Jump-start 2009 with the skip-hop beginners skipping workout!

Posted on Tuesday, 30 December 2008 03:59PM by Lee Coliinson-James

Welcome to the skip-hop beginners workout. Getting back into shape after the Christmas over-indulgence is a priority for most health conscious people and this is the ideal way to kick-start that new regime you promise yourself each January. Start gently, ease yourself in by breaking the workout down into three one minute sessions until you are ready to notch it up a gear and join them together. After one to two weeks you should be ready to try each module at a single bounce rhythm, thus increasing the intensity of the workout and the calories burnt. As with all new fitness workouts and exercise regimes, consulting your doctor prior to attempting them is always recommended.

You will need a rope. We recommend the skip-hop speed rope or for a more intense workout the skip-hop workout rope. The speed rope is a light weight rope and is ideal to learn the moves and to introduce your body to the new routines and moves. The advanced workout rope is a heavier rope which will give you a much more intense upper body workout and an over all increase in results.

You will need suitable footwear. Cross-trainers, running shoes or normal trainers are recommended. Do not try skipping in bare feet, slippers or the new stilettos you got for Christmas. This applies to women, too.

You will also need a suitable space to skip and in an ideal world, a floor that has a little give in it to cushion the landing. Skipping on a solid floor is perfectly OK providing you are wearing the appropriate footwear - see above.

Each module is approximately one minute long when performed at a gentle pace. Obviously, you must skip at the pace that suits you, increasing the speed as and when you feel you are able. All moves to be executed with a double bounce until you are ready to increase the turn/bounce ratio to a single bounce (this is normally when you are unable to perform the moves at a double bounce rate because you want to skip faster and you are finding a double bounce speed prohibitive), it is time to try them with a single bounce rhythm. This will increase the intensity of the workout dramatically so we advise you to do module one at a single bounce rate and the following modules at a double bounce rate. When you are ready, do one and two at a singe bounce rate and finally, module three.

You will find detailed explanations of the basic techniques and videos see the skip-hop basic techniques page. For explanations of more complex moves please see the skip-hop skipping tricks page.

Warm up - more details on our skipping warm up page - allow your heart rate to increase gradually, allow blood flow to warm muscles, perform gentle movements corresponding to the workout to be performed.

Module one
10 x double bounce, feet together
10 x running on the spot
5 x left leg hops
5 x right leg hops
10 x side straddle
10 x front straddle (do a fairly good size lunge on these, slowing the rope on each one to give you time get back to normal position)

Module two
10 x combined straddles
10 x slalom
10 x bell
20 x twisters (five to the left and five to the right)

Module three
10 x exes - crossing of the feet (left foot over right foot, right foot over left foot x 5)
10 x side swings (left hand side swing, right hand side swing, normal skip counts as one rep)
10 x crossovers - left arm over right
10 x crossovers - right arm over left

Repeat if required

Cool down - allow your heart rate to return to resting rate gradually, maintain gradually decreasing movements in used muscles until blood flow normalises, perform gentle movements corresponding to the workout performed.

Now relax, drink water. Well done! - email me if you have any questions lee@skip-hop.co.uk

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