Jumping Rope - How to Choose the Right Rope for You!
Written By: Cortni Joyner
With many jumpropes on the market, it’s hard to know what’s the right one for you. Really it all boils down to your skill level and the SPEED OF THE ROPE. Different things affect this, including weight of the cable, bearing system, and handle size (can affect wrist rotation). If you're just learning, you want to try to find a comfortable balance between speed and weight. Don't forget, you've got to get the rope around twice, but you want to be able to feel it so that you can create, and stick to, a rhythm.
HERE’S MY TAKE ON THE ROPES ON THE MARKET
Rogue Fitness SR- 1 OR SR-1S
Price: $
Overall for learning: 3.5/5
The only difference between these two is the length of the handle. An affordable starter rope!
Pros: Affordable. Middle of the road weight so you can feel everything while you develop double unders, but light enough to keep for workouts when you want to move fast.
Cons: Of all the companies in here, Rogue takes the longest to ship. Because of the low price point there are mixed reviews on quality. Not a great rope if you are starting a true beginner.
https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-sr-1-regular-handle-bearing-speed-rope-color-series
https://www.roguefitness.com/sr-1s-short-handle-bearing-speed-rope-color-series
RX Smartgear Customfit
Price: $$
Overall for learning: 5/5
https://www.rxsmartgear.com/customfit/customfit-bionic-blue-jump-rope/
Pros: Cables come in different weights. I always recommend a slightly heavier cable to start with so that you can feel the rope rotate and hit the ground, but with this rope you can replace the cables with lighter, faster cables as you progress. Handles are bigger than most speed ropes, making the grip more comfortable and wrist rotation easier to feel. The drop down menu on the order screen also suggests the cable length based on you height, BUT there is also a sizing video site.
Cons: I can't really come up with any true downsides to this rope. Some people prefer a smaller handle. But the amount of customization (both aesthetically and progression wise) makes this my favorite overall rope.
***I recommend the 2.6 "Elite" cable to start with this rope. The "Buff" is fairly heavy and slow. The "Elite" is heavy enough to feel and create proper rhythm without too much drag.
RPM Training Session4 or Session4 Custom
Price: $$$
Overall for learning: 4/5
Pros: This rope comes standard with a coated cable. Coated cables will always be at least a little heavier than bare (speed) cables. The bearing system makes the handles just a bit faster than the CustomFit. Replacement cables can be purchased, so if you get good at double unders and want to move a little faster, you have the choice to change the coated cable out for a bare cable.
Cons: The handles are about 12/-1/3 the size of the CustomFit. Think whiteboard marker vs. Sharpie. Ultimately this is a preference thing.
***This rope is probably the most popular among every day fitnessers and competitors alike.
https://rpmtraining.com/collections/jump-ropes/products/session4
Both RPM and RX are located in SoCal so they come quickly. You can usually get them within a business week.
RX Smartgear EVO G1
Price: $$$$$
Overall for learning: 2.5/5
Pros: THIS THING IS FAST. Like the CustomFit, the cables come in different weights and lengths. Handles are bigger than most speed ropes but not as big as the CustomFit. The bearings on this rope make it VERY fast. So even with an "Elite" cable as mentioned above, this rope is *much* faster. Did I mention its fast??
Cons: It's pricey. And I give it a 3.5 because of how fast it is. I don't know many people who aren't competitors who use this rope. Because of the speed, some find it hard to use even if they're good at double unders. Either a "Hyper (bare cable)" CustomFit or uncoated RPM would be a great alternative for more speed with more control.
https://www.rxsmartgear.com/jump-ropes/evo-speed-ropes/evo-g1-matte-black/