A 5-minute jump rope warm-up
Raise your temperature, wake up the ankles and calves, find the rhythm. Five minutes, no equipment beyond the rope.
Key points
- Minute by minute: march, ankles, arms, hops, side swings, easy skipping.
- Add bent-knee calf raises on cold days.
- Easy skipping is also a good warm-up for running and lifting.
Five minutes is enough. The goal is to raise your temperature and wake up the ankles, calves and shoulders so the first hard round does not feel like a shock.
The 5-minute routine
| Time | Exercise | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00–1:00 | March or jog on the spot, arms swinging | Raises heart rate |
| 1:00–1:45 | Ankle circles (10 each way, each foot) and 15 slow calf raises | Prepares the ankles and calves |
| 1:45–2:30 | Arm circles forward and back, then wrist circles | Shoulders and wrists |
| 2:30–3:15 | 20 small two-foot hops, then 20 alternating, no rope | Rehearses the landing |
| 3:15–4:00 | Side swings, one side then the other | Finds the rhythm |
| 4:00–5:00 | Easy basic bounce, building to your normal pace | Ready |
Cold or stiff days
Add a minute of marching and do the calf raises slowly with a pause at the top. If your Achilles feels tight, do 10 bent-knee calf raises as well.
Using skipping as a warm-up for other training
Three to five minutes of easy skipping is a popular warm-up before running, lifting or sport: it raises your heart rate and loads the feet gradually. Keep it relaxed. A warm-up should not feel like the workout.
And afterwards
Walk for a minute, then stretch the calves against a wall: 30 seconds with the knee straight and 30 seconds with the knee bent, each leg. This is in every session on the beginner plan and the timer adds the warm-up automatically.
