Jumping rope isn’t just for kids on the blacktop or boxers at the ring! It offers some serious benefits from a major calorie burn to a challenging cross-training session. In-Shape scoured the research to bring you this compilation of jump rope benefits to convince you to bust out your best moves (maybe even some Double Dutch?) to add variety to your routine. If the jump rope isn’t on the gym floor or in the group fitness room, ask at the front desk to get hopping.

Get started:

Jumping rope is a great way to develop speed and balance. Start with your feet together. Without getting more than an inch off the group, jump on the balls of your feet. Land nice and soft and use a mat if you need extra joint support. Spin the rope from the writs, keep your arms relaxed.

Cross Train for that Obstacle Race:

Jumping rope is a great way to train for an obstacle style race because it improves agility thanks to your brain’s laser focus on your feet. Not only will you be lighter on your feet, but you’ll become more conscious and coordinated.

Torch Calories with Killer Cardio:

A study conducted at Arizona State University in 2013 found that jumping rope for 10 minutes was as efficient as a 30-minute jog. If 10 minutes is too much, start small and slowly build up as your fitness increases. Remember slow progress is still progress!

Lower Impact than Running:

Jumping rope is a great way to add variety to your cardio routine and even though there is stress on the joints, if it is done properly, it can be lower impact than running because it distributes the weight evenly between both feet when you land. Plus, the calorie burn from 10 minutes skipping rope is equivalent to running an 8-minute-mile!

Improve Motor Skills:

According to this study, adding jump rope to regular soccer training enhanced general motor coordination and balance in preadolescent soccer players. So, jumping rope also improves children’s motor skills.

Increase Ankle Strength:

Landing lightly on the balls of your feet, rather than flat footed, builds strength in the muscles that support the ankles. Actively working the muscles in the feet and around the joints can help prevent injury to these areas in some cases.

Build Bone Density:

Dynamic impact makes, and keeps, bones strong. Hopping or jumping rope 100 times a day is a great way to put positive stress on the bone to build them up. Check out more from The New York Times here.

Helps with Homework:

According to the Jump Rope Institute, jumping helps to develop the left and right hemispheres of the brain, to further improve spatial awareness and reading skills, and increases memory and mental alertness. Jumping on balls of the feet requires the body and mind to make neural muscular adjustments to imbalances created from continuous jumping.