A 4-week jump rope plan for beginners
Three sessions a week, about 15 to 20 minutes each including the warm-up. By the end of week four most people can skip for one to two minutes without stopping and complete ten minutes of total rope time.
Before every session: 4-minute warm-up
- 1 minute marching or easy jogging on the spot
- 10 ankle circles each way, each foot
- 15 slow calf raises
- 20 small two-foot hops in place without the rope
- 30 seconds of rope swings at your side, one hand at a time (the "side swing") to find the rhythm
The plan
| Week | Session (repeat 3× per week) | Total rope time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 rounds: 30 s skipping, 60 s rest (walk around) | 4 min |
| 2 | 8 rounds: 45 s skipping, 45 s rest | 6 min |
| 3 | 8 rounds: 60 s skipping, 45 s rest | 8 min |
| 4 | 5 rounds: 2 min skipping, 60 s rest | 10 min |
Count a trip-up as part of the round: pick the rope back up and keep going until the timer ends. Early on, a 30-second round may contain five or six restarts. That is normal and it is still training.
Progression rules
- Only move up when you finish every round of the current week and your calves are not still sore two days later.
- Repeat a week rather than skipping ahead. Calves and Achilles tendons adapt more slowly than your lungs.
- Leave a day between sessions. Walking, cycling or mobility work on off days is fine.
- Stop the session if you feel sharp pain in the shin, ankle or Achilles, as opposed to ordinary muscle burn.
Cool-down (3 minutes)
Walk for a minute, then hold a calf stretch against a wall for 30 seconds per leg with the knee straight, and 30 seconds with the knee bent to reach the lower calf (soleus).
After week 4
Go to the beginner workouts, add the alternate-foot step so you can skip longer with less calf fatigue, and use one interval session a week.
Counting your jumps. Most people lose count somewhere past fifty. Writing down your rounds by hand works fine. The team that runs this site is also building Ropestreak, an iPhone app that counts jumps with the camera; it is still in testing and not yet on the App Store.Disclosure: Ropestreak is made by the same team that runs this site.