#1 Underrated Piece of Gym Equipment?
That's right, it's a jump rope.
Jumping rope is simple, but the health and fitness benefits are surprisingly off the charts. Everyone can look, feel, and perform better with this #1 most underrated piece of gym equipment.
Here's how:
1. It's a form of plyometric training that improves coordination and motor skills, quickness, hand speed, agility, sprint speed, fatigue resistance, and both anerobic and aerobic fitness. If you're a competitive athlete, then your performance can clearly benefit from jumping rope.
2. Jumping rope exploits the stretch shorting cycle, which has been seen to have beneficial effects on improving max power by developing more elastic muscles with a greater number of innervating motor units.
3. In one study, jumping rope improved the isokinetic strength of overhead athletes and, in another study, it was shown to improve pulmonary capacity better than cycling. More studies have shown jumping rope to improve: bone density, BMI, injury prevention, and cardiovascular fitness.
4. Jumping rope is very physically and mentally demanding and it helps improve brain cognition, memory, focus and stress through stimulating the growth of new brain cells and blood vessels.
5. Jump rope burns almost 1,000 calories per hour, that's just as much as XC skiing! A great exercise for anyone looking to lose a bit of extra fat and weight, for sure.
6. You can jump rope inside, outside, and pretty much anywhere you have a bit of space. It's also very affordable.
Don't have a jump rope?
Don't let that stop you from experiencing the benefits of plyometrics!
The next best (or even better) form of plyometric training is dancing.
When you do high intensity dancing with lots of hops, hips, and skips, you get all the same benefits of jump roping set to your favorite music, plus the added benefits of a mood boost and getting to work on your moves!
Want to stay young, fit, happy, and improve just about every muscle in your body for peak health, performance, and fitness?
Then hop to it! :)