Work Your Legs and Get in Your Cardio With This Trainer's 15-Minute Jump-Rope Workout

Cardio doesn't have to be walking, running, or dancing — after all, some people don't like attempting to follow along with choreography no matter how "easy" the moves are or how empty their house is (guilty). One fun and effective way to spike your heart rate that you may not have tried is jumping rope. Sydney Cummings, NASM-certified personal trainer, shared a 15-minute cardio session that's all about jumping rope, and it's a breeze to follow.

Cummings walks you through a number of different jump-rope exercises (along with modifications) that will wake up your lower body, especially the calves: scissor chop, staggered jump, side-to-side, double-leg to single-leg, and more. You'll do each move for 40 seconds with 20 seconds of rest in between. She also uses the rope as an agility ladder and prop for some full-body work with exercises such as a lateral burpee hop-over.

For proper jump-rope form, rotate through your wrists — you don't have to whip and swing your arms around because "less is more on jump rope," Cummings explained. Your knees should be slightly bent, and you should be up on your toes as well. You can read up on additional jump-rope basics from another trainer here if you're a beginner. The best part is that you can perform this workout without a rope if you don't have one; just do jump-rope-like motions or use a cordless rope for an alternative.

If you liked this workout, give these other jump-rope workout videos a try whenever you have a chance. They'll be well worth your while!