I’m Trying a Skipping Rope Challenge with My Family

Using a skipping rope is one of THE best ways to start moving together as a family. With 4 exercises proposed by the #ProFormTeam, I am launching into a 21-day skipping rope challenge that is both physical and fun with my children. The programme includes cooperation, laughter and fewer calories, with only one aim: Keep moving together and have fun!

5 Reasons to Take Up Skipping for Exercise

You may not realise that skipping with a rope is a cardio activity in its own right. Using a skipping rope for 15 minutes burns as many calories as 30 minutes of running. That’s not nothing! Here are 5 good reasons to adopt this fitness accessory for physical fitness:

• Skipping involves all the muscles of the body: Abdominals, calves, thighs, pectorals, etc.

• Skipping helps improve movement coordination, posture and balance.

• Cheap and easy to find, a skipping rope is accessible to everyone.

• The basic movements are quickly mastered: There’s no need to worry!

• You can jump rope anywhere – at home, in the garden, in the park – and take it anywhere. It doesn’t take up much space.

Skipping with the Family

The skipping rope is instinctively associated with play, making it the ideal activity to make children love exercise.
I set up a skipping rope challenge with my children to:

• Awaken their spirit, spend quality time with them and improve our bond.

• Pass on essential messages, such as the importance of team spirit, perseverance, working at a certain rhythm, the balance of strength and more.

• Help my family (myself included) develop good habits: Move a little more, eat healthily, spend time together away from screens, and so on.

Here are the #ProFormTeam’s tips for choosing your skipping rope:
No special equipment is required to skip with a rope. Just grab a rope and put on trainers. The skipping rope itself can be made of nylon or cotton. A non-rolling rope is a good choice for a beginner, as you will be working at a fairly slow speed. However, if you want to challenge yourself, a rope with bearings is a great choice. This device makes the rotations more fluid and allows you to progress with speed. The handles are also important: Soft handles are more comfortable and absorb perspiration better than rigid ones.

My Family Skipping Rope Challenge: Let’s Go!

Here’s a 21-day skipping rope programme for family fun with children and adults. This training is based on 5 days of activity and 1 day of rest. Each session consists of a series of 4 exercises of increasing difficulty:

• The Easy Pace: I do a jump and bounce on my left foot by passing the rope over my head, then I start again with the right foot.

• The Full Twister: I jump over the rope with my feet together and pivot the pelvis to the right, without moving my upper body. I land on tiptoes with my knees slightly bent. I start again, reversing the movement.

• The Running Pace: At each jump, I raise one knee to waist level.

• The Jogging Pace: On landing, I tap the heel of one leg in front of me, I stretch the tip of my left foot in front of my right foot and vice versa.

For each exercise, I breathe in during the landing phase and exhale during the jump. I find the right rhythm: 30 seconds of exercise, then 30 seconds of recovery. During the 3 weeks of the challenge, I gradually increase the difficulty:

• Week 1: The 4 exercises are linked together on their own.

• Week 2: Each exercise is followed by a series of 30 seconds of heel-and-toe kicks.

• Week 3: Each set of heel kicks is followed by a set of knee lifts.

Advice from the #ProFormTeam
Challenge yourself to adapt to each person’s level: Link 2 series in a row, reverse the movements, add a series of heels kicks when one of the family members does the wrong exercise – anything is possible! The important thing is to move together and have fun!