Comparative Training Responses to Rope Skipping and Jogging

In brief: It has been suggested that ten minutes of rope skipping is equal to 30 minutes of jogging for improved cardiovascular efficiency. This study compared physiological adaptations to six-week programs of jogging and rope skipping. Twenty-six sedentary volunteers (17 women and nine men) aged 18 to 35 years were assigned to a jogging, rope-skipping, or control group. Training frequency was five times per week; each session was 30 minutes for the jogging group and ten minutes for the rope-skipping groups. Significant differences (p <.05) in o2 max were observed in each group. o2 max increased 5.1 ml· kg(-1)· min(-1) for the jogging group (13%) and 2.8 ml· kg(-1)· min(-1) for the rope-skipping group (7%). The rope-skipping group had higher injury and drop-out rates. It was concluded that ten minutes of rope skipping does not elicit a training response comparable to 30 minutes of jogging.