This Jump Rope Workout for Beginners Will Leave Your Entire Body Burning - Yahoo Lifestyle

But to certified personal trainer Kira Stokes, who recently launched her own jump rope workouts for beginners, intermediates, and pros on her KSFIT app, a jump rope isn't just a toy — it's a compact, budget-friendly piece of equipment that offers both mind and body benefits for folks of all fitness levels.

"What you would call a normal pace for jumping rope — or one that you should try to maintain — is clearing the rope 80 times in a minute," says Stokes.

Stokes often hears newbies say they can't hop over the rope because they're uncoordinated, but the trainer says that's exactly why you should add a jump rope workout for beginners to your routine.

"The beautiful thing about jumping rope is that it's not like stepping on an elliptical, where you have to do it for 45 minutes in steady-state cardio and you're just spinning your wheels," says Stokes.

"With jumping rope, you can also incorporate it into your strength training so that it becomes more of a cardiovascular challenge." If you're tackling a circuit workout with three rounds of three different bodyweight or dumbbell exercises, for example, try jumping rope for three minutes in between each circuit, suggests Stokes.

While all that hopping may make it seem as though jumping rope is a high-impact activity, Stokes says that's not the case.

"Jumping rope can and should be low impact if you're jumping correctly," she says.

If you jump and you just clear the rope, which is all you need to do when you're jumping rope, it's low impact." And when all those hops and skips are done with minimal impact, it can actually strengthen your bones, she says. (This low-impact cardio workout will help get the job done, too.).

After you decide to add a jump rope workout for beginners into your routine — or at least learn how to properly hop — it's time to choose your rope.

You'll want a rope that's adjustable, but the exact type — weighted or speed — you should use is a personal preference; some people believe a weighted jump rope is easier for newbies, as your rotations will be slower, but Stokes' clients have generally learned best on a speed rope, she says.

You'll also want to look for a rope that has ball bearings, which ensure smooth rotation and help you hold a steady jumping pace, says Stokes.

"Oftentimes, people jump with a rope that's too long, and their arms start to come way far away from their body, which puts more strain on the shoulders, and they get tired," says Stokes.

Throughout your workout, your elbows should stay relatively close to the sides of your body, the movement required to twirl the rope should come from your wrist — not your elbows — and you should hop high enough just to clear the rope, says Stokes.

"You're jumping twice in a rotation of the rope, so you're using more energy than you need to," says Stokes.

"It might be boring to jump with both feet, but it's no less taxing — it's not having less of an impact on your fitness to just do a basic jump," she says.

Once you've nailed the basics of jumping rope and are able to hop for a few minutes at a time, put your skills — and newfound coordination — to the test with Stokes' Jump & Band Burn workout, which was shot before the trainer's Stoked Jump Rope launched