Sure, using a jump rope in your exercise routine is great, but using a weighted jump rope is even better. You burn more calories, lose more weight, strengthen more muscles, and boost your cardiovascular strength more than a standard jump rope could. More on the benefits further down.
Weighted jump ropes have been around for quite a while now, with a 1953 patent showing some of the earliest creations – using a regular jump rope with a weighted handle. However, one of the first official patents for a fully-fledged weighted jump rope only came through in 1999. David P Loew filed the application stating the design comprised of “a weighted jump rope for use by a person in an exercise routine”.
20 years later, there are hundreds of different weights, brands, and sizes, making the decision of choosing which weighted jump rope to buy a little difficult. That’s where we come in. We’ve spent the hours researching many different weighted products so you don’t have to. And recently, we’ve been researching weighted jump ropes.
Of course, jump ropes aren’t for everyone. If you think the exercise may be a little too much for you in the beginning, why not try a hula hoop instead? There are some great weighted hula hoops available to boost your exercise routine.
Here are the best weighted jump ropes available today:
1
Weighted Jump Rope by Pulse
- 6mm PVC rope
- Memory foam padding on handles
- Can adjust to anyone under 6′ 6″
2
Homello Weighted Jump Rope
- 8mm PVC rope weighing 1 lb
- Memory foam padded handles
- Removable weights inside handles
3
Crossrope Get Lean Weighted Rope
- 2 ropes weighing 1/4 lb and 1/2 lb
- Fast-clip handles to easy rope switching
- Access to community of 75,000 jumpers
4
MOVEMINT Heavy Weighted Jump Rope
- 5 lb and 8.5 lb jump rope
- Extremely durable design from 1200 denier polyester
- Comes with a protective sleeve to prevent unwanted damage
Your 2020 Weighted Jump Rope Guide
Weighted Jump Rope Benefits
Bringing in a weighted jump rope into your workouts is a great way to stay fit and healthy. Compared to a regular jump rope, the additional benefits of a weighted jump rope are that it burns far more calories, promotes far greater muscle development, and works you more towards losing weight.
You probably already know jump roping is a great exercise to bring into your workouts. They’re easy on the joints, can be done in very small spaces, are great for beginners and advanced athletes, and can be adjusted to be a simple warmup or a full-blown high-intensity workout.
If you’re not looking to become the world’s next elite boxer or training for massive agility and speed, a weighted jump rope is the way to go. It provides all the benefits of a regular rope, with even more goodies on top.
Jump Rope Workout Routines
Lucky you – there are already hundreds (maybe thousands) of jump rope workouts out there you can follow along with.
First, here are some of our favorite videos you can throw up on a screen and jump along with:
Yes – the instructors in the video above are using a standard jump rope, but you can still use your weighted jump rope. It may be a little difficult to keep up with them in the beginning, but start slow. You’ll get there eventually, and you’ll love yourself for it.
If you rather listen to your own music or don’t have anywhere you can watch and jump, maybe one of these workouts will do the trick:
We’d love to hear of any workouts you’ve tried and love! Let us know in the comments.
Before & Afer Results
Weighted jump ropes just plain work. There have been hundreds of before and after photos of people who’ve transformed themselves into far healthier and fitter versions of themselves by using one.
Here are just a few of the thousands of before and after photos on the internet (NSFW):
Massive thanks to the folks over at Jump Rope Dudes for not only showcasing the amazing transformations you see above, but for also promoting fitness and healthy living to the world.
They do have their own line of weighted jump ropes under the brand Crossrope – you’ll see it’s listed at the Best Premium Weighted Jump rope further up the page. It’s a higher quality rope, but a little pricey for some.
Studies on Weighted Jump Ropes
You bet. One of the earliest studies we found was conducted by Gerald Masterson and Stanley Brown in 1993. It was titled Effects of Weighted Jump Rope Training on Power Performance Tests in Collegians. Collegians is just a fancy way of saying college students.
The study went for 10 weeks and consisted of three groups – Group 1 using a weighted jump rope training regime, Group 2 using traditional training, and Group 3 only doing stretching exercises.
After the 10 weeks of training, the findings concluded that Group 1 “made significant improvements between all pre- and posttreatment measures”. While Group 2 and Group 3 “showed no improvement at the 0.01 level of significance”.
On top of that, the study also concluded that a “weighted rope offers a multipurpose exercise with several distinct advantages”. Including:
- It can be easily integrated into any training program
- It posts minimal risks of injury
- It does not require a lot of time during daily workouts
- It does not require a minimum level of strength in order to achieve benefits, and
- It can be easily varied by manipulating factors such as the weight of the rope, its turning speed, the height of the jump, the speed of the jump, the number of sets, and/or the test between sets
Feel free to read the full study – 1993 Study on Benefits of Weighted Jump Rope.
A more recent study, conducted in 2017 in various Turkey University titled Does the Weighted Rope Jump Training Affect the Motor Skills in Adolescent Female Volleyball Players? – shows similar benefits.
The study ran for 12 weeks and consisted of 25 female volleyball players. Group 1 did weighted jump rope training, Group 2 did regular jump rope training, and Group 3 only played volleyball.
Here were the results after the 12 weeks:
- There was a significant decrease on body fat percentage of rope jumping and weighted rope jumping
- There was a significant increase on vertical jump in weighted rope jumping and rope jumping groups after training
- There was a significant increase on test values to Medicine Ball Javelin of weighted rope jumping groups after training
- There was a significant increase on sit ups values of weighted rope jump training group
Again, you can read the full study here – 2017 Turkey Study on Weighted Jump Roping
Have a dog? There have been studies showing similar benefits using a weighted vest for your dog. In fact, dogs wearing a weighted vest have been proven to lose more weight, build more strength, and boost their stamina – all during normal exercise.
Conclusion
As you’ve read, studies have proven the benefits of using a weighted jump rope, and there are thousands of people who’ve already transformed their bodies and lifestyles by using one in their workout routine.
If you have any more questions about the best weighted jump rope or anything else, let us know in the comments.
Good luck and enjoy your workout!
