My relationship with the jump rope didn’t start again until I started going to gym for cardio kickboxing. I use to love to jump rope and it brings back childhood memories of when kids use to go outside playing instead of staying inside playing video games. I love my video games too in moderation.
When you go into a boxing gym hearing the sounds of the rope is just part of the music. You see everyone jumping as part of a warm-up along with a couple of other exercises to get their body’s ready to do whatever the trainer has in store for them that day. A jump rope can be used for warm-ups, cardio workout and sprint training etc.
For warm-ups you can 1 set of 4 reps of jump rope 2-3min with 30-60sec rests depending on your fitness level. When I first started back I was overweight so bending my knees while jumping wasn’t happening so I jumped on my toes…lol Then when my body starting losing the weight I added a variety of jumps because I was getting bored of doing the same thing. It can be a fun workout if you like to jump rope and you can include your kids with your workouts. I’m all for getting my child involved in something that benefits us both.
It’s inexpensive. A jump rope can cost as less than $10. I purchased a real nice one for $5 on Amazon. I like the short 7 inch speed ropes and since I’m only 5’4 that’s enough for me. To find the right size if you stand in the middle of the rope and the handles reach your armpit it’s the right size. If it’s above its too long but some people like them long. I use it for speed work at track practice and as a wake up warmup with stretching to get me through the day. I also use it as a cool down when I can’t cool down after a workout on the track for some reason whether it is an injury or weather related.
It’s like hell to calories. 10min of jump rope is like jogging for 30 min. should I say it again? 10 min of jump rope is like jogging for 30 min. I’m not much of a jogger. I try and will still recommend it as a workout. I personally put a 15 min jog limit on myself. I try to get the best out of the 15 min I give. I get bored with it and I’m a sprinter. There are a lot of other exercises I can do to exchange with jogging that will keep my attention. If you jump rope properly it’s a lower impact than jogging or running. The faster you jump the more calories you burn. Your whole body will feel the burn and if you’re a beginner you will have some soreness after. It’s not as elementary as some adults think. Ask a boxer how they feel about jumping and they’ll tell you.
Just like resistance bands its compact, travel friendly, and you can use it anywhere. It helps with balance, agility, speed, coordination and building up your cardio. You don’t have to just jog, run or use a treadmill. Spice up your workouts with a variety.
-Trinity
QUESTION:
I’m young and I keep getting told from my mother that men are like a lump of clay. You have to mold him into what you want him to be. How true is that?
Dear Mama Used to Say,
Well, you don’t mold people into who you want them to be, so just because it’s a man you’re dealing with, it doesn’t make him any less of a person. You mold your children into who they should be as adults, you don’t mold full grown people to suit your needs. If you’re in a relationship with a man and he does things that annoy or bother you, then the best thing to do is talk to him about it. If he cares enough about your feelings, and how his actions affect you, then he will want to change his behavior. And vice versa for you. You shouldn’t go into a relationship looking to change the other person…you either accept the person for who they are, flaws and all, or move on.
-Afrocentric Barbie
Boy-o-Degradable Man-ipulator’s Apprentice,
With all due respect to your mother…she’s passing on the same fungal nonsense she was infected with so many years ago that has left many a woman with moldy-ass relationships!
The MOMENT you shift the focus of growth from your own center to someone else’s behaviors is the moment that relationship turns from a blossoming one to a decaying one–flowers to mushrooms, if you will. I invite you to look deeper into the relationships your mother holds up as good examples of how treating people like inanimate, pliable objects works, and I can guarantee you will be able to see zombies, smell carcasses and find maggots…Fo’REAL!
It’s the same phenomenon of when parents and other adults THINK they are successfully teaching children and youth how to be polite and respectful, but when these same children are out of eye- and earshot, everyone else gets to see behind their children’s elaborate productions.
Men start learnin’ how to contort themselves into various positions from the time their nuts wake up…to get ass, to find affection or to not be lonely. And, as relationships are merely steady, consistent, reliable streams of ass for some men, a SHOW of change is enough to keep some women blissfully unaware of how much resentment is living inside him at the simple NOTION of ATTEMPTING to change him…which will ULTIMATELY express itself in due time.
On the other side of that, if a woman continues with the “I need to change you, cuz you need to change” attitude long enough for it to infect him at a deeper level, the man you actually desired will slowly die and be replaced by someone YOU will start to resent for–and, I QUOTE: “not being HIS OWN man”!
