Can a beginner jump rope every day?
When you first start your jump rope journey, it can be so much fun that you’re tempted to jump every day - after all, it’s so much fun! If you are jumping rope every single day as a beginner, don't be surprised if you feel fatigued very quickly. Why? Your body needs rest.
Jumping rope involves bounding with your heels off the ground, which is a ballistic movement that most people's feet, ankles, shins, calves and achilles tendons aren't conditioned for. This can take quite a toll on a beginner, and you need to listen to your body when it tells you to rest and recover. If you ignore these signals, the risk of injury is increased substantially.
Let’s look at it another way. Would you start going to the gym and proceed to do bench presses every day? No, the soreness would be unbearable and you'd probably get an injury within a month. As you become more conditioned to the stimulus, the volume of work your body can handle will naturally increase. Jump rope is no different.
Rest and recovery are one of the most critical parts of training since this is when your body gets stronger from the training you’re subjected to. Without rest, all your hard work will be for nothing.
As a professional jump rope coach, I sometimes jump for 60+ minutes every day. Do I get fatigued or injured? No, because I've conditioned my body over nearly a decade of training jump rope. If, however, I suddenly started training 2 hours per day every day, I'd feel it - I'd be fatigued and certainly at greater risk of an injury.
BUILD IT UP
So how do you build up to the point you can jump rope every day? Gradual progression. Start out jumping twice a week, every 2-3 days. Listen to your body and rest where needed.
Then, after a few weeks (or a month) of consistent training, increase to jumping four days a week day with a pattern such as 2 days on, 1 day rest, 1 day on, 1 day rest, 1 day on, 1 day rest, repeat.
After some weeks, if you’re able to recover adequately between the back-to-back sessions, then it’s time to turn things up another level. Now try training four days a week with more back-to-back sessions: 2 days on, 1-day rest, 2 days on, 2 days rest.
From there, try jumping for 3 days in a row then rest as required. By now, you’ll have a pretty good idea of how much your body can handle and how to listen to your body’s needs.
For many, jump rope is a lifestyle. It could be for you too; don’t treat it like a race.