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10 Easy Single Unders Workouts to Practice Your Skipping Skills

Work on your skills and have fun with these accessible rope skipping workouts.

Single unders workouts are a great way to train your breathing, coordination, agility and general skipping skills, especially when already under fatigue.

Single unders are an incredibly effective aerobic exercise, and can get your heart racing incredibly fast. A widely cited 2013 study found that, after six weeks of daily 10-minute jump-rope exercises, participants demonstrated the same levels of improvement to their cardiovascular health as individuals who jogged for 30 minutes a day.

According to research, ten minutes of rope skipping can roughly be considered the equivalent of running an eight-minute mile.. Plus, single unders burn more calories per minute and engage more muscles than swimming or rowing, while still qualifying as a low-impact workout.

“Jump rope can be an important part of fitness and sports training, providing key advantages in developing dynamic balance, speed, quickness, agility, coordination, concentration, and cardiorespiratory efficiency,” says Olympian and “world’s best jump roper” Buddy Lee.

Jump ropes are small, portable, and provide great benefits in very little time.

Single Unders Workouts Basics

Rope skipping is a skilled movement that requires proper timing and coordination with every jump.

Developing the rhythm and timing to master the skill can be difficult, yet when done the correct way, single unders offer many benefits and are a building block to even greater fitness.

Single unders workouts reinforce:

  • natural body biomechanics
  • symmetry
  • efficiency in movements

By becoming more efficient in rope skipping, your jumps will be softer and cleaner, meaning you’ll use less energy and the exercise will require less intensity.

This is great if you want to use the rope skipping part of a workout to catch your breath. Otherwise, you can go fast and really challenge yourself.

 Single Unders Rope Skipping Technique

  1. Look straight ahead to maintain balance.
  2. Keep body upright and balanced with the weight on the balls of the feet.
  3. Jump only high enough to clear the rope (1 inch off the ground).
  4. Land lightly on the balls of your feet.
  5. Keep your elbows close to your sides, pointing down at a 45-degree angle.
  6. Never sacrifice good jumping form for speed. Progress slowly [1]

Whether you don’t yet master the double under or fancy a new challenge, give these fun single under workouts a go.

Woman jumps high during single unders workoutsSource: Image courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

SINGLE UNDER WORKOUTS

Workout 1 – The Minimalist  

15 Minute AMRAP

  • 100 Single Unders
  • 15 Goblet Squats
  • 1 Minute Plank
  • 20 Weighted Walking Lunges

You’ll be working at a quick pace and there’s no built-in rest. If you need to take a break take a few seconds between exercises and then jump right back into the workout.

Workout 2 – Trust Fall

AMRAP in 20 Minutes

  • 40 Air Squats
  • 20 Push-Ups
  • 10 Reverse Burpees

Every 2 minutes on the minute starting 0:00, perform:

  • 40 Single Unders

The reverse burpee requires the athlete to touch the ground with their backs instead of their chest. The athlete will then lift up their legs and rock up to the burpee jump.

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