Jog jump
Adopt a ‘jogging’ style by keeping the rope low and ‘jogging’ on the spot as you twirl the rope.
High jogging
This is more demanding – lift your knees as high as possible on each skip. Ski jump. A double-footed jump – but this time, as well as jumping a few centimeters off the ground, you should also jump from side to side. Start with short sideways jumps and gradually extend the width of your jumps as you improve.
Cross-over
The boxer’s classic – and it looks impressive too. Using a standard double-jump technique, as the rope comes above your head, cross your arms over as far as you can and perform a higher jump so you don’t catch the rope. Return to normal skipping and then repeat. Build up from one cross over in 10 skips until you can alternate between standard and cross over skips each revolution.
Still need a reason to start skipping?

You can see that as well as adding some variety to your exercise program, skipping brings a wide range of fitness benefits. Additionally, studies have shown that skipping is a great calorie burner – and depending upon your speed and intensity, 10 minutes of skipping can burn off as many calories as a 30-minute run!
However, aside from fitness and weight management benefits, skipping is also good fun – which is a key factor for any exercise, because then you’ll be motivated to continue with it. So, if you’ve never thought of skipping, perhaps now is the time to ‘borrow’ your children’s skipping rope and bring a whole new dimension to your training.
Benefits of Sports and Fitness
When you hear the word sports you probably think basketball, baseball, or football. When you read fitness you may imagine intense daily workouts at a gym. As a person with a bleeding disorder, you may not be able to participate in these activities.
The next time you hear the words sports and fitness, consider that physical activity—through safe sports and exercises—will strengthen your musculoskeletal system and reduce extra weight. The real benefit: your joints will become more stable and you’ll be less likely to have bleeds and pain.
A Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study showed that being overweight was strongly associated with limited joint range-of-motion. This was true regardless of the severity of the bleeding disorder. However, it’s not just about being overweight. Do you ever get tired just from climbing up a flight of stairs or does that walk down the hall feel like it keeps getting longer and longer?
Just a few of the benefits of being physically fit:
- It increases your energy level.
- It boosts your mood and attitude.
- It helps your body adjust to even routine activities that can cause a bleed and other complications, especially in joints and muscles weakened by lack of movement.
Check out our Skipping classes at Bayside Boxing.
Some considerations when thinking about getting active:
- Your current fitness level and goals.
- Don’t compare yourself to others. This is about you and not your peers.
- How comfortable are you with physical activity? Just like a car, you can’t start at 55 mph. You’ll need to work your way through the gears.
- Everyone has to start at zero and work up at different rates. You will get there! Do you have some limitations? An honest assessment of your fitness level will help you reach your goals quicker
What do you want to accomplish by being active? Make a list: Is your goal overall health or weight management? A specific event (like a Hemophilia Walk)? Or do you just want to play sports with your friends? Just like in other areas of your life, setting goals (fitness goals in this case) gives you something to work toward; you can create a plan and chart your progress, so you know when you’ve accomplished your goals.Discuss your sports and fitness ideas with your Hemophilia Treatment Center (HTC) team before getting started.We’ve all heard the announcers on infomercials for exercise equipment and exercise videos say, “Speak to your doctor before beginning any exercise program fitness routine.” Heed this very good advice and talk to your treatment team before you start a sport or working out. Most likely you have been meeting with your bleeding disorder treatment team already, so they know you pretty well. They’ll have your health records, including information about bleeding episodes and other medical conditions, and will find your baseline and track your progress from that point.
Your HTC team can:
- Discuss activities that will help and, more importantly, not hurt your body.
- Suggest ways to alter the activities you want to do to minimize the risk of injury and bleeding.
- Review your infusion or prophylaxis regimen and help you adjust it, if necessary, to fit your increased activity schedule.
If you sustain an injury or bleed, we will assist you in making any necessary adjustments.They can talk to your teachers, coaches, and even other medical staff members to help promote you being physically active and help you avoid risks.Reducing the risk of bleeding is possible by administering treatment before and after particular activities.Even though you may be taking preventative measures to treat it (which will make it much simpler and safer to participate in various activities), bleeding due to injury or overuse is still possible.Talk to your treatment team about the best time to administer treatment based on the activity you will be participating in, regardless of whether you are following a regular prophylaxis routine or are treating yourself in advance of your activity.When your level of clotting factor is at its highest, immediately following treatment is the best time for the activity. Consider treating yourself afterwards if the physical activity was particularly strenuous or if anything untoward happened.
Don’t play through injuries!
Every wound requires the proper amount of time to heal. If you don’t give yourself the time you need to recover, you risk causing long-term or permanent damage to your joints and tissues.Employ the procedure known as R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate).Have a conversation with your treatment team about the options available and determine when certain physical activities can be resumed.
So you’ve decided to start being more active, but what comes next?
