Program A

10 sets of 100 jumps

This is nothing more than straight sets of a given repetition. You perform 100 jumps and rest for 1 minute. Perform 10 sets for a total of 1,000 jumps.

Program B

Timed Sets – With timed sets you simply set your work intervals and rest intervals to specific times.

Set 1: Jump Rope – 1 minute
Rest 60 seconds
Set 2: Jump Rope – 1 minute
Rest 60 seconds
Set 3: Jump Rope – 1 minute

The number of sets and the work/rest intervals can vary, but try to get at least 10 minutes of jump rope.

Program C

Ladders – You will perform multiple sets of jump rope for a given amount of time. Each round you will add time to the work interval while keeping the rest interval the same.

Set 1: Jump Rope for 15 seconds
Rest for 15 seconds
Set 2: Jump Rope for 20 seconds
Rest for 15 seconds
Set 3: Jump Rope for 25 seconds
Rest for 15 seconds
Set 4: Jump Rope for 30 seconds

The number of sets can vary and you can work your way all the way up to a minute (and back down!) if you’d like. You can play with this one quite a bit.

Program D

Reverse Ladders – As the name implies, reverse ladders are just the opposite of ladders. With reverse ladders, the work sets will remain constant while the rest intervals change (typically decreasing).

Set 1: Jump Rope – 1 minute
Rest 30 seconds
Set 2: Jump Rope – 1 minute
Rest 25 seconds
Set 3: Jump Rope – 1 minute
Rest 20 seconds
Set 4: Jump Rope – 1 minute
Rest 15 seconds
Set 5: Jumpe Rope – 1 minute

Again, the number of sets and work/rest intervals can vary.

Program E

Varied Jumps – With varied jumps, you simply vary the style of jumping you perform.

Set 1: Jump Rope – 2 feet (standard)
Rest
Set 2: Jump Rope – Right leg only
Rest
Set 3: Jump Rope – Left leg only
Rest
Set 4: Jump Rope – Running in place (alternate right and left legs)
Rest
Set 5: Jump Rope – Speed set: jump as fast as possible
Rest
Set 6: Jumpe Rope – Double jumps (the rope passes under the feet twice on each jump)

You can mix and match parameters with this program as well. You can perform a given number of repetitions or go for time.

The possibilities for jump rope training truly are endless. You can incorporate the above routines into your current program and perform them as a stand alone workout when you’re crunched for time.

So what about tracking caloric expenditure of exercise?

Most online diet logs that I’ve seen also give you the ability to track your exercise and provide you some estimate of caloric expenditure of the exercise performed. In a lot of cases, they will figure these calories into your daily recommendations and allow you to eat more on the days you exercise. While I think the intentions behind this are good, I think the end result will be counter productive.

The more variables you enter into an equation to more likely you are to make a mistake. Given the fact that diet weighs more than exercise when it comes to producing body composition changes, I like to treat exercise as a constant. Also, people tend to overestimate the intensity of exercise which results in an inflated caloric expenditure numbers. Combine this with the fact that people tend to underestimate their food consumption and you can easily see the issues that arise.

I recommend ignoring the expenditure side of the equation of focusing solely on diet. It’s usually the more difficult aspect of a program to get right and the one people struggle with the most. If you are able to fine-tune your diet you will more than likely will experience the results you are seeking.

While genetic makeup may predispose you to being overweight, it is not the determining factor of whether or not you will become overweight.  Genetics are heavily influenced by environmental factors (ie. diet & exercise).  I think we can all agree that genetics have changed very little since the early 1900′s, yet incidence of obesity/overweight, and the chronic diseases which accompany it (ie. heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc.), has skyrocketed!  Why?  Our nutrition (mainly) and exercise habits.

Since we have migrated from whole foods to processed foods, coupled with the food industry’s love of inexpensive high fructose corn syrup (check the labels, it’s in EVERYTHING!), our waistlines have expanded out of control.  And any study that says we’re just as active today as we were 50 years ago should give back the money they used to fund it.

If our own epidemic isn’t evidence enough, just look to other countries who are now allowing McDonald’s to set up shop on their street corners and see how their body weight, and health, has changed.  Should we point the finger at their genetics, also?  Nope.

While I’m not claiming that genetics has nothing to do with our obesity epidemic, I am saying it is not the determining factor of whether you will become obese/overweight or not.  This should give you hope that no matter what hand you’ve been dealt by your genetics, there is something you can do about it.  Just keep pushing forward and don’t give up!

Consistent Effort = Results