Jump Rope Workout

Jump rope workouts by level

Each workout lists its total time including a 4-minute warm-up. Pick the level where you can finish every round with decent form.

Beginner (finished the 4-week plan)

A. Steady builder, 14 minutes

Warm-up, then 6 rounds of 90 seconds skipping (basic bounce) and 45 seconds rest. Aim for fewer trip-ups each week.

B. Rope and bodyweight, 16 minutes

Warm-up, then 3 rounds of: 60 s rope, 10 bodyweight squats, 60 s rope, 8 incline push-ups (hands on a bench), 60 s rest.

Intermediate (2 minutes continuous without a trip-up)

C. Footwork pyramid, 20 minutes

Warm-up, then skip 1–2–3–2–1 minutes with 45 s rest between. Change footwork each minute: basic bounce, alternate step, boxer skip.

D. Circuit, 22 minutes

Warm-up, then 4 rounds of: 2 min rope, 12 reverse lunges (6 each side), 12 push-ups, 30 s plank, 60 s rest.

E. Easy steady skip, 25 minutes

Warm-up, then 20 minutes alternate-step skipping at a pace where you could still speak in short sentences. Stop briefly whenever you need to. This is the aerobic-base day.

Advanced (5+ minutes continuous, some double unders)

F. Rounds like a boxer, 30 minutes

Warm-up, then 6 × 3-minute rounds with 1 minute rest. In each round: 60 s boxer skip, 30 s high knees, 60 s alternate step, 30 s fastest pace you can hold.

G. Double-under ladder, 18 minutes

Warm-up, then on the minute for 12 minutes: odd minutes, 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 double unders (substitute 3 singles for each double if needed); even minutes, 40 s easy single bounce.

How many days a week?

Three rope days is plenty for most people at first. Experienced skippers often go to four or five, alternating a hard day (F or G) with an easy one (E). Keep one full rest day.

Making it harder without adding time

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.