[Bear]

This is going to sound weird. But I try really hard to use jumping rope as my cardio workout. I've been doing about 2 minutes combined intervals every day for almost three weeks, with maybe 4 total days out of those three weeks of not doing it. I still can't seem to go longer than a minute straight on a good day. But I know I need at least 30 minutes of cardio to actually benefit for weight loss (cause 30 minutes of jump rope is about 300 calories burned). Strangely I don't feel like my endurance is increasing at all...

Does breaking up cardio give the same benefit as doing it steady? I know there's IT and HIIT, but it'd be longer intervals than those for sure.I would try to do about 30:60 second intervals, but I know the resting time would increase a lot throughout the workout. It would probably take me an hour or more to equal 30 minutes jumping rope straight without giving myself a heart attack (sooooo out of shape :[ ) It seems kinda stupid... taking so long. But other than homework, I don't have much else to do all day haha. I'd love to finally get to where I can do 10-15 minutes straight.. I don't like paying for a gym when there's such an accessible home exercise in my basement that gives me the same benefits.

Anyway, is this a good plan, will it work for weightloss?

[peccavi]

I've read in several places that breaking up a workout into 2 or more sessions gives you about the same benefits as doing it all at once.

Don't get discouraged! Jumping rope will definitely help you with weight loss, even if you only do it for 1 minute intervals.

[BlueToBlue]

I think 1 min intervals of jumping rope is a great workout. In most of the HIIT workouts, the high intensity part is only maintained for a minute or so (and jumping rope is way high intensity). Concentrating on trying to reduce your rest periods in between intervals would be a good goal.

You need to give it a lot more time than three weeks. Swimming is the only exercise I've ever done where I saw noticeable improvement in a short period. With everything else I've done (running, stepmill, elliptical, plyometrics, strength training, spinning), it's taken a lot longer to notice any improvement--months, not weeks.

But if you keep at it, you will absolutely improve. It creeps up on you. You don't feel like you've increased your endurance at all but one day you are walking with friends and you realize they can't keep up with you.

Giving yourself a goal like shaving 5 or 10 seconds off your rest intervals every week will help. You might not feel like you are improving, but the next thing you know, your rest intervals will be quite a bit shorter. So even if you don't feel like you've improved, you'll know you have.

[Bear]

Wow thank you both for replying! I feel much more motivated to keep trying it now. Sometimes I just need to hear I'm sorta on the right track cause I never know haha.

And it's such a bad habit of mine to expect results quickly... I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it. >.< Especially when my muscles hurt, I expect compensation in the form of seeing them hahaha.

But sweet, I'm glad this plan will work, and I'm totally going to continue on with it now. Thanks!