Mar 6, 20192 min read

Is jump rope bad for your knees?

There is a misconception about jump rope being bad for your knees. Now, if you have a serious condition, talk to your doctor. BUT if you can jog/run, then you can jump rope with less impact to your knees. People are just jumping wrong! You only need to jump high enough to clear the rope which will have less impact on the knees. The surface you jump on is also important. If you jump on concrete or surfaces that do not absorb shock, you will put too much pressure on your joints. You want to jump on surfaces that absorb shock such as a wooden floor or rubber track turf.

Jumping rope may be mentally harder than running but it will have less strain on the body which can also encourage knee strength. Another way of counteracting stress on knees. Jumping rope strengthens the quadriceps and the hamstrings. These muscles both connect to the knee and by strengthening them you are providing a solid support system for your knees. The benefits do not stop there! Your glute muscles want in on the action! The glute muscles are responsible for hip external rotation and abduction (moving your leg away from the body). This supports keeping your knees in alignment and stops your knees from collapsing in leaving you susceptible to knee injuries.

Safe Jump Roping for the knees: Audio

Imagine being able to benefit from all of this in a shorter amount of time in comparison to running and other physical activities.

According to Jump Rope Institute (founded by former Olympian Buddy Lee), “research has shown jumping rope for a minimum of five minutes a day can improve physical fitness and when you build to ten minutes of nonstop jumping at 120 RPMs it can provide the same benefits as the following”:

30 minutes of jogging

2 sets of tennis singles

30 minutes of racquet and handball playing

720 yards of swimming

18 holes of golf

With all new things consistency and good tools are important so if you do not have a good rope, don’t lose hope! I would recommend getting a good quality jump rope from here