That's right, it's not just for school girls. I started using weighted jump ropes around July to start conditioning myself for the September archery hunt. The pandemic was starting to show its effects around my gut, and sitting around all day and eating was making me fat, sore and weak. I would roll out of bed aching from inactivity, and I knew my body's condition would not hold up well in high alpine Colorado with a heavy pack.
While looking around for options (I hate running and most cardio), I found a weighted jump rope system that I really liked. Jumping rope, I read, had a plethora of health benefits beyond simple cardio. It was said that JR is the most efficient and fat burning cardio available, but also works stability muscles, increase bone density, trains footwork, and even has cognitive and spatial awareness benefits. Crossropes (no affiliation) allow use of multiple ropes, weights, and handles. They're pricey, yes, but those who appreciate quality will no doubt appreciate these. The benefit to using heavy ropes is that it engages every muscle in the body including back, shoulders, bi/triceps, forearm, core, hams, quads, calves, and your heart.
I made a pact with myself and my niece (a teen who is also starting to get fat) - 5 minutes a day for 2 months. If I couldn't take the time to jump rope for 5 minutes a day, it's not because I was "too busy" or "didn't have the time", it was because I was a lazy piece of s***. If I skipped a day for any reason, per my "contract", I would have to do 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, 50 pull ups, 100 squats, and run 5 laps around the park (roughly 4 miles, and I HATE running) as incentive to not miss a day. If I skipped 2 days in a row, I'd lose $500 that I put in an envelope. My niece, something similar, with cold hard cash and a contract stored in a bible for good measure. Our personal failure would benefit the one who put in the work. Succeed, we don't lose any money, but gain health and fitness and achieve a goal. Isn't that reward enough?
What I found over the next two months is not only did I have the motivation to work out, but I REALLY enjoyed it. After the initial learning curve and conditioning, which yeah, 5 minutes when you first start out will kick your ass guaranteed. I'd regularly bathe in a puddle of my own sweat after only 10 minutes and got a way more intense workout than I've ever had at a gym. The more I trained, the better I got, the more endurance I gained. I can now skip rope for an hour without getting tired.
I'm a pretty athletic guy and have done extreme sports for a long time, but I didn't realize quite how bad my footwork was until I started. Or rather, how much improvement I could gain. The ability to bounce and shift my weight or foot positioning effortlessly is a tremendous skill. Since I work out at home in front of a television, I need to be aware of my surroundings. I cant just swing it around without thought. Spatial awareness in a small space becomes something you're constantly aware of until it becomes subconscious. It's not a slog the way running on a treadmill is. The variation of footwork and ropes that you can alternate between always makes it interesting. It helps that you can do it anywhere and any time.
So... what happened? I was highly motivated not to lose money, or do the "hard" workout (mostly didn't want to run). Well, I did miss a day or two later in the weeks. Yeah, I made up for it and it was dreadful. Except something strange happened. I didn't hate running as much? In fact, running never felt so good. My cardio health and endurance was better than ever. For the first time ever, I felt a runners high. I ran those 4 miles without stopping. Since jumping rope was so good for conditioning and warming up, I actually wanted to do the body weight exercises too. My muscles became strong and tight. Abs got strong and I got a solid core. I lost a lot of fat. I was feeling good.
About 4 days before the season started, I decided to go pretty hard on a training day. Everything, including sprints. And boy, did I sprint. Hard enough to jack up my ankle bad. Did running injure me? Sure did. Do I still hate running? Sure do.
It took me 2 weeks to recover from that injury, and archery season was well on its way. I took it easy for a while, but when I was able to bear some weight on my ankle and do some light JR, I decided it was time to go out. I spent 20 consecutive days in the field, solo, back country backpacking. Not the first time, but wow, did it feel different. I covered over 120 miles that month, and while I did get tired occasionally, I never burnt out. I always had reserve energy in the tank that night. My spatial awareness was always on alert, and I feel I spotted more game than I would otherwise, also thanks to my increased stamina. My footwork and stability climbing around dead timber was strong, and I was able to tread so lightly that the sounds of my steps were whisper-like.
