I’ve been jumping rope on-and-off for a couple of years now, but for the last few months it’s become my go-to warm-up for most workouts (that and a bit of heavy bag work).

This has been a really great decision! Jumping rope and trying to learn new skills is a lot of fun - and certainly more engaging than running in a straight line on the treadmill. When I’m trying to pull off a cool sequence, I can easily find myself jumping for 10, 15, or 20 minutes without really noticing the time going. It’s really rewarding.

This alone would be a good workout for a lot of people - a gentle bit of regular cardio to help them feel more energetic and to get the blood flowing.

But the benefits go beyond that! I’ve actually found this a really good way to build bigger calves, for example. During jump rope, the foot doesn’t move much (there’s minimal plantar flexion) but instead the aim is to maintain a static contraction in the calf while bouncing off the toes.

This means you’re actually using ankle stiffness to efficiently return energy to the ground - a trait that will come in handy in a wide range of sporting endeavours.

But this also works really well for hypertrophy - at least for me. That might be possible due to the very high time under tension.

Calves are notoriously stubborn when it comes to growth, owing to the fact we use them all day and it takes a lot to offer enough of a stimulus. Jumping rope represents a huge number of “reps” and you might just find it does the trick!

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