Calorie Burn — Jump Rope

How the jump rope estimate works

Rope skipping is one of the few activities the Compendium bands by movement cadence rather than by subjective effort. The calculator multiplies MET × body mass (kg) × hours using four published entries: slow skipping below 100 skips per minute at 8.3 METs (code 15552), moderate skipping at 100–120 skips per minute with a plain two-foot bounce at 11.8 METs (code 15551), fast skipping at 120–160 skips per minute at 12.3 METs (code 15550), and double unders at 10.0 METs (code 15554). Cadence is countable — a 30-second count doubled — which makes the band choice unusually objective for a MET table.

The formula, worked through

A 75 kg skipper holding a moderate 110 skips per minute for 15 minutes: 11.8 × 75 × 0.25 = 221.25, rounded to 221 kcal, or 14.8 kcal per minute. Net of resting the figure is 203 kcal. Fifteen continuous minutes is a serious volume — roughly 1,650 rope turns without a miss.

A second scenario

An 80 kg boxer doing fast-cadence work for 10 minutes accumulates 12.3 × 80 × (10/60) = 164 kcal. At the other end, a 75 kg beginner practising slow skipping for 30 minutes — with the rope stopping and restarting — is priced at 8.3 × 75 × 0.5 = 311 kcal, though real beginners rarely keep the rope turning for the full clock, a point covered below.

Why even slow skipping rates 8.3 METs

Skipping has no glide phase. Every turn requires a jump, and even a low 90-per-minute cadence means 90 takeoffs per minute with calves, quads, shoulders, and forearms all working. That floor of continuous ballistic effort is why the slow entry starts at a MET most activities never reach. The narrow spread between slow (8.3) and fast (12.3) is equally notable: doubling cadence does not double cost, because jump height typically falls as turn rate rises.

Double unders: harder move, lower average

The double-under entry at 10.0 METs sits below fast single skipping, which surprises many athletes. The resolution is duty cycle: double-under work is usually performed in sets with pauses between attempts, and the higher jump partially offsets the slower rotation, so the measured session average lands under continuous 120–160 cadence bouncing. A skipper who genuinely strings continuous double unders for minutes at a time is outrunning the published average.

The stopped-rope problem

MET entries assume the activity is actually happening. Rope training is uniquely interruption-prone — a caught rope stops the work entirely, and practice sessions for beginners can be half standing time. Timing only the skipping (many rope timers count jumps, and jumps ÷ cadence gives true work minutes) keeps the estimate honest. Applying the band MET to a 20-minute session that contained 10 minutes of turning roughly doubles the real figure.

Gross versus net

The headline value includes the resting baseline; the net row prices only the increment over sitting still — 203 versus 221 kcal in the worked example. At 11.8 METs the resting share is small, one reason short rope sessions compare so favourably with longer moderate cardio for equal calorie totals.

Disclaimer

This tool is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical, clinical, or training advice and does not replace consultation with a physician, registered dietitian, or certified coach. All calculations return population-derived estimates that may differ from individual measured values.