Jumping Rope Versus Jogging for Weight Loss



Posted: Thursday, January 21, 2010

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The following is a question from a reader about the effectiveness of jumping rope versus jogging for weight loss results -

It seems like when I jump rope for 20-30 min. a day I tend to lose weight more quickly than if I jog for 50-60 min. a day. Is it possible that certain people are better suited - or get better results - from certain exercises? My friend is an avid jogger and that seems to keep her weight down, yet for me it does nothing compared to jumping rope. She doesn't believe me.... Thanks, Linda

Here's how I answered -

I want to touch on a couple of things from your email.
  1. Good for you that you found an exercise that is effective for you and that you enjoy doing!
  2. Overall, jogging at 5 1/2 miles per hour burns roughly 1000 calories in 60 minutes while jumping rope burns about 30 percent less over the same time period. These figure represent a somewhat "normal" pace. You may be jumping like there was no tomorrow while your friend barely gets past a slow walk...I'm not sure.
  3. I'd guess that jogging burns more calories over a given time period simply because you're propelling your entire body forward as well as up and down (jumping rope primarily involves only the latter).
  4. Your core question, "Is it possible that certain people are better suited - or get better results - from certain exercises?" is a good one. It would seem so from your experience. However, physiologically, it's not possible. By "better results" I assume you mean more weight loss. In order to lose a pound of fat, you have to roughly burn 3500 calories over your maintenance levels. There's no way around that. It really is a simple math question.
The critical component is buried in #2 above. How fast are you jogging versus how intensely are you jumping rope? Have you documented your progress by each method or are you going off memory (which tends to deceive, especially depending on the type of exercise you enjoy)?

At the end of the day, however, if you're getting the results you want in half the time versus doing something you really don't like, then by all means, jump rope!

If you have a question about fitness, check out "Ask the Fitness Unguru."

Bill is the creator and publisher of the popular fitness site, Muscle-Build.com, where he writes about how to build muscle, lose body fat, and get fit.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by Anonymous from Canada 1 year 134 days ago.
From what I understand skipping rope brings your heart rate up higher. This encourages the body to release human growth hormone (HGH) which is very beneficial to the body (encourages muscle gain and fat loss). With higher HGH levels your metabolism is higher throughout the day thus you tend to lose weight throughout the day even when your not working out.
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» left by Bill Davis 1 year 134 days ago.
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That's factually true. However, if that were the case, wouldn't all long-distance runners have bodybuilder bodies? There is a balance involved here -- get those tiny HGH levels up and stress the muscles with heavy weights and high intensity, along with high intensity interval training (could be jumping rope or hill sprints), to build muscle and burn fat simultaneously.
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