Before we get to the challenge let’s talk about why jumping rope deserves a slot in your training regimen.

Why You Should Jump Rope

Now you may be wondering why jump rope?

You could be doing a million different types of functional exercise, so why throw jump rope in the mix?

One word. Efficiency.

The number one resource we are all trying to get more of – TIME – is directly linked to your workouts. With a 30 minute jump rope HIIT workout you can expect to burn somewhere between 300 – 450 calories or more depending on your weight, throughout the course of a day.

125 – pound person = 300 calories
155 – pound person = 375 calories
185 – pound person = 450 calories

That’s the equivalent amount of calories to a massive double bacon cheeseburger, or 15 Oreos, or 16 donut holes, or… you get where we’re going with this.

Do a jump rope workout and you can do a little binge eating.

Just kidding (mostly.)

Anyhow, it’s true that jump rope is also a sport, but in our case we are treating it more like a tool.

An incredibly efficient fat burning tool.

In addition to being an incredibly efficient tool here are a list of the benefits you can expect to experience when starting to implement jump rope exercises into your fitness program.

Benefits of a Jump Rope Workout

Efficient – Not going to beat a dead horse here, but to reiterate the point made above – the better you get at skipping rope – the more calories you burn in less time.

Portable – You can throw it in your bag whenever you leave the house and grab a workout anytime no matter where you are in the world. That means no more gym membership (unless you want one.)

Total body – Jumping rope activates every part of your body from head to toe. From your shoulders down to your calves you will experience the burn…we promise.

Low risk of injury – Compared to most forms of exercise jumping rope is extremely safe. You are hopping an inch or two off the ground at most if your form is correct, so the risk of injury is relatively low.

Fun – The beauty of the jump rope is that you can always learn new tricks and improve your skillset. There is no plateauing unless you choose to do so. This always keeps your workouts interesting and engaging. It’s like we always say at Jump Rope Dudes – if it’s not fun, it’s not sustainable.

Cool – Let’s face it. Those dudes who can whip a jump rope around like a ninja straight up look cool. The more you practice – the better you get – the cooler you feel.

Easy to get started – All you need to get started is a jump rope and the 4-week challenge we posted for you at the end of this article!

Improved agility – If you are an athlete looking to improve your agility and footwork then jump rope is perfect for you. There is a reason why the best fighters in the world include jump rope exercises in their training regimen.

Improve endurance – Beyond the fat burning effects discussed above, you can expect to experience a significant improvement in your endurance as well. All without leaving the driveway or parking lot outside your home.

How to Pick Your Jump Rope

Durability – The beauty of skipping rope is the freedom that comes along with it. You don’t want to be caged into working out inside, so make sure you pick up an all surface rope that is durable for both indoor and outdoor use.

Specifically we would recommend either a steel or PVC cable rope. For the handles you’re going to want a ball bearing system to extend the life of the rope as well.

Sized correctly – Make sure you are picking up a rope that is sized correctly for you. If you stand on the rope with one foot and bring both handles up towards your body, the bottom of the handle should be just below your armpit. Another good rule of thumb is that the rope should be 3 feet taller than however tall you are.

Picking a rope for your goal – Pick a rope optimized for your goals. If you want to work on your agility make sure you pick up an agility rope (lightweight rope.)

The agility rope will definitely burn a ton of calories as well, so if you are looking for agility plus fat loss that’s a safe option as well.

Alright, so you know why you should be jumping rope, you know all about the benefits and you know how to pick a rope. The next step is picking up a rope and beginning to add jumping to your current regimen.

To get you started in a big way over the next 4 weeks we are giving you some of our most entertaining and effective workouts to try out. You only have 3 of these HIIT jump rope workouts a week, so you can throw these on strictly cardio days or stack them on your normal routine.

Day 1 is linked up below. Get after it!

4 Week Jump Rope Workout Challenge

Week 1 Day 1

Week 1 Day 2

Week 1 Day 3

Week 2 Day 1

Week 2 Day 2

Week 2 Day 3

Week 3 Day 1

Week 3 Day 2

Week 3 Day 3

Week 4 Day 1

Week 4 Day 2

Week 4 Day 3

The post 4 Week Jump Rope Workout Challenge appeared first on Onnit Academy.

A couple years later, I started watching pro wrestling and there was no going back from there. All these dudes were ripped with 6 pack abs. It became very apparent that if I wanted to be a real man and get the girl – I needed to get those abs on point.

As a child my attention span lasted maybe 10 seconds at a time, so this burning desire to get ripped abs disappeared until around the time I hit puberty. When my desire finally resurfaced I knew very little about how to get visible abs, so I started asking around. I was playing football in high school, so who better to ask than my coaches right?

Man did I get the weirdest and least helpful advice. I was told to do a ton of sit ups every day from some coaches, drink powdered milk by others and some just gave me blank stares followed by the usual brush off, “don’t worry about it, Epstein.”

