Jumping rope vs running? Which cardio exercise is the better option for you?

The good news is, you can’t go wrong. Both are great options for improving your fitness, cardiovascular health, and burning calories.

We’ll break down the benefits of each to help you choose which best fits your schedule, lifestyle, and fitness goals.

Muscles Used

Running and jumping rope use the same lower body and upper body muscles. Both exercises require your leg muscles to do most of the work, your core muscles to keep you stable and upright, and your arms to propel you.

Jumping rope is slightly more taxing on your upper body as it rotates the rope. The heavier the rope, the heavier your arms will feel as you jump.

Energy Systems Used

Both jumping rope and running can be anaerobic and/or aerobic exercises.

Anaerobic exercise requires a short burst of higher-intensity physical activity between 30 seconds to 2 minutes. 

Aerobic exercise occurs at a lower intensity for a longer period of time.

Which system you use depends on the level of intensity and the length of time you maintain that intensity. 

Mechanics

The mechanics of jumping rope vs running is where we start to see differences between the two.

Running and jumping rope use coordinated movement of the entire body and proper technique. We assume that we automatically do them correctly because running and jumping are natural movements. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.

Just as a poor foot strike in running can affect form, poor landing or rope rotation in jumping rope can affect the jump mechanics.

One way to determine if you have poor run or jump mechanics is if the movement causes pain. If it does, working with a personal trainer or coach might be beneficial to ensure you are using the proper form. Nailing your form for running and jumping rope can reduce the risk of injury.

Here is an excellent video from The Ready State of Dr. Kelly Starrett correcting a student’s jump rope mechanics.

Cost

When considering a new fitness activity, many of us first want to know about the costs. One of the best benefits of jumping rope and running is that both are low-cost exercises.

Running Costs

Running may appear free on the surface, but when you factor in expensive running shoes, shorts, shirts, headbands, earbuds, and sunglasses – that free fitness activity just got much more expensive.

You may need to replace your shoes annually or buy a few pairs of shorts. At least once you have those items, you don’t need to continue paying for them like a monthly gym membership.

If you compete in any races, you will also pay for those activities. Local 5ks, obstacle course races, or other endurance events can come with a hefty price tag.

Jump Rope Costs

Jumping rope requires shoes and athletic clothing. You can get away with a lower quality/cheaper pair of shoes for jumping rope. There is no stride with skipping rope that requires a special-made soul or shoe design. 

Jump ropes range in cost from very affordable to down right expensive.

For most beginners, I recommend using a low-cost jump rope first. You can find an excellent low-cost jump rope online or at your local sporting goods store for under 20 dollars.

Start with a more affordable jump rope to see if you like it. If it’s something you enjoy and want to keep doing, then you can move up to a better rope in the 20 – 50 dollar range and beyond.

The good news is that the entry costs to running or jumping rope are both low compared to most fitness activities. 

Calories Burned vs Time Spent

Several articles state you can burn more calories by jumping rope in less time than running.

This can be the case. It can also not be the case.

It depends on how you jump and how you run. Beginners may find jumping rope at a leisurely pace more difficult than jogging. Therefore, jumping rope can be more challenging in less time.

30 seconds of fast-paced double unders with a jump rope would tax the anaerobic energy system of the body. This is what is known as high-intensity interval training or HIIT. If you compare several rounds of HIIT over 15 minutes to 15 minutes of slow, steady-state jogging, then yes, the jump rope workout will be more challenging in the same amount of time.

But this is an inaccurate comparison. A more accurate comparison would be several rounds of 30-second sprints to 30 seconds of fast-paced double unders. Then, you will find both workouts are anaerobic and have burned more calories than a slow, steady pace.

Most research shows that calorie burn is similar when intensity is equal. 

We have a tie if you have a limited amount of time and want the best bang for your buck regarding the number of calories burned. If you only have a certain amount of time to work out, choose the option you enjoy more or consider running and jumping rope on alternate days.

The best choice for you comes back to your goals.

If your goal is an efficient workout of ~15 minutes a day, you can get a great workout with either option.

Location

Jumping Rope

The great thing about jumping rope is that you can do it anywhere. 

The jump rope is portable; you can bring it wherever you go. You can also jump rope inside with a high enough ceiling. 

You don’t need much more than a 5×5 space to jump rope wherever you are.

Running

Running is also something you can do in most places. That being said, running in new locations can get you lost. You may also find yourself in a location that doesn’t have safe sidewalks or roads to run on. You may find your run location is blocked by freeways or waterways in every direction.

Running inside is also limited unless you have a treadmill handy.

Fun

When we start a new fitness activity, we want to choose something we enjoy. When it comes to running or jumping rope, this is a personal preference.

Running

Running can take you to new and exciting places. You can see new sites and immerse yourself in nature or the urban landscape.

A primordial excitement comes from running trails or through the grass with the wind blowing in your face and the elements touching your skin.

