The Best Cardio For Fat Loss

Losing weight is all about calories in versus calories out. Simple as that. If weight loss is your goal, then you need to be operating at a calorie deficit. But that doesn’t mean you have to only cut down on your food consumption!

While lowering your daily calorie intake is definitely a great start on your fat loss journey, it’s not the only way to create a calorie deficit. Increasing the amount of calories you burn in a day, in addition to lowering your caloric intake, is arguably the best and most sustainable way to reliably obtain the results you want. 

That being said, there are many ways to increase your calorie expenditure! In recent years, we’ve seen a shift of focus from using cardio for weight loss to resistance training. And while resistance training is the best way to build muscle which helps you burn fat in the long run, cardio remains the most efficient way to burn lots of calories in one session- but that’s not to say that all cardio is the same!

There are many options for doing cardio. You can be interested in running, but that takes a toll on your joints. The elliptical is always a safe option, but is it really the most effective? HIIT workouts are cool, but they require so much space and even perhaps a trainer to take you through it. 

But all hope is not lost! Because there’s one cardio option that remains undefeated time and time again- the classic Jump Rope. 

Why skipping rope is the best cardio for fat loss

Cheap, portable, and total body strengthening, skipping rope is by far the best cardio option for losing weight and increasing athletic ability. 

For starters, Jump Rope requires head-to-toe engagement. We’re talking arms, shoulders, core, glutes, and legs. The combination of all the muscle groups makes it so that your entire body is being worked, resulting in an outstanding amount of calories to be burned all at once. 

In fact, studies have shown that a 15 minute jump rope session is just as effective at burning calories as a 30 minute run! It sounds absolutely bonkers to think that you could be burning 200 to 300 calories in literally half the time it would take you to run those calories off, but it’s true. And it’s all thanks to the fact that skipping rope requires full body engagement, increasing your body’s energy output demand. 

And just in case you weren’t already convinced, skipping rope also helps with improving your coordination and agility. 

How to Jump Rope

As with any form of exercise, you want to make sure you have good posture to avoid any injury. 

To start, you want to have your shoulders pulled back and down. Then you want to keep your chest up, back straight, with your eyes looking straight ahead of you. It’s useful to picture a string on the top of your head pulling you up slightly. 

Moving down, you want to make sure your tailbone is tucked so that you’re not over-arching your back followed by keeping a soft bend in your knees. This will help you lower the impact between each jump, allowing you to properly absorb the impact of hitting the ground. 

Lastly, and most importantly, you want to stay on the balls of your feet and to only jump high enough to clear the rope. This will allow you to preserve energy and even increase your speed, resulting in a better workout. 

Choosing the right Jump Rope

While skipping rope doesn’t require much equipment, it does require- well, a jump rope! So it’s important to make sure you get the right one. 

First, you want to choose the right length. Start by holding on to the handles and stepping on foot down the center of the rope. Now raise your hands, holding the handles, up to your armpits. This is where your rope should reach. Any longer or shorter than that and you might find yourself tripping!

For an added challenge, weighted jump ropes can help add some resistance to your rope, challenging your body to work even harder! 

Our new Build-A-Booty Jump Ropes offer you the best of both worlds! With adjustable straps, built in weight compartments with the weights included, and a durable rope, you can get in the perfect workout any where, any time.