Okay all you wonderful Crossfitters. I need suggestions. I covet a really great jump rope. A speed rope! My gym has these beaded jump ropes that are long enough for maybe a second grader. I'm only 5'3" and can barely get any head clearance with these stupid things. I don't know where all the good ropes are going to at my gym but there are not always on the floor so now, I'm bringing in my own. Just add it to the list of frustrations here.
Anyway, I'm looking at custom ropes through Rouge Fitness but I'm not sure which one to purchase. I like the idea of getting a heavier rope but yet I want to be able to do endurance work with this too. What kind of rope are you using when doing your CrossFit double unders? Should this matter? What would your preference be if you were purchasing one?
Coordination is the added benefit, as well as form and technique. Without the threat of a rope whipping me on the backside or up side the head I probably would drop my shoulders, slow down, etc. I'm also working on double unders and it helps to be able to hear the rope.
I jump laterally, around the room, like think moving from side to back to other side then forward creating a big square around the room. (Not as easy as you might think...both the movement and finding an empty room) I also figured out how to jump while turning myself and the rope in circles...it's just more than jumping up and down getting my heart rate up. I like the challenge of making the rope behave.
Lydia - my DH made his own jump rope like those in the gym. He too is only 5'3" and had the same getting-hit-with-the-rope. I'll ask him where he got the bead thingies....
Pat: Thanks for talking to your DH for suggestions.
As a side note: I was further considering why I do this as a form of cardio instead of just running, elliptical, or jumping in place/burpee kind of thing. (I do those too by the way) It's more for agility I think than coordination. Yeah, I think that really is the added benefit of getting a rope to do things beyond just the standard skip. When you can move around and switch directions in that movement with a rope, it's more of an agility challenge for me.
Pat: Thanks for talking to your DH for suggestions.
As a side note: I was further considering why I do this as a form of cardio instead of just running, elliptical, or jumping in place/burpee kind of thing. (I do those too by the way) It's more for agility I think than coordination. Yeah, I think that really is the added benefit of getting a rope to do things beyond just the standard skip. When you can move around and switch directions in that movement with a rope, it's more of an agility challenge for me.
Well said, Lydia. People forget that agility, flexibility, coordination, and balance are all important keys to (and indicators of!) physical fitness. Plus, anytime you switch from one cardio to another, you use different muscles, keeping your body guessing. It's important to vary the cardio routine and not just stick to the same old elliptical, bike, etc. I'm totally with you on the jump roping!
Thanks. Not to mention it's just a lot of fun if you don't mind tapping into your eight year old self. : I'll post about my rope experience after it's arrived...which may be a while since I still haven't ordered it.
Lydia, I finally managed to have jump ropes in the front of my brain and DH in the vicinity at the same time. He made his by using a piece of nylon rope/cord from REI (climbing dept) and beads he made himself. He used hard nylon/plastic tubing of the type that's sold for plumbing water in refrigerators and cut them 1-1.5" using a wire cutter. I'm not sure this helps you, as I thought he had bought the beads, but, well, there you go. Hope it helps.
Lydia, I finally managed to have jump ropes in the front of my brain and DH in the vicinity at the same time.
Yep. My life too. I see DH about five minutes in the morning and for about an hour before I go to bed.But it's an improvement over last year with him living eight hours away so I'm not complaining!
Actually, this is a pretty clever method too. I'm still going to order on of the speed ropes but if that doesn't fit well, I'll try your DH's method.
Did you buy a jump rope? I really like ours although I've thought about buying a fancier one. I dreaded doing jump roping until I started doing. It is great stuff
When I jump, I go for successful revolutions. So it might be 100, 200 or 600 I've also been trying to do double unders but I haven't been successful in that endeavor yet.
Nope. Not yet Nelie. Thanks for reminding me. It's on my list...along with making a dental appointment.
Revolutions is a good idea. I haven't done that in a while. Guess I'm a clock watcher.
I usually just jump in two to three minute intervals (or for as long as I can) for about fifteen to twenty minutes. I prefer to do it as my first cardio session after I've done a warm up. Kind of like "Cardio Play Time" for me. I'll try to do new things knowing I'll probably mess up. When I take my mind off of it and there's no pressure to do anything right it turns out to be a a pretty effective HIIT session.
As far as tips? Not really. I just kind of picked up a rope and gave it a shot and one thing led to another...There are youtube videos that offer suggestions. I found them kind of intimidating at first so I decided to just spend some time with the rope and play with some of the ideas when no one else was watching.
I showed my husband that video and he said one of our exercise videos has Buddy Lee in it. Sure enough! We have a TRX jump rope video and he is in it. I went and did part of it. It is pretty cool.
The cable freestyle or licorice are good for tricks like crossovers and work fine for double-unders too. If you just want to do double unders or singles really fast, go with the speed cable style with the white tip on the handle. The Buddy Lee ropes (google it) are good, too, and fast, but more expensive, and not necessarily faster than the others. ANY of these ropes is adjustable, so get an 8' or 9' rope, bring it home, and play with the length for a few days before you cut the excess off.
Jump Rope Suggestions
: I'll post about my rope experience after it's arrived...which may be a while since I still haven't ordered it.
He made his by using a piece of nylon rope/cord from REI (climbing dept) and beads he made himself. He used hard nylon/plastic tubing of the type that's sold for plumbing water in refrigerators 
and cut them 1-1.5" using a wire cutter. I'm not sure this helps you, as I thought he had bought the beads, but, well, there you go. Hope it helps.
Yep. My life too. I see DH about five minutes in the morning and for about an hour before I go to bed.But it's an improvement over last year with him living eight hours away so I'm not complaining! 
