Wellness thing of the week: Tangram Factory Rookie Smart Jump Rope

When you think about skipping, it probably conjures up memories of the playground and singing songs about teddy bears turning around and touching the ground. But our humble childhood toy is fast becoming a popular home workout choice. Here’s why…

For starters, it’s a major calorie-burning, highly effective cardio workout that’ll engage your body from top to toe. Some estimates say just 15 minutes of jump rope could burn between 200 and 300 calories. We’re tired just thinking about it! But if that isn’t enough, skipping can also help improve stamina, coordination and balance. That’s a lot of benefit from one small piece of kit, so if you’re ready to hop in on the trend, this jump rope will help get you hooked.

It seems that anything can be made ‘Smart’ these days, and Tangram Factory has managed to do just that with this jump rope. Magnetic sensors in the handles tally up each revolution of the rope, so by connecting with the SmartRope app (iOS, Android, Apple Watch) you’ve got a record of your jump count, calorie burn and time worked. You can set your own goals, track progress, unlock awards as you go and even pit yourself against friends with the Challenge mode. And there’s nothing like a bit of healthy competition to get you motivated, right?

But it’s not just the techy stuff that makes this rope stand out. The easy-grip handles contain ball bearings, which make the rope turn super-smoothly, while the rope itself is thin and heavy so you can jump faster than you probably thought possible.

Skipping is pretty easy for almost everyone: just start jumping that rope. If you need a little more direction, however, the SmartRope app has an Interval Training setting to help get you started. 

Just one word of warning: avoid low-hanging lights.