What’s a Good Playlist For Jump Rope?

There are many ways you can get your jump rope workout done. One of those ways is to music. This can be simply for the vibe and energy the music adds to your session, or you can use the music to help push you in your training. I have a Spotify playlist which I curated for clients to jump to for the latter.

All songs in this playlist are in order of speed, starting at around 150 bpm and going all the way up to 300 bpm (so they circle back round to the original speed, but double time). You can train speed steps, double unders or choreograph your next and more using this playlist, and use the bpm as an intensity marker.

BASIC BENCHMARKS

Here’s some basic benchmarks to build up to. Do all of them with speed step, where you alternate your feet as if running on the spot. Only count sets with no trips/breaks.

Goal 1 = 150-160bpm songs for over 5 minutes.
Goal 2 = 180-190bpm songs for over 2.5 minutes.
Goal 3 = 200-220bpm songs for over 1.5 minutes.
Goal 4 = 240-250bpm songs for over 60 seconds.
Goal 5 =275-300bpm songs for over 30 seconds.

Goals 1-3 are more geared towards those wishing to train for endurance. Goals 4-5 are geared towards those wishing to train for high intensity / sprints.

How do I know what speed each song is? If you're on iPhone, you can use the app Tap That Tempo to measure the tempo of any song (in that playlist or otherwise).

Train for time

So how do you started? Pick a goal you’re going to stick to. Then, see what your current performance looks like. Maybe you can only do 45 seconds at 150-160bpm - that’s great! Work on gradually improving your sets until you can do 60s. Then 90s. Then 2 minutes. Over time, your form and fitness will improve until you’re able to accomplish the goal as set above.

Train for Reps

Maybe you don’t like chasing the clock. Long time domains can be monotonous and soul destroying even for the best of us. Instead, you may want to consider training for steps, or reps. Here’s how.

1. Find a song at, say, 200bpm

2. Do speed/running step for as many reps as possible

3. Record your max (e.g 105 steps)

4. Set a goal (e.g. 150 steps)

5. Repeat the same song/bpm until you eventually reach your goal

6. Once you reach your goal, either
   a) Increase the bpm and try to achieve the same number of steps or
   b) Repeat the same song/bpm and increase the number of steps

The most important overall in your training is consistency. To achieve any goal, be specific with what your goal is and keep it measurable so you can track your progress. Try not to change the parameters too often otherwise it’ll be much harder to see when you’re making progress. Consistency is key. Good luck!