How long should I jump rope to lose weight?
The question you want to ask is what weight will you lose? Are you losing fat, water or muscle?
lose water
There is no doubt that jumping rope will make you lose weight and the first indication of weight loss will come from water loss. This loss will start to show as you perspire. Weight loss from perspiration can become dangerous. Once you drink fluids, you’ll gain the weight back, and that’s not what you’re looking for.
loss of muscle mass
The next weight loss could come from muscle. This will happen if you jump rope for long periods and you haven’t eaten properly. Your energy should come from fat supplies, but when they’re depleted, muscle is the next to go. Losing muscle is not good as this is what burns the food you eat.
lose body fat
The weight you want to lose is body fat. You will lose body fat if you eat correctly and according to the amount of exercise you do.
the calories you burn
If you’re not very fit and can only jump slowly, then you’d be burning 10-13 calories for every minute you spend jumping. For a person who is out of shape, a minute of jumping is a long time. As you get fitter and speed up your jumping, the calories you burn increase to around 18-22 per minute. These amounts are only an approximation. It would be necessary to know the person’s weight and the amount of fat they want to lose, to know how long they should jump rope to lose that weight.
Any advice
Jumping rope is considered a high-impact activity and should be approached with caution, especially if you are out of shape and overweight. If you’re out of shape, overweight, and want to jump rope, try the following:
· Walk for 5 min as fast as you can.
· Then stop and jump rope for 30 seconds.
· Repeat this sequence 5 times.
· Do this three times a week for two weeks.
· Now, for the next two weeks, increase the time you spend jumping rope until you are skipping for a minute.
· Over the next few weeks, decrease the time spent walking and add it to the jumping time. Example: 4 min walking – 2 min jumping.
Remember to stay hydrated when doing any exercise.
Although you are putting pressure on your knees, ankles, and hips, it has less impact than jogging, if you jump rope correctly.
So, to summarize: The amount of time you need to jump rope to lose weight would be determined by the amount of food you’ve eaten, as this determines what fuel has been converted to energy.