The best jump ropes can kick your cardiovascular system into high gear for only a few bucks. Even if you haven’t seen one since recess was the highlight of your day, just a few minutes with a jump rope can greatly improve both your endurance and overall physical fitness, as this study in the Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology found.
Jumping rope is an activity that targets nearly every area of your body, making it an incredibly efficient workout choice. And since jump ropes are significantly less expensive than most pieces of conventional gym equipment, they’re just as friendly on your wallet as they are on your body.
Jump ropes are made from a variety of materials and come in varying lengths and diameters. Many ropes allow you to adjust the length to best suit your height, and some can even count your revolutions or estimate the calories you’ve burned. Best of all, they’re easy to throw in a bag or suitcase, so you can continue your jump rope routine anywhere you go. We tested a number of jump ropes to bring you the 10 best jump ropes for your workout routine.
What are the best jump ropes?
Topping our list is a jump rope that can be used by athletes, couch potatoes, and everyone in between: The Amazon Basics Standard Jump Rope. Quality construction and a sleek design make it an excellent choice for improving your strength, building your endurance, and advancing your techniques. And it’s less than $10.
If you want something “smarter,” the Tangram Rookie Smart Jump Rope combines the experience of jumping rope with the advances of technology. Pair your Tangram Rookie with the Smartrope app and you can count your jumps, claim your spot on the global leaderboard, and challenge your friends to some very healthy competition. It’s our choice for the best smart jump rope.
The WOD Nation Speed Jump Rope can help a novice rise in the ranks and learn quicker, more difficult moves. With a patented 4 bearing system that allows for maximum stability in advanced maneuvers, it’s the best jump rope for speed.
The best jump ropes you can buy now
“Basic” is a term that gets thrown around a lot these days, sometimes with a less than positive connotation. But for all the times we think of “basic” as lacking innovation or a contentment with the status quo, there are an equal number of times that something “basic” provides us with much-needed fundamentals and a strong foundation. The Amazon Basics Standard Jump Rope does just that, making it the best jump rope on our list.
You may not notice a lot about the Amazon Basics Jump Rope, but that’s a good thing. They have good sized handles with thin foam grips that fit into our hands easily and securely, so you don’t have to worry about them slipping during use. If you prefer plastic handles as opposed to padded ones, the foam can be removed. The plastic rope is light and revolves easily, so working on your coordination won’t be hampered by an unwieldy rope. The ball bearings are smooth and quiet, which means the rope won’t get caught up mid jump.
The Amazon Basics jump rope is a well-built and versatile rope that provides both novice and experienced jumpers with essentials that you can build upon. Jumping with this rope was easy and effortless, so much so that I was able to increase my speed and even get in a few double-unders.
The standard 9-foot rope worked well for my height (5’ 4”), but the length can be adjusted if needed. It should be noted that since you’ll need to cut off any extra rope to close the handle, changes you make to the length will be permanent.
There’s nothing wrong with getting back to basics. The Amazon Basics Standard Jump Rope is a durable, user-friendly rope that will help the beginner and the expert alike build their skills, develop their techniques, and get a great workout in the process.
The Tangram Rookie is a jump rope that takes your routine to a new level, with an app that guides your workouts, tracks your progress, and allows you to make exercise an interactive experience.
Setting up the Tangram Rookie was a bit complicated. Prior to your first use, you must disassemble one handle to remove the coin battery stored inside, then disassemble the other handle to place the coin battery in its appropriate compartment. This process left me thinking that there had to be some better way, one that didn’t involve taking the rope completely apart in order to make it work. I hate keeping track of all my wall chargers, but given this alternative, I’d welcome another one to my haul.
Once the battery was in place, the Tangram Rookie Smart Rope worked like a dream. The sleek plastic handles were easy to grip, and had just enough weight to feel secure in my hands. Whether I was working on speed moves or just jumping normally, each revolution of the rope was smooth and controlled, and I never worried about the rope kinking or the ball bearings sticking during usage. The rope is easily adjustable for users of varying heights, and adjustments can be reversed if you’d like to share your rope with a significantly taller or shorter jumper. However, the downside to this rope is that it kinks and tangles pretty easily, so be sure to store it properly when it’s not in use.
The best part about the Tangram Rookie is the SmartRope app, available for iOS and Android. The app keeps track of the total revolutions you’ve completed, calories you’ve burned, and time you’ve jumped. Additionally, there are several interval programs to follow based on your experience level, which is helpful for anyone needing guidance or structure. For jumpers with a competitive streak, the SmartRope app features a global leaderboard that displays your current ranking. If you want to make the competition a little more personal, the app allows you to create your own contests and invite your Tangram Rookie friends to jump with you (or rather, against you).