Did I kill anything this year? No, because hunting elk is still f***ing hard. But dang did I get into lots of places most people did not want to explore, stalked in on lots of prey, and blew every opportunity I had because of bad decisions. But know what wasn't a bad decision? Jumping rope.
While looking around for options (I hate running and most cardio), I found a weighted jump rope system that I really liked. Jumping rope, I read, had a plethora of health benefits beyond simple cardio. It was said that JR is the most efficient and fat burning cardio available, but also works stability muscles, increase bone density, trains footwork, and even has cognitive and spatial awareness benefits. Crossropes (no affiliation) allow use of multiple ropes, weights, and handles. They're pricey, yes, but those who appreciate quality will no doubt appreciate these. The benefit to using heavy ropes is that it engages every muscle in the body including back, shoulders, bi/triceps, forearm, core, hams, quads, calves, and your heart.
I made a pact with myself and my niece (a teen who is also starting to get fat) - 5 minutes a day for 2 months. If I couldn't take the time to jump rope for 5 minutes a day, it's not because I was "too busy" or "didn't have the time", it was because I was a lazy piece of s***. If I skipped a day for any reason, per my "contract", I would have to do 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, 50 pull ups, 100 squats, and run 5 laps around the park (roughly 4 miles, and I HATE running) as incentive to not miss a day. If I skipped 2 days in a row, I'd lose $500 that I put in an envelope. My niece, something similar, with cold hard cash and a contract stored in a bible for good measure. Our personal failure would benefit the one who put in the work. Succeed, we don't lose any money, but gain health and fitness and achieve a goal. Isn't that reward enough?
What I found over the next two months is not only did I have the motivation to work out, but I REALLY enjoyed it. After the initial learning curve and conditioning, which yeah, 5 minutes when you first start out will kick your ass guaranteed. I'd regularly bathe in a puddle of my own sweat after only 10 minutes and got a way more intense workout than I've ever had at a gym. The more I trained, the better I got, the more endurance I gained. I can now skip rope for an hour without getting tired.
I'm a pretty athletic guy and have done extreme sports for a long time, but I didn't realize quite how bad my footwork was until I started. Or rather, how much improvement I could gain. The ability to bounce and shift my weight or foot positioning effortlessly is a tremendous skill. Since I work out at home in front of a television, I need to be aware of my surroundings. I cant just swing it around without thought. Spatial awareness in a small space becomes something you're constantly aware of until it becomes subconscious. It's not a slog the way running on a treadmill is. The variation of footwork and ropes that you can alternate between always makes it interesting. It helps that you can do it anywhere and any time.
So... what happened? I was highly motivated not to lose money, or do the "hard" workout (mostly didn't want to run). Well, I did miss a day or two later in the weeks. Yeah, I made up for it and it was dreadful. Except something strange happened. I didn't hate running as much? In fact, running never felt so good. My cardio health and endurance was better than ever. For the first time ever, I felt a runners high. I ran those 4 miles without stopping. Since jumping rope was so good for conditioning and warming up, I actually wanted to do the body weight exercises too. My muscles became strong and tight. Abs got strong and I got a solid core. I lost a lot of fat. I was feeling good.
About 4 days before the season started, I decided to go pretty hard on a training day. Everything, including sprints. And boy, did I sprint. Hard enough to jack up my ankle bad. Did running injure me? Sure did. Do I still hate running? Sure do.
It took me 2 weeks to recover from that injury, and archery season was well on its way. I took it easy for a while, but when I was able to bear some weight on my ankle and do some light JR, I decided it was time to go out. I spent 20 consecutive days in the field, solo, back country backpacking. Not the first time, but wow, did it feel different. I covered over 120 miles that month, and while I did get tired occasionally, I never burnt out. I always had reserve energy in the tank that night. My spatial awareness was always on alert, and I feel I spotted more game than I would otherwise, also thanks to my increased stamina. My footwork and stability climbing around dead timber was strong, and I was able to tread so lightly that the sounds of my steps were whisper-like.
Did I kill anything this year? No, because hunting elk is still f***ing hard. But dang did I get into lots of places most people did not want to explore, stalked in on lots of prey, and blew every opportunity I had because of bad decisions. But know what wasn't a bad decision? Jumping rope.
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