Weekly Workout Recap : Skipping

Monday - Crossfit 7-8am

Tuesday - Crossfit 7-8pm

Thursday - Run 3miles

Friday - Skipping/double-under practise!

Saturday - REST

Sunday - BRICK session in Richmond Park

This week I only made it to 2 Crossfit sessions as I managed to injure my arm in Tuesday's WOD. It was a pretty tough one:

I used 16kg for the KBS and by the time I'd got to 150 in total (!) my left forearm had had enough! I think I just strained something, but it was pretty painful for the next couple of days. I feel like this is where the dangers of Crossfit become apparent- when you're conducting a movement so many times your body is bound to become fatigued and your form drops, which leads to injury. Added to which 150 KBS is rather a lot really! I would have liked to see less reps and some different exercises added to the workout to make it more varied. I perhaps went a bit too heavy on the weight too...

I also can't do Double-unders, so having to do 50 attempts took bloody ages! And rather spoilt the momentum of the workout. This meant I finished Tuesday's session feeling a bit frustrated...

Therefore I decided to take upon myself to practice double-unders at home, so I can eventually nail them and make workouts easier (at least apart from the kettlebell swings!).

There are many different skipping ropes recommended for speedwork, so I've listed a few below:

Cable ropes made in Manchester, UK. Adjustable.

The Crossfit jump rope. Custom fitted, 5 different cable weights and funky handles available! Shipped from the US.

PVC cord, suitable for beginners, that won't hurt your legs so much! And a cheaper option. Made in the UK. Different sizes available.

You can also pick up decent skipping ropes on ebay for between £5-15.

I went for a Nortech rope to start with, in fact I have the one pictured above which is 9ft long. I also bought an 8ft one, as I'm sort of between sizes, but it's just a bit too short to be comfortable, so I shall probably try and pass it on to one of my shorter Crossfit friends! The best way to measure yourself for a skipping rope is to stand on the middle of the rope, and the handles should come up to chest/armpit height.

Here's a quick video from the guys at Rx Jump Ropes:

I practiced on and off for a few hours on Friday afternoon and managed to get 1 double under on its own several times, as well as 3 in a row with single skipping inbetween! So practice is definitely helping!

Can you skip? Did you ever learn any tricks when you were younger? I used to be able to do crossovers with the rope as well as double skipping with a partner 🙂

PS. I will recap Sunday's BRICK session tomorrow - it was tough but great fun! You can read Charlie's blog post here ---> The Runner Beans