If you live in an area that offers those things, then running may be a more fun and rewarding activity for you.

But these serene running locations aren’t always accessible. If you live in a busy city center, running may not be very fun if you stop at a crosswalk every 20 feet or inhale tailpipe exhaust with every deep breath.

Running can be easier to start. Some populations may struggle with jumping in general or the hand-eye coordination demands of the jumping rope. Not everyone wants to go through the annoying process of the rope getting caught under your feet every other jump for the first several weeks. This can make running a lower barrier to entry for some.

Jumping Rope

Jumping rope can be very fun. There are all sorts of new footwork skills and fancy tricks you can learn with a jump rope. Just look at any number of jump rope influencers and their endless number of variations.

There is no limit to the skills you can learn on a jump rope, which might make this a more enticing activity for you if you want to do more than jump up and down. 

Jumping rope may not take you to beautiful locations, but you can bring your jump rope wherever you go. Jumping rope in nature can bring the same amazing feeling as running through nature.

Physical Health Benefits

Jumping Rope

A 2019 study that assessed the effects of a 12-week jump exercise program on multiple health factors in obese adolescent girls with prehypertension found that the program reduced body fat percentage, waist circumference, blood pressure, and blood sugar.

This is excellent news for anyone with weight loss goals.

Similarly, a 2020 study conducted in China assessing a 12-week, three-day per week, 45-minute per day jump rope program on school-age boys found the program improved bone mineral density, muscular strength, flexibility, and body composition.

Other research has shown that pre-adolescent soccer players put on a jump rope program improved motor coordination and balance.

Research has shown that jumping rope doesn’t only benefit children. 

A 16-week study assessed the effect of jumping rope on premenopausal women’s bone density. One group of women was assigned just 10 jumps twice daily, while another was assigned 20 jumps twice daily. Both groups showed improvements in bone density, indicating just 10 – 20 jumps twice daily can benefit this demographic.

Jumping rope is also low-impact, meaning you exert less impact force on the ground. And, in turn, the ground exerts less force on you. That means if you are someone who experiences shin splints, foot pain, or lower back pain when you are doing high-impact activities like running, jumping rope might cause less stress on your pain areas.

If you experience similar pain while jumping rope, a lower-impact activity like cycling or swimming might be a better fit.

Running

In a 2012 study on residents of Copenhagen, Denmark, researchers compared joggers to non-joggers aged 20 to 93. They found that about 15 minutes of jogging per day or 1-2 hours a week increased life expectancy by over 6 years in men and over 5 years in women. 

That is good news for the running crowd.

Other benefits include improved cardiovascular efficiency, aerobic power, body composition, blood sugar levels, and lower cholesterol. 

Mental Health Benefits

It is no secret that exercise, in general, can improve mental health.

A 2020 meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health reviewed 116 studies and found that “running bouts of variable lengths and intensities, and running interventions can improve mood and mental health.”

A 2021 cross-sectional study conducted in China on the impact of fitness activities, including skipping rope, on mental health during COVID-19 lockdowns also showed positive results.

That’s another reason to incorporate running and/or jumping rope into your fitness routine.

Sport Benefits

Running

Training progress for sports and fitness comes through a technique known as progressive overload. Progressive overload is doing more each time you train.

That could be going a little bit further or running a course faster.

For jumping rope, that might mean jumping a little bit longer or increasing from a slow pace to a moderate pace within a set amount of time.

Running is the easier of two to scale for progressive overload. If you are an athlete or just someone who wants to improve, running a little farther or faster each training day is easy to quantify.

Running is a necessity for running-based sports. Suppose you participate in a sport like soccer or basketball that combines jogging and sprinting. In that case, you need to train by jogging and sprinting.

Jumping Rope

If you are in a sport like boxing or Muy Thai, where you are bouncing and weaving, jumping rope is essential.

Sports like CrossFit have also found ways to incorporate jump rope training to keep the athlete’s heart rate up between strength training circuits.

Both running and jumping rope require the development of agility, coordination, explosiveness, and balance. A program that includes both running and jumping rope can help improve performance in each activity and sports requiring the same skills.

Jumping rope, in particular, can benefit running and running-based sports.

A 2019 study found that “Compared with a control warm-up routine prior to endurance-running training, 10 weeks (2-4 times/wk) of jump rope training, in place of 5 minutes of regular warm-up activities, was effective in improving 3-km time-trial performance, jumping ability, reactive strength index (RSI)I, and arch stiffness in amateur endurance runners.” That means if you enjoy endurance running, jumping rope can help make you a better runner.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this article has helped clarify some similarities and differences between jumping rope and running.

In summary, both jumping rope and running are:

• Low cost
• Fun
• Challenging to different cardiovascular levels through aerobic and anaerobic workouts
• Effective ways to burn calories in a short amount of time 
• It can be done almost anywhere
• Several health benefits
• Can aid in weight loss
• Can improve sport performance

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