At $40, the Tangram Rookie Smart Rope isn’t the most affordable on our list. But it’s the rope to choose if you’re committed to a new routine, need an easy and tangible way to track your progress, and want to invite a few friends along for the ride.
One of the best things about a jump rope is its affordability – you can get a great cardio workout without having to pay thousands for a bulky machine that ends up doubling as a laundry hamper. Sure, there are sophisticated ropes out there with advanced gadgetry and novel features, but the DEGOL Skipping Rope gets the same job done without any of the expensive frills.
The DEGOL’s rope is made from PVC-covered wire, which prevents it getting tangled , a problem common to jump ropes made with other materials. This construction makes the rope stiffer, which is great for durability and storage, but not so great when it hits your shins. The wire rope also means that length adjustments are difficult and irreversible, as you’ll need to cut off any remaining rope with wire cutters. But since the DEGOL skipping rope comes at a standard 9 feet, you shouldn’t have to worry about too many adjustments unless you’re shorter than average. I’m t 5’4”, and I found the length was perfect.
The handles, covered in a EVA memory foam, stayed secure in my hands when I jumped at various speeds. While I’m not the biggest fan of foam handles, which can absorb and lock in sweat, the DEGOL’s handles didn’t really bother me. The less porous EVA foam felt more sanitary.
Jumping with the DEGOL was relatively smooth and easy, and while the ball bearings made a lot of noise, they allowed the rope to revolve evenly and without catches or sticking points. For 10 bucks, I’ll ignore the noise or pop in ear buds.
The DEGOL Skipping Rope doesn’t come with any fancy apps or digital interfaces, but if you’re looking for a solidly made jump rope that will make both your heart and bank account happy, it’s a fantastic budget-friendly choice.
There is something incredibly motivating about seeing your stats, especially when you’re starting a new activity like jumping rope. Being able to jump a few minutes longer than when you first started, or hitting 100 revolutions for the first time without stopping, is the kind of inspiring feedback many newcomers need to stick with a healthy habit. That’s why the Multifun Jump Rope, with its LCD display, is the best jump rope option for beginners.
A digital rope like the Multifin is a fantastic alternative for neophytes who want the real time data of a smart rope without the price tag. Like its more expensive competitors, the $16 Multifun can track the number of jumps you make and how long you’ve been jumping (or count down from a timed goal). Unlike most smart ropes however, the Multifun can’t store any of your information from previous sessions. So if you want to know when you hit a PR, you’ll have to record those numbers on your own.
The Multifun can also estimate the calories you’ve burned in each workout, which can be very encouraging to see. Unfortunately the Multifun is only able to calculate calories for users up to 110 kilograms (around 243 pounds), which severely limits the number of people who can accurately measure this helpful metric.
Jumping with the Multifun was uncomplicated and routine in the best way. It was easy to pop the PVC-coated steel rope into the handles, and even easier to fine-tune its length. Whereas many ropes on our list require scissors or wire cutters to trim off unneeded remainder, Multifun includes velcro binders so that excess rope can be secured instead of cut — a useful option if you’re scared of commitment or if you’re sharing the rope with another person. The plastic handles’ diameter fit well in my hands, and each revolution of the rope was even and with no sticking or catching.
Ready to give this whole jump rope thing a try? The Multifun Jump Rope is a great place to start.
Double-unders have never been a frequent flyer in my cardio programming. The speed move, which involves letting the rope pass under you twice before your feet hit the ground, is a favorite among Crossfitters. But lots of cut shins on failed attempts left me weary of working on them enough to achieve mastery. That changed with the WOD Nation Speed Jump Rope.
A patented 4 ball bearing system – 2 bearings inside the handles, and 2 on the ends to hold the rope – made for the smoothest and most secure revolutions of any rope on our list. I was pretty shocked at what a difference this made when chasing those elusive double unders. For the first time since I started to practice the move, I felt like I had total control over the rope, its exact path, and its speed. Coupled with a little more power from my lower body, I was able to go for multiple rounds of double unders without having to find a single Band-Aid. The only aspect that didn’t feel rock solid as I jumped were the handles themselves; if they were just a hair wider, I could have gotten a better grip.