This idea that ANYone just HAS to change another person to fit inside their own idea of how THEY think the other person should be is as ancient, dusty and moldy as a goddamn mummy! How ‘bout staying true to what you FEEL is necessary for someone to be allowed to enter your heart? That’s not about MAKING someone perform tricks or MANIPULATING someone into a certain shape!
And, it’s NEVER about WHAT behaviors they exhibit…it’s about WHERE those behaviors emanate FROM, and if THAT’S a place you CHOOSE to be and GROW WITH them.
–AmeriCabron
When I was college I use to think of resistance bands for use as rehab for injury or for middle age women using them for aerobics class. I never even saw a strong male or female athlete in the gym using resistance bands. I didn’t even see the professionals I trained with using them unless it was for speed and agility training. I’m no longer a post-collegiate athlete so I don’t have a lot of the resources I had when I was running for a team in college under scholarship.
No matter what I was told or what I read it just reminded me of when I was at my weakest point. It wasn’t a recommendation to me when I was strong so why would I even think about them when I recovered. That all changed when I was injured again.
I’m not afraid to say I was wrong. I was determined to rehab my hamstring, lose weight and get back in competition shape. I love trying new things but my main equipment is usually my own bodyweight but I did it all with resistance bands. I Looked liked a gymnast when I reached my goal and my body was more functional than it was when I was lifting free weights. Your gains are slower with bands compared to weights unfortunately. The key to resistance bands is patience.
Resistance bands hit the full range of motion, working many parts of a muscle often not worked by free weights. Everything I could do with a bar I did with resistance bands 3x a week 30 min- 1hr. They are low cost and travel friendly. Sometimes you just can’t get to a gym. It’s another option for resistance training if you want to ditch the dumbbell.
If you are experienced in lifting I suggest a thicker band. The thicker the band, the more resistance there will be. I just purchased the whole set and combined them all because some exercises require more resistance than others. If you’re a beginner or intermediate lifter, then a band that provides you with less resistance is better.
Be creative, use music, and stay active.
“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you”-Ralph Waldo Emerson, Philosopher Writer
-Trinity
“Kick! Punch! It’s all in the mind” – Parappa The Rapper
Looking for a fat blasting cardio program? I suggest you try Kickboxing. A full-body workout that works every major muscle group. There are so many options to choose from. I believe I have tried them all from DVD’s at home to joining a class at a gym.
I became a fan of Billy Blanks Tae-Bo after I saw the movie “Bringing down the house”. You know the scene in the movie where Queen Latifah has a fight with Missi Pyle. Missi kicks Queen onto the sofa and says “Compliments of Tae-Bo”. I laugh every time I see that part and it made me want to go back into martial arts. I called and visited different gyms before I started doing Kickboxing. I ended up doing Cardio Kickboxing & Kickboxing w/ sparring. I didn’t jump into the sparring part right away but that was my goal. I knew I wanted to get in the ring so I joined the class with fighting in mind. I ended up being a bobble head in the beginning though. Don’t Laugh!!! Like anything else you would want to pursue just because you don’t get it right the first time you don’t quit.
I did notice some gyms had different forms of Cardio Kickboxing. Make sure you sit in on a class to see which one you prefer. I went to one gym and their Cardio Kickboxing was kickboxing and aerobic routines combined to music. All moves and techniques were performed in the air (not striking anything). I also sat in on some who had mostly men and it was similar but more speed and agility workouts with music, striking of heavy bags, and focus mitts in the routine. I found myself liking hitting the bags better. It was a good stress reliever and who doesn’t want to relieve stress.
Cardio kickboxing is great for toning up and burning fat as it has been proven to burn up to 800 calories per hour. When I started noticing my body transformation I didn’t miss one class. More and more women started coming because they noticed I was losing a lot of body fat. You just get leaner building muscles without getting big. I did think it was hard for some of the women because of the speed and agility. That’s why I said make sure you sit in on a class first. Explore your options so you don’t quit.
More men at the gym started showing up more often because I had more cardio in the ring during sparring. Of course men are not supposed to be outshined by women. I do not follow that rule, I think you’ll find that out sooner than later.
When you join a gym for kickboxing you don’t need any shoes because you’re barefoot. Depending on the gym you might not need to bring a thing but money, yourself and workout clothes. I prefer my own gear so I bought boxing gloves, hand wraps and a jump rope. I didn’t want anybody else’s sweaty hands in my gloves.
Kickboxing is not just for men and cardio kickboxing is not just for women. You’ll be getting Cardio, Strengthening, toning, and fat reduction all at the same time. You’ll be looking in the mirror singing I’m sexy and I know it no time.
That’s it for today.
Good job! You can go on to the next stage
~Trinity
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