Whether you come from a martial arts background, an endurance background, or you train in CrossFit, you’ve probably spent a lot of time with the jump rope. Back in my kickboxing days we used to play around with heavier ropes to strengthen our ability to hold our hands up through a fight. In CrossFit you see people using lighter and lighter ropes in pursuit of endless double unders.
CrossRope aims to take you beyond the regular rope and create an entire system for fitness. Unlike some companies, their goal is not to be the lightest rope out there, but instead to provide a tool for building strength and strength endurance. They do this by having seven different weights of rope and two different types of handles available for you to order in any variety of combinations.
The seven weights of rope are:
- Sprint – 1.9 oz.
- Speed – 2.9 oz.
- Stamina – 5.2 oz.
- Explode – .75 lb.
- Power – 1.25 lb.
- Strength – 2.00 lb.
- Titan – 3.00 lb.
I found jumping with the heavier ropes actually made my shoulders feel good. I could feel my shoulders working, but they never felt strained. While my personal experience is certainly nothing scientific, I feel like using the heavier ropes helped strengthen my shoulders in a good and stabilizing way. I was careful to follow the advice of the people at CrossRope, too, and not go too heavy too soon. I was lucky enough to have a variety of ropes that they sent me, so I slowly worked my way up to heavier and heavier ropes.
There definitely is a mental hurdle to overcome when you first start using the heavier ropes. I found myself in anticipation of getting whacked with the thick cable. Truthfully, hitting myself with the lighter cables was far more painful and once I realized that and got a feel for behavior of the heavier ropes my hesitation about using them disappeared. You can see my highly amusing first attempt with the Power Rope here.
I would also caution you (and of course I would never consider doing this myself) not to use the heavier ropes as a way to avoid cardio. I know you know what I’m talking about – it’s the same as when you do more weight than “prescribed” in a CrossFit workout in an attempt to remain macho while avoiding being breathless. Don’t do that. These ropes are not meant to have you jump very slowly, but rather have you maintain speed while building strength and endurance.
The nicest thing about the CrossRope system is that you can purchase exactly what you need for your body and your goals. You can customize the length, choose the appropriate weight of cables (or a combination of them), and choose the handles that work best for your hands. While these aren’t the least expensive jump ropes on the market, they are very well made. I was impressed with the craftsmanship and the sturdiness. The bearings feel great and smooth while you’re jumping and the clipping system makes it very easy to switch cables. Given that CrossFitters are apt to destroy jump ropes with some regularity, I think they will find the CrossRopes last them longer than the average rope.
One word of caution: Be mindful of where you jump when using your CrossRopes. They are coated in vinyl and if you jump on concrete or other harsh surfaces you can slowly wear the coating away, exposing the steel cable inside. Your ropes will last longer if you’re nice to them.
If you’re not sure where to start or how to pair products, CrossRope offers pre-packaged combo sets based on different fitness goals. If you’re looking for ideas for workouts and skills, then also checkout the CrossRope video library.
CrossRope cables are available for $8.99-25.99 and CrossRope handles are available for $34.99 at CrossRope.com.
CrossRope is offering a special discount just for Breaking Muscle readers.
Right now if you enter BREAK13 at checkout you’ll get 10% off your order.
