Shape Studio: 25-Minute Jump Rope HIIT Routine

Gone are the days when you'd hit the playground and double dutch with friends. But there's absolutely no reason you can't still enjoy the benefits of a jump rope in your regular fitness routine. Not only do stars like Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian and Jennifer Garner swear by it, but using the single piece of equipment has been research-proven to improve coordination, according to the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness.

That's far from the only benefit of skipping rope. The vigorous-intensity aerobic activity — which raises your heart rate substantially, causing you to breathe too hard and fast to hold a conversation — is also a major calorie-torcher. Even doing it at a moderate pace for half an hour may use roughly 352 calories in a 155-lb. person, according to Wisconsin's Department of Health Services.

A jump rope is also the perfect complement to a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout, which has its own amazing benefits. Just two weeks of high-intensity intervals can improve your aerobic capacity just as much as six to eight weeks of endurance training, according to a 2011 study presented at an American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting. (

Case in point: this exhilarating, heart-pumping 25-minute jump rope HIIT workout from Mary Onyango, an Equinox instructor and a top trainer in New York.

What's About to Go Down in Your 25-Minute Shape Studio Jump Rope HIIT Blast

For this workout, grab a regular jump rope (Buy It, $8, amazon.com), a heavier, weighted jump rope (Buy It, $20, amazon.com) if you're a bit more advanced, or, if you're an avid jump roper, consider a speed rope (Buy It, $27, amazon.com). (

No jump rope on hand? No problem. You could try a cordless rope, or, just mimic the motion of hoisting the rope overhead and under with your arms and hands while continuing to hop up and down. (Trust us, you're guaranteed to work just as hard!) You might also want to consider bringing along a towel (Buy It, $18, shop.lululemon.com) to mop up all the sweat you'll be pouring and a water bottle ($22, amazon.com) to stay hydrated throughout your HIIT effort.

Onyango takes us through three blocks of work — in which you'll do 30-second, 60-second, and 90-second intervals — designed to build strength while improving your conditioning, speed, agility, and coordination, she explains. Expect to see both basic and dynamic moves, like a no-frills jump rope warmup and athletic in-and-out plyo squats to engage your glutes and hamstrings. And the full body burn wouldn't be complete without chest-, core-, and arm-torchers, like an in-and-out plank march.

A quick FYI if you're new to jumping rope: You might begin to feel a burn in your calves throughout the movement, which is perfectly normal, says Onyango. "Your calves are there for power," she explains, noting that if this workout is not something that you're used to, just be sure to prioritize calf stretches afterward. In fact, Onyango encourages even more advanced jump ropers to be sure to follow the workout by stretching their calves, their hamstrings, glutes, shoulders, and "hydrate, hydrate, hydrate." (

Ultimately, the result will be an energizing (and fun!) jump rope routine with strength training twists to send your heart rate, and confidence, soaring. Amazing how one simple prop can translate to a challenging and gratifying total-body workout that will have you firing on all cylinders.