So, you snoozed the alarm and missed your spin session again? Oops. In your defense though, it is cold, your doona is toasty warm and you know what? I’m not here to judge.
There’s nothing worse than the guilt from skipping your morning workout though, and to make matters worse it usually leaves you feeling more tired and sluggish than if you’d just jumped out of bed when that first alarm went off. Well dust off that guilt and wipe the sleep from your eyes sunshine, because I’ve got three short skipping workouts that are here to save the day!
As you’ll know by now, I love skipping. It’s a great cardio workout, burns a bucketload of calories and it’s actually pretty fun once you get the hang of it. All it takes is a little perseverance and some patience with yourself (seriously, you’ll get those double-unders eventually!) and you’ll be skipping like it was Jump Rope for Heart 1995 in no time at all.
Today I’ve pulled together three of my favourite skipping workouts for you to try. They should all take you 15 minutes or less, so do yourself a little favour and save them to your phone for the next time bed trumps your alarm.
1. Super simple, it’s the ultimate butt burner. Challenge yourself to try new skipping techniques (high knees are great for increasing intensity) and take things up another notch with squat jumps.
2. Cardio? Check. Upper body? Check. Lower body? Check. Abs? Check. Check. Check. Mix the skipping up to keep things interesting… and don’t be afraid to try some cross-overs or double-unders; what’s the worst that can happen?
3. If you fancy yourself a bit of a skipping extraordinaire, this one is for you. The 2:1 work ratio and 60-second rest every four minutes means that when you’re working, you’d better be working H-A-R-D.
p.s If you’re reading this and thinking “pfft, I NEVER skip a workout, when will I need one of these?” then make sure that halo you’re wearing is securely fastened and tack one of these skipping workouts on to the end of your next workout. Most gyms have skipping ropes hidden somewhere, and if not, you can pick one up for yourself for less than $10.
What’s the difference between doubles and double unders?
Hi Jen! So doubles are just double leg jumps (normal skipping really) and double-unders are when the rope rotates twice each jump. Does that make sense?
Thanks. Yes double unders made sense. It was ‘normal’ skipping as doubles that threw me!
hahaha sorry! Calling anything ‘normal’ is a bad idea!