You do not need expensive cardio equipment to get a great workout and burn a TON of calories.  Skipping rope burns over 800 calories an hour, plus strengthens and works the legs from your hips to your toes.  Here are some easy rules that will help you make the best of your time jumping:

1. Pick the right size. Jump ropes may be easier to figure out compared to other machines, but you still have to adjust them to your height.  stand on the middle of the rope and raise the handles up to your chest.  If they reach just below your shoulders,, then it’s perfect for you; if not, adjust it accordingly.
2. No need to jump higher than one to two inches off the floor. Not only does jumpong higher place excess stress on your knees, but it actually burns fewer calories.  The higher you jump, the slower you have to swing the rope around to compensate, and the fewer total jumps, which then burns fewer calories.
3. Change your grip every few minutes. Holding the handles so your palms face behind you, instead of in front of you, is a variation that gets some of your shoulder and back muscles into the act.
4. Move around. Instead of jumping straight up as the rope nears your toes, move sideways, forwards, backwards.  Putting movement into your rope skipping will improve your timing and coordination as well as hit other muscles.
5. Don’t skip the workout just because you can’t skip. If you are not coordinated enough to skip the rope…fake it.  Just stand in place and hop up and down like you have a rope.  Hopping up and down at the same intensity can still burn a good amount of calories.

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