structure your skipping sessions

You've got a new rope and all you wanna do is skip. 

I get it. 

But if you've just started skipping, it'll take your body a little while to get used to it. 

An effective structure to your skipping session can help you get the most out of it and avoid getting injured. 

Here's a few tips that can help:

 

1. let's talk about consistency.

You can't win a marathon in the first 5 kilometres, but you can certainly do a lot wrong in the first 5 kilometres.

If you run too fast too early, you're unlikely to finish the race.

The same principle applies to skipping. Think about your skipping journey as a long process, not a short one.

You might not perfect that new skill today or tomorrow. But if you're still skipping in 6 months' time, you're bound to have made significant progress!

 

2. Plan when you're going to skip

I skip 5 days a week. I know in advance when those days are, and I very rarely change them. 

For me, that prevents me from thinking 'I don't really feel like it today, I'll do it another day'. 

It just becomes a habit - one that I really enjoy and that happens to be really really good for you!

If you're just starting out, you might pick 3-4 days that you're going to skip.

Knowing when you're going to skip will help you frame it as 'something that you do', rather than as something more sporadic and spontaneous. Reframing it that way will really help you in the longer term.

But don't beat yourself up if you miss a session. Just get back to your schedule and do the best you can :)

 

3. Plan a warm up

Never miss a warm up!

This is so important for learning new skills and preventing injury.

I always do a 12 minute warm up when I start skipping.

And that warm up itself has a structure.

I pick 3 skills that I'm working on and do 3 minutes of each. At the end of each 3 minutes, I have a one minute rest - drink water, smell the roses, relax. 

Then I go into the next 3 minutes, and work on another skill. 

A solid warm up will minimise the risk of injury. 

But there's another trick to it too.

Focusing on skills helps you reframe your warm up as a learning process, rather than something you feel obliged to do - so those obligatory star jumps are a thing of the past!

If I include the same three skills in my warm up for a week, by the end of the week I have usually made huge progress!

If I don't plan what skills I'm going to work on, I usually learn "a bit of everything but not much of anything". 

So plan your warm up and reap the benefits.

 

5. plan a workout

Notice that so far I haven't recommended that you jump rope uninterrupted for long? That's really important. 

Even people who have been skipping for a long time will rarely jump rope consecutively for longer than a couple of minutes. 

When I'm planning a workout, I always know what I'm going to do before I start. I often pick 5 exercises that work different parts of my body. 

I also think about the best way to order those exercises to ensure I don't overdo any single muscle group. 

For example, if I start a workout with regular bounce, I might follow this with some sit ups. That means by body weight is on my bum and gives my legs a rest.

Or if I'm doing something with slightly more impact in my workout, like double unders, I might ensure the rest of the exercises are super low impact - push ups and squats are common examples.

That way, I'm not going to pull up sore and will be able to skip again the next day (or whenever I've scheduled a workout).

My workouts usually last 15-20 minutes. 

So including my warm up, an entire skipping session will last around 25-35 minutes. 

If you just starting out, you might plan a 5 minute warm up, and a 10 minute workout - and build up from there.

You might also think about having a rest day after each session.

You are going to be smashing it in a few short months!

 

6. In conclusion

You're going to absolutely love skipping.

But don't overdo it. Keep your sessions short and sharp and you'll keep you coming back for more. 

And if you're really itching to get to it on a rest day, try learning skills that don't involve jumping (yes - there's heaps of them!)