Potential drawbacks of jumping rope

While I am obviously a strong advocate of jumping rope, it would be to your detriment if I didn't mention some of the risks or drawbacks of jumping rope.

I can only think of a few, and they only apply to very specific situations. Nonetheless, they are worth mentioning.

1. Pre-existing injuries

One of the main disadvantages of jumping rope is the potential risk for anyone dealing with an existing injury. This is especially true for joint-related injuries, such as osteoarthritis.

Contrary to what you may think, jumping rope is actually a low-impact exercise. That said, if you're recovering from an ankle, knee or joint injury, it's easy to make things worse.

If you're considering whether to start jumping rope, your best bet is to consult your doctor before risking any further injury or pain.

2. Heart-related problems

As mentioned earlier in this article, jumping rope can be very taxing on the heart and cardiovascular system. So much so that any current heart-related problems may be exacerbated by jumping rope.

Again, this is a very specific scenario that many of you may not have dealt with. However, if you are even a little concerned that you have a heart problem, it is best to consult your doctor.

3. Exercising during your period

While this is obviously not something I've dealt with personally, I've read many articles from women who have expressed concerns about skipping rope during their periods. While this evidence is only anecdotal, I think it's still worth mentioning.

Upon further research, regular aerobic exercise can actually reduce period-induced symptoms. That said, light walking (or other light aerobic exercise) is recommended as the best. And, for those who do strength training, low volume training seems ideal.

This may be more of a "do what works for you" recommendation. One of the most common jump rope myths on the Internet is how bad jump rope is for your knees and joints. This is far from the truth.

I can understand why someone would think that. Jumping up and down for 15-20 minutes ...... that's not going to be good for your knees, is it? The truth is, besides swimming, jumping rope is one of the lowest impact cardio exercises.

When jumping rope correctly, you should not allow any weight to press down on your knees. In fact, when using good movement form, all of your weight is loaded onto the balls of your feet and distributed in the calf muscles.