Jumping rope is a cardiovascular activity that requires little equipment and can be done nearly anywhere. It is effective for developing your cardiovascular system as well as increasing your athletic abilities. After you build up your coordination, how long you should jump rope per day depends on your personal health and fitness goals.

Jumping Rope

As you begin to jump rope, you should focus on improving your coordination and skill before you focus on the duration of your workout sessions. Begin with 20 second sets. As you build up endurance and coordination, progressively increase the time you spend in jumping sets. An example is to complete six sets of three minutes with a 60-second rest in between sets.

Weight Loss

To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume over a period of time. Every pound of weight loss requires you to create a deficit of 3,500 calories. Cardiovascular activities, like jumping rope, increase the number of calories you burn. According to the Harvard Medical School, jumping rope is one of the most effective cardiovascular activities for burning calories. Creating a 500-calorie deficit per day is healthy rate of calorie burning, which equates to about one pound of weight loss per week. A 155 lbs. person burns about 372 calories in 30 minutes of jumping rope. It would take a 155 lbs. person about 40 to 45 minutes of jumping rope to burn about 500 calories during their workout.

Improving Athleticism

Jumping rope is an effective activity to improve your coordination, footwork, agility, quickness and endurance. For those completing jump rope exercises to improve their athleticism, shorter, more intense bouts are more ideal as they better mimic the physical demands of sport. An example is to complete 10 sets of 20 to 60 seconds of full speed sprint jumps, resting for one minute in between intervals. Another option is to incorporate circuit training into your jump rope workouts, which can include bouts of other activities like push-ups, burpees and squats.

Things to Consider

Jumping rope is a high impact activity that places a significant amount of stress on your lower body structures. Each time you land from a hop, your entire body weight drives into your hips, knees and ankle joint structures. Jump rope on a floor surface that provides a bit of shock absorbency, such as a gym floor, a tennis court or a track. You may find that jumping rope everyday causes irritation to your ankles, knees or shins, so make adjustments to your training schedule if necessary.