Surprisingly when I went on to play college football and study kinesiology the resources available to me weren’t getting a lot better. My coaches just wanted us to eat everything in sight, so they weren’t a ton of help. In the classroom, I had fat professors teaching me about nutrition and exercise training.

Nonetheless, I would still be that one guy raising my hand asking how alcohol consumption would affect my ability to lose fat. Needless to say I never got my questions sufficiently answered and never really received any sort of step by step guide on how I could eat or train to get a six pack.

I aced my tests on the Kreb’s cycle and the anatomy of the human body and moved on to exploring this whole six pack thing on my own in a more unconventional manner.

At my heaviest I had got up to around 250 pounds, so I had my work cut out for me. I’m not going to take you week by week through my transformation, but long story short I met a bodybuilder who introduced me to proper nutrition, exercise training and self care. That trifecta made the difference that in 16 weeks allowed me to drop down to 198 pounds and get the first six pack of my life.

Now, I’m going to do two things for you..

1. Tell you the most simple and exact way you can replicate my results and get a six pack.
2. Tell you how you can transcend your six pack obsession and get back to living your life.

Shall we begin?

Nutrition

I don’t care how hard you work out. If you do not get this down your goal of getting a six pack is going to be near impossible.

Here are the three steps to take for your nutrition.

Step 1: Eat at a calorie deficit. If you are eating less calories than you are burning, you will most likely burn fat. The easiest way to get this down is by tracking everything you eat. Need some help? MyFitnessPal has your back.

Step 2: Eat the right macronutrient breakdown. I could tell you how to calculate this all, but it would probably overwhelm you, so instead us go to a site like IIFYM.com/calculator.

Step 3: Eat healthy whole foods. That means tons of veggies. Tons of water. Lean protein, good fats and low glycemic carbohydrates.

If you comment below and want me to do a part 2 of this article I can go into greater depth on the above mentioned nutrition strategies.

This is going to be important for accelerating the fat loss process. Yes abs are made in the kitchen, but if you want to speed up the process you can hit your exercise training hard.

Would I did, do and recommend is combining strength training with HIIT workouts.

This can look like doing a 4 day strength training split and then adding in HIIT (high intensity interval training) on your non lifting days. For some ideas of what this could potentially look like check out these workouts.

The most important thing here is that you are training hard and taking yourself to a place where the voice pops up in your head and says “No More!” and you say “Shut up ego, I know what I’m doing here.”

P.S. Please don’t hurt yourself – there is a big difference between training to fatigue and being an idiot. The intensity should be a burning sensation. If you need explanation on what the difference is… comment below.

Again, if you want me to go into greater depths on your program ask for that part 2 below.

Self Care

The final piece to the puzzle is self care. If your hormones are out of whack you could sabotage your ability to get lean enough to have visible abs. Make sure you are doing at least these three things.

1. Getting sufficient sleep. This is up to your discretion.
2. Meditate for at least 10-15 minutes daily. Try visualizing the ideal physique that you are working towards.
3. Take rest days. At least once a week give it a rest.

There is a lot more you could do, but the end result we’re looking for is a version of you that is not stressed out.

So there you have it. Hit your nutrition, exercise and self care and you’ll have a six pack in no time. The key is building these healthy habits and staying consistent when you get impatient. If you are patient enough you will eventually see a six pack.

Now is the Time I Make the Case For You to Transcend This Obsession

I understand the desire to get a six pack. I’ve been there. If you’re a guy it’s kind of like losing your virginity. You hear how awesome it is to have sex, so you feel like you have to experience it at least once. Until you do, you always have this lurking feeling of inadequacy.

Whether your sex life should make you feel inadequate is a whole different discussion, but I hope you get the metaphor.

So do it! Get a six pack. Experience it, enjoy the heck out of it! I just don’t want you to obsess over it.

After getting my first six pack I went on to a professional fitness modeling career working extensively with companies like Nike and for a while I thought it was something I could never live without. Now that I am getting older and (hopefully wiser) it’s becoming less and less of a non negotiable for my life.

I still have a six pack, but I am no longer obsessed. I don’t make dinner plans based upon if I am going to go over my daily calorie budget. Instead I try to eat healthy as often as I can and when I want to indulge, I do it.

The cool thing about getting a six pack and sustaining it for a while is that your body eventually hits a new level of homeostasis where it gets very comfortable and stable at your body fat percentage. When this happens you can be a little more flexible with your eating, so losing your six pack becomes less of a worry.

Here is my closing advice. Eat, train and think like your body truly is a temple. The more self love you cultivate, the easier it is going to be to maintain whatever body you desire and the more effortless the process will become.

The post Six Pack 101: How to Get Six Pack Abs and Transcend The Obsession appeared first on Onnit Academy.