It’s possible that for a significant portion of your life, people have told you that you can’t participate in particular activities. It is because the activity itself determines the risk of injury or bleeding. If you are aware of these dangers, you will be better equipped to decide which physical activities are best for you. Because you are aware of the high likelihood of suffering serious injuries to the head, neck, and spine if you participate in a contact or collision sport such as football or hockey — and because, of course, having to wear a neck brace (or having a head bleed) would put a significant damper on your social life — perhaps you will decide against participating in such a sport. When selecting a sport or exercise routine, it is essential to consider your body type, your history of bleeding, and the health of your joints. No answer applies to everyone’s situation. Have a conversation with your hematologist and physical therapist before beginning any activity. They will walk you through all of this together with you.
Exercise
Your strategy for getting in shape does not require an extreme routine. If you have a fit body, you can participate in the activities you normally do without risking injury or wearing yourself out.Exercising for a longer time, only once a week, will not give you the same long-term benefits as participating in aerobic activity of moderate intensity for thirty minutes every day. Instead, you should do a straightforward activity like going for a walk, biking, or Pilates. Make your workout enjoyable so you’ll want to keep returning for more. Think about how the different parts of your body are going to be affected by these activities. For example, are you working on strengthening the muscles in your core, which include your abdominals, lower back, hips, and pelvis? You will gain better body control and experience fewer bleeds if you work on strengthening your core. It will also help you build strength, balance, and stability. Even if your plan for physical activity involves less strenuous activities, you should still consider how to best prepare for your routine by engaging in the appropriate pre- and post-treatment and conditioning.
Here are a few precautions to take to lessen the chances of getting hurt or bleeding:
- Talk to the members of your bleeding disorder treatment team about the safest way to participate in the sport(s) you’ve selected and what to do if you sustain an injury or bleed.
- A suitable preparation and recovery period. Take your treatment not long before you start your activity so that your body’s clotting factor level is at its highest point when you’re doing it.
- Conditioning. You will be able to improve a specific area of your body if you know which joints or muscles may cause you problems in your chosen sport. It can be accomplished by:
- Stretching. Your muscles will become more flexible as a part of your conditioning, and your joints will be able to move more freely.
Strengthening. A component of conditioning that aims to increase your muscle strength to provide greater support to your joints.
Social Benefits Of Exercise That Might Surprise You
1. It Makes You More Reliable
It’s not that you don’t care about your friends, but if you aren’t taking adequate care of your immune system, you have a greater chance of coming down with a cold or the flu. In addition, if you get enough exercise, you may need more energy to keep the dinner plans you’ve made.A study published in Europe’s Journal of Psychology (EJoP) indicates that maintaining a fitness routine is associated with an increased likelihood of becoming more committed to plans outside of the gym. In addition, your social life and the quality of your friendships will both improve as a direct result of the fact that your close friends will be able to rely on you.
2. It Helps You Find People Like You
We are all looking for our people, the people we can rely on completely and who will be there for us through the good times and the bad. Regular physical activity has many positive social effects, one of which is the ability to make it easier to meet new people with whom you would enjoy spending time. You’ll likely meet people at the gym who share your passion for working out and your dedication to leading a healthy lifestyle.Discovering new people who share your passions and interests makes it possible to expand your existing network of positive and encouraging friends. Using a social application like Planet of Triumphs, which can be an endless source of motivation and support, is another fantastic method for interacting with other individuals who share similar interests at the gym.
3. It Improves Your Memory
The health of your arms, legs, and core are not the only areas that will benefit from regular exercise; your brain will also see significant improvements! Exercising your brain can improve its functionality, allowing you to hold onto more memories and enhancing your cognitive skills, according to a study published in the journal Comprehensive Physiology.Have you ever been a terrible friend by forgetting a good friend’s birthday? Do you need help remembering people’s names even a few minutes after introducing themselves to you? Exercising can help sharpen your memory and keep you on top of the small social graces expected of you, although it happens to the best of us, and you are certainly not alone.
4. It Makes You A Happier Friend
There is nothing quite like having supportive friends nearby to pick you up when you’re feeling down in the dumps. However, getting through difficult times with a friend is only one aspect of a true friendship. They are also formed through the exchange of humorous moments and joyful experiences.Exercising results in the release of endorphins, which research has shown to boost one’s mood. This study was published in the European Journal of Physiology. It is not only a benefit for your personality as a whole but also a social benefit of exercise that manifests itself in the conversations you have, the connections you forge, and the friendships you cultivate as a result of your physical activity.
5. It Can Help You Adjust To New Surroundings
Have you recently relocated to a different town or city? When you move to a new place, meeting new people and forming new friendships can be difficult. Because of this, many people who work in the medical field recommend physical activity as a way to break the ice. Not only does going to the gym make it simpler to start a conversation with other people, but it’s also an environment that promotes the kind of positive social interactions experts recommend. In addition, when you help other people accomplish their objectives, you’ll be able to connect with them on a whole new level.