The WOD Nation Speed Jump Rope comes with two 10-foot thin speed ropes, one to use and one to keep as a backup (good news for anyone who’s hard on their equipment, like me). Adjusting the length of the rope is pretty straightforward and can be done by turning a screw and moving a rubber stopper. I had to shorten the rope a significant amount, which left a lot of remaining rope hanging off the end. A quick snip with some wire cutters will take care of that issue, if you’re not sharing the rope with a taller friend.
Because the PVC-coated rope has a much thinner diameter than other jump ropes, it should only be used on smooth surfaces and not concrete or asphalt. So save your double unders for the Crossfit box or gym.
When you’ve gotten a hang of jump rope basics and want to advance into expert territory, the WOD Nation Speed Jump Rope is the tool that can get you there.
You may have long forgotten about segmented jump ropes, a playground staple that’s tucked away in the same corner of your brain as long division and rectangular pizza. But besides bringing back a flood of grade school memories, segmented ropes can help bring a rusty jumper back into good technique — the sound of plastic hitting the ground can help you develop a steady rhythm as you jump, and the small plastic segments keep the rope from knotting or kinking as it revolves around you.
The Champion Sports Segmented Jump Rope has a vastly different feel than most of the ropes on our list. The plastic segments weighed down the rope a lot more than I thought it would, leaving any type of speed work pretty difficult (it took me a bit of time to even get the hang of single unders). A heavier rope does come with some benefits, however. Since the dense rope revolved slower, I could rest more between jumps, which meant I could go for a lot longer before feeling fatigued. Like the best weighted jump ropes, it’s a great rope to use in developing your endurance, so pull it out on your running rest days.
In addition to weighing down the rope, the plastic segments have another, less desirable side effect — miss a jump and your shins will feel it. A lot. The pain brought back another childhood memory that I’d previously buried: trips to the school nurse. I also found that the handles were too small to hold onto securely, and while 9-foot ropes are usually an appropriate length for my height, this rope slacked and made me trip several times. Fortunately, Champion Sports offers six different length options in their segmented ropes, ranging from 6 to 16 feet.
Deadlines, quarterly reports, and meetings that could have been emails frequently leave you yearning for simpler days. Remember all the fun you had as a kid, while working on the endurance you need as an adult, with the Champion Sports Segmented Jump Rope.
Living in a concrete jungle may convince you that jumping rope is an activity best saved for the suburbs. You’d love to give it a try, but when your apartment is small enough that you can reach your bathroom counter while sitting on your couch, the idea seems a bit dangerous. That’s why the ILIENSA Ropeless Jump Rope is a game-changer.
The ILIENSA ropeless jump rope operates and handles just like a regular jump rope, but with one main difference: instead of a long rope that connects two handles, there are two shorter ropes connected to each handle, with silicone balls weighing down the ends. This design mimics the feeling of jumping with a conventional jump rope, without the inherent risk of losing your security deposit.
At first glance, the ILIENSA ropeless rope looked like a toy I got one Christmas that my parents immediately regretted buying. Once I started jumping with it though, I was hooked. The revolutions were even, the handles were easy to grip, and my heart rate increased quickly. Not only did I jump without hitting any of my surroundings, but I also jumped without hitting my legs when I left the ground too late.
The ILENSA is a fantastic option for anyone living in close quarters, but it’s also a great rope for the beginner. Since there’s no rope to trip on, newcomers can practice their technique, develop endurance, and improve strength without the interruption of a missed jump. But as good of a rope as it is for a novice, it may not provide much of a challenge for someone more experienced, but the ILENSA ropeless jump rope can be used anywhere for a fun and effective workout.
Is it really that hard to travel with a jump rope? What is there to it except wrapping the rope around the handles and popping it into your bag or suitcase? That method may work for the most part, until you pull out a rope so warped it’s impossible to jump over the kinks. Instead of cursing and chucking your tangled jump rope across the room, check out the Bear KompleX Aluminum Speed Jump Rope.
The Bear KompleX’s internal locking mechanism on its aluminum handles is the easiest and most streamlined system I’ve come across. Press down on the top knob, insert the rope, and release. No screws to unscrew, no rubber stoppers to adjust, no wires to cut (unless you’re a lot shorter than average).
This design makes adjusting the length a breeze and allows for better, more rope-friendly storage. Simply remove the rope from both handles, coil it, and place it in the included travel bag. The next time you’re ready to jump, you won’t have to waste ten minutes of valuable gym time trying to straighten out your rope.
Of course, what’s the use of easy storage if the rope itself isn’t great? Fortunately, the Bear KompleX is a quality speed rope that checks all the right boxes. In addition to hassle free length adjustments, the rope revolves evenly and without catching or sticking. I’m also a fan of the knurling on the handles, as I feel I can get a stronger grip. However, I’d be remiss not to mention that knurling can sometimes cause calluses to form after a lot of use, as evidenced by my hands after years of dumbbell and barbell training.
