Hey Sandra - I missed this question - sorry! Yes jump roping (or should that be better put as rope jumping - lol) is a great choice. I don't do jump roping only because of an injury I have where my neck meets my spine and when I've tried to do jump roping, it's been too much pressure on that area. But for people who don't have any spine injuries, jump roping is an excellent choice! I used to jump rope years ago when I was fit before and injury free. Jonathan (Batman) has some great suggestions too. The trick is to get the heart rate up and if you do that, you will be gaining the benefits you need. Nancy

I'm not sure what Coach Nancy would say, but I feel that jumping rope can definitely be used as a HIIT tool. The key is to get your heart pumping and your lungs begging for oxygen. Can you accomplish that by jumping rope? Absolutely, if done right. Make sure that you're jumping rope at a fast enough pace that's going to get the heart and lungs going. Also, here are 2 great tips that can enhance the rope jumping: 1) If you can get a hold of one, instead of using a regular jump rope use a "heavy jump rope", which are jump ropes that are......heavy. They can weigh all the way up to 10-12 pounds, depending on which one you get. The heavier a rope is the more taxing it will be on the body, thus the quicker it will raise your heart and respiratory weight. 2) An alternative to using a heavy rope is to put a weight vest on. It doesn't have to be these super heavy, 75 pounders. By simply placing a 10 or 20 pound weight vest on yourself is going to make the rope jumping much more challenging......thus raising your heart and respiratory rate. ----Batman

Would jump roping be as effective?? It's alot more fun, that's for sure.