Can Skipping Rope Build Muscle Mass for Skinny People?

Imad Deryan Founder of OJ Digital Solutions

Table of Contents
Table of Contents

As a skinny person who wants to bulk up and grow in size, you are always on the lookout for an easy way to build muscle.

Compared to lifting heavy weights, skipping rope looks and sounds easier to do – but will it give you the same mass-building effects? 

Read on and find out!

You see all types of athletes skip rope during their training sessions.

Professional boxers, MMA fighters, and basketball players all skip rope to stay in shape – so, does that mean that skipping rope can give you that large and muscular body? Well, the answer is both yes and no.

While skipping rope delivers body-shaping benefits for skinny people, it will probably not transform you into the Hulk if that’s the only thing you do.

But when paired with the right diet, weight training, and a healthy lifestyle, it can work wonders in giving you that sculpted physique in no time.

How Exactly Does Skipping Rope Shape Your Body?

As simple as it looks, skipping rope engages a variety of muscle groups. It helps strengthen the muscles in your lower body, such as your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

You also get to exercise your shoulders, arms, and core whenever you skip rope.

The key takeaway here is that skipping rope is more ideal for toning, maintaining, and strengthening muscles. If you are trying to shed excess weight and burn off calories, skipping rope is the way to go.

But for a skinny person who wants to bulk up, relying exclusively on a skipping rope to make you grow in size is probably not the best idea.

So… How Can Skipping Rope Make You Gain Weight?

In order to build muscle mass fast, you need to have these bases covered:

#1 Eat more calories than your body burns.

If you are planning to build a hulking physique, you better be prepared to eat, eat, and eat. Increasing your daily caloric intake helps you pack on extra pounds in no time.

Feed your body with foods that are rich in protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats to give you a caloric surplus every day.

#2 Lift heavyweights.

There are no shortcuts or magic solutions when it comes to building muscle mass.

You have to do your fair share of pumping iron to get those muscles worked up.

The stress of lifting weights creates tiny tears on your muscle tissue. When you rest, your body repairs these tears – making your muscles grow larger and stronger.

#3 Improve your strength.

Here’s where skipping rope enters the story.

Adding it to your muscle-building regimen helps condition your body, boost stamina, and improve exercise endurance. It works great for warming up before lifting, as it speeds up your heart rate and boosts blood flow throughout your body.

Generally speaking, skipping rope can help improve your athletic performance – helping you last longer in the gym and giving you an easier time completing your lifting reps and sets.

#4 Get enough rest.

Aside from increasing your caloric intake and regularly lifting weights, you also need to give your body time to rest, recover, and repair itself after working out.

Your rest and recovery period is the time your body needs for rebuilding damaged muscle tissue and charging up your energy levels for the next day.

Without enough rest, you might end up enjoying little muscle gains no matter how much you sweat it out in the gym.

What Muscles Do You Strengthen Whenever You Skip Rope?

Back and Shoulders

Skipping rope is ideal for working out your upper body.

Your shoulder muscles develop strength as they control the shifting weight of the rope. Your back also gets a workout by keeping you stable while you jump.

For a greater challenge, you might want to use a weighted jump rope instead of a regular one.

Arms

Looking to give your arms a chiseled look? Skipping rope engages your forearms and helps boost your grip strength – perfect for improving your chin-ups, presses, and deadlifts.

Thighs, Legs, Calves

As you spend more time in the gym, you might hear the phrase “Never skip leg day” coming up every now and then.

Skipping rope can help keep your legs, thighs, and lower body in shape. Whenever you jump, you put your quads, glutes, and hamstrings to work.

You engage your calves whenever you extend your ankles for jumping. As you land, your hips and knees control your descent.

Reasons to Add Skipping Rope to your Mass-Building Regimen:

A Well-Toned Body

Once you’ve bulked up in size, skipping rope is perfect for trimming down unwanted fat reserves and burning off excess calories.

In fact, the act of skipping rope can burn roughly 10-15 calories per minute. This helps you achieve that well-sculpted and chiseled body that you are longing for.

Workout Anywhere

The best thing about skipping rope is that you can practically do it anywhere.

Bring it with you whenever you go on holiday trips or outdoor adventures. It easily fits inside your gym bag, car compartment, or backpack without taking up too much storage space.

Skipping rope is also one of the least expensive pieces of fitness equipment you can add to your arsenal.

Good Exercise for your Heart

Help your heart function at its best by skipping rope regularly. It increases your heart rate, which helps strengthen the heart muscles.

This way, your heart has an easier time pumping blood to all the parts of your body.

Skipping rope may also boost your breathing efficiency, which comes in handy when you are taking on high-intensity lifting sets in the gym.

Skip Your Way to a Muscular Body!

As a recap, simply skipping rope every day is probably not the most effective way for a skinny person to gain weight.

But when you pair it with a calorie-packed diet, regular bouts of weight training, and a healthy lifestyle, skipping rope can be a real game-changer.