Whether you’re bringing it down the block or across the country, the Bear KompleX Aluminum Speed Jump Rope is the perfect cardio travel companion.
One of the bright spots to the quarantines and stay-at-home orders of 2020 was getting to spend more quality time with our families. While that was great for bonding over board games and binge watching our favorite shows together, it wasn’t so great for our bodies. Fortunately, getting your fitness back doesn’t have to mean trading time with the kids for time at the gym. With the Just Jump It Jump Rope, you can make exercise a family affair.
The Just Jump It is a 16 inch nylon rope…and that’s about it. In place of handles, the rope is tied in a knot at the ends. Obviously this isn’t the most sophisticated of design choices, but even though it doesn’t impede usage in any way, it does feel a little cheap. On a positive note, the lack of handles makes the Just Jump It a pretty versatile piece of equipment, especially if you’ve got creative kids who like to find more than one way to use something (I never thought I’d see my sneakers be used as race cars, but there’s a first time for everything).
Used for its intended purpose, the Just Jump It is an excellent rope. It’s long enough to have a family member at each end, and a kid or two (or an adult) jumping in the middle. The possibility for fun, physical play is endless. And since the Just Jump It is made from a soft yet durable braided nylon as opposed to plastic or steel, you don’t have to worry as much about cuts or bruises from an unruly rope. Even if you don’t have a juvenile brood around, the Just Jump It is great for group workouts (or BBQs and picnics) with the over-18 crowd.
If you prefer your exercise to be solitary however, there isn’t much you can do with the Just Jump It. Tying knots in the rope, or wrapping all the excess rope around your hands, works well enough if you want to get a few loops in on your own. But it doesn’t really make much sense to use the Just Jump It solely for that purpose, especially when there are a plethora of better options.
This weekend, pack up the board games and unplug the TV. Enjoy some family time with the Just Jump It jump rope instead.
How to choose the best jump rope for you
Jump ropes vary greatly in several different ways. Some ropes are made from PVC coated steel, some are made from Polypropylene (PP) plastic, and some are made from nylon. There’s also a lot of variety in jump rope handle shapes, circumferences, and materials – ABS plastic and EVA foam are common components, as is aluminum.
It’s important to take a few things into consideration when choosing a jump rope. First and foremost, you’ll want to determine your budget. While jump ropes tend to be relatively inexpensive, certain features like bluetooth capability, digital interfaces, and high-grade materials can drive up the price. Sometimes those extras are well worth the extra expense though, especially if they help keep you motivated.
Next, you’ll want to consider what kind of workout you’d like to get with your jump rope. Any of the selections on our list will help you get stronger and more conditioned, but certain ropes are built for specific types of training. For example, if you’d like to work on advanced moves like double or triple unders, you’ll want to select a speed jump rope. If you’re more inclined to workout in a group setting, you may want to choose a longer jump rope so everyone can get involved.
You’ll also want to think about where you’ll be using your rope. Some of the ropes on our list are coated with PVC plastic, which means they are best suited for use on gym flooring and not concrete or asphalt.
Don’t forget about accessories! If you’re planning to travel frequently with your jump rope, or just want an easy way to store it, look for a jump rope that comes with a travel bag. A few of the jump ropes on our list also come with spare ropes, which is a vital accessory if you tend to quickly wear out your equipment.
How we tested the best jump ropes
To help us determine the best jump ropes, we tested using them in varying time intervals, with varying techniques, both indoors and outdoors.
We performed single revolution jumps (“single unders”) for two minutes with each rope on our list. We performed double revolution jumps (“double unders”) with The Amazon Basics Standard Jump Rope, the Tangram Smart Jump Rope Rookie, the DEGOL Skipping Rope, the Multifun Jump Rope, and the Champion Sports Segmented Jump Rope for 30 seconds. We performed double unders with the WOD Nation Speed Jump Rope and the Bear KompleX Aluminum Speed Jump Rope for one minute.
With the exception of the WOD Nation Speed Jump Rope and the Bear KompleX Aluminum Speed Jump Rope, all ropes were tested inside on rubberized flooring, and outdoors on concrete. The WOD Nation Speed Jump Rope and Bear KompleX Aluminum Speed Jump Rope were only tested indoors. We also analyzed ease of length adjustments (where applicable), portability and storage, and other usability factors for each rope on our list.
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