We’re going after one of the most requested goals in the gym—by a landslide.
“I want double unders.”
— roughly 40+ Vegvisir athletes (and counting)
So today, we’re starting at the beginning…
Where did all this jump rope madness even come from?
When Did Jumping Rope Start?
There are technically three answers to this question—and only one of them comes with an actual date—so we’ll start there.
Around 1600 BC, the Egyptians were already jumping rope using long vines they cut down to improve conditioning.
Meanwhile in China, rope makers celebrated the New Year with a tradition called “Jumping 100 Threads,” where—you guessed it—they jumped rope.
And Aboriginal cultures were also skipping vines and bamboo… just for fun.
So yeah—we’ve been doing this forever.
And for the same two reasons we still do it today:
fun and conditioning.
Why Do We Use Jump Rope in CrossFit?
CrossFit is built around improving 10 general physical skills:
- Cardiovascular / respiratory endurance
- Stamina
- Strength
- Flexibility
- Power
- Speed
- Coordination
- Agility
- Balance
- Accuracy
Jump rope directly trains endurance, stamina, coordination, and accuracy—with power sneaking in once you start chasing double unders.
Let’s make that real.
If I gave you 100 single unders for time, what happens?
First, your brain kicks in:
- Spin the rope
- Time the jump
- Stay airborne long enough
That’s coordination and accuracy.
Keep going and your heart rate climbs—hello endurance.
Keep going longer and suddenly your calves, shoulders, and forearms are on fire—now we’re talking stamina.
Double unders? Same story… just turned up to 11.
Now your calves and forearms need to produce nearly double the power, while your coordination has to be much more precise.
Which is exactly why double unders feel so hard at first.
How Much Jump Rope Do You Need to Improve?
Once we move past the “it depends on the person” part (because yes, it does), there are some general rules we follow at Vegvisir.
Here’s how we program jump rope:
- Jump rope shows up once per week in workouts
- Expected volume is around 300 reps
- Perform track athletes often hit ~450
- Compete track athletes hit ~550 (current competition standards)
- It also shows up in accessory work every other week, especially if that week’s WOD volume is lower
If you showed up to every jump rope workout starting from
“I haven’t jumped rope since elementary school,”
you’d slowly build enough capacity to hit 300 single unders unbroken.
That’s roughly the same effort as riding the Echo Bike for 3:00 at ~65/60 RPM.
And right after that…
You enter the most annoying learning valley of your life.
The Double Under Learning Valley
This is where coordination gets built.
It’s frustrating. It’s humbling. And it requires a little extra practice outside of class.
For reference:
It took me about 6 months of avoiding it… and 1 month of daily work to finally break through.
But everyone can learn it.
Once coordination clicks, you start building:
- Stronger calves
- Faster forearms
- More efficient shoulders
That’s when you can apply the skill for longer sets.
Hit 50 double unders, and congratulations—you’ve reached the unofficial “I made it” milestone recognized by Old School CrossFitters everywhere.
From there, it’s about pushing just a little farther each MetCon.
Eventually, you climb the mountain.
300 unbroken double unders.
Not many CrossFit Games athletes can do it—but it helps to know where the summit is.
(Fun fact: the most I’ve personally seen was 470 unbroken dubs at Wodapalooza… for a free jump rope.)
What’s Next?
Glad you asked.
This is just the beginning.
Have a great day, and we’ll see you in class!
To talk with a coach today, click the link found HERE to schedule your No Sweat Intro