Skipping Rope

Skipping Rope

Rope length is the only thing that decides whether skipping works or is constantly frustrating, and it follows your height rather than preference. The check is simple: stand on the middle of the rope with one foot and pull the handles up, and the handle tops should reach roughly to your armpits. Too short and the rope catches your feet on every rotation, too long and it slaps the floor and slows down. As a rough guide 8ft suits shorter adults and teenagers, 9ft suits average adult height, and 10ft suits taller adults. A speed rope is a thin lightweight cord built to turn fast with low air resistance, which is what makes double unders and continuous rounds possible, and it is the design used for boxing and conditioning work. It is less forgiving than a heavy rope, since a heavy rope gives you more feel for where it is and suits learning the rhythm. Surface matters too: skipping on concrete wears a thin cord through quickly and is harder on the knees than a wooden floor or a mat. Skipping is one of the few genuinely space-efficient cardio options, needing about a metre in each direction and enough ceiling height to clear the rope overhead.

Fitness Mad supplies the Yoga Mad speed skipping ropes in 8ft, 9ft and 10ft, covering the full height range. Urban Fitness adds push up bars in black and green for bodyweight work alongside the rope. For weights, mats and the wider range see Fitness Weights & Dumbbells and Home Fitness.