Researchers find both high-intensity and moderate rope skipping improve VO₂max in young adults.

Study: Effects of high-intensity interval rope-skipping on cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and enjoyment in young adults. Image Credit: Ground Picture / Shutterstock.com

A recent European Journal of Clinical Nutrition study investigates whether high-intensity interval exercise HIIE and moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) using rope skipping improve cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and body composition.

The importance of physical activity for good health

Physical inactivity increases the risk of numerous non-communicable diseases (NCDs), some of which include type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, certain cancers, and all-cause mortality.

Current physical activity guidelines recommend that adults engage in 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity every week to achieve health benefits. Low adherence to these guidelines increases the risk of NCDs among the global population.

CRF is defined as the ability of the circulatory, respiratory, and muscular systems to supply oxygen during sustained physical activity. Low CRF reflects an inactive lifestyle, which increases the risk of mortality and chronic conditions in both general and clinical populations. Both continuous and interval-based moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity improves CRF.

Rope skipping is an ideal home-based, moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic exercise that can be accessible to a wide range of socioeconomic groups due to its low cost and minimal required space. Despite these advantages, researchers have reported poor adherence to moderate-intensity interval rope skipping. Thus, there is a need to develop strategies to improve adherence to and maximize the health benefits of rope skipping.

Recent studies highlight HIIE as an effective exercise strategy with significant benefits for CRF and weight management. This strategy involves repetitive rounds of high-intensity and submaximal exercise achieving greater than or equal to 80% of the maximum heart rate (HRmax) alternated with short recovery periods. Typically, HIIE sessions last less than 30 minutes.

Importantly, most studies reporting the benefits of HIIE have been conducted under controlled laboratory conditions, which may not reflect the real-world scenario.

About the study

The current randomized control trial was conducted at the Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University in Thailand between April 4, 2022, and June 30, 2022. Young adults between 18 and 34 years of age who failed to meet the physical activity guidelines for at least three months were included in the trial.

Individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 25 kg/m² were selected, whereas those with a history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and smoking were excluded from the analysis.

Study participants were randomly assigned to either the control, HIIE, or MICE group. All study participants received training to ensure they could perform rope skipping at the required intensity.

At baseline, height and body mass measurements were obtained through a stadiometer and bioelectrical impedance analysis scale, respectively. Resting blood pressure, CRF, and body composition were also measured.

HIIE group participants performed seven sets of two-minute rope-skipping at 80% HRmax, with one minute of active recovery at 50% HRmax, for a total of three sessions every week over one to two weeks. In the next three to eight weeks, study participants completed nine sets of two-minute rope-skipping at similar intensity and recovery intervals with a frequency of three sessions each week.

During the first and second week of the study period, the MICE group performed 20 minutes of rope skipping at 70% HRmax during each session for five days every week. For the next three to eight weeks, MICE participants increased the duration of their exercise to 30-minute sessions at the same intensity and weekly frequency.

Those in the control group were not subjected to any specific interventions. After completing the exercise, CRF and body composition measurements were obtained.

Rope skipping improves CRF

A total of 59 study participants completed all required testing. At baseline, no significant differences were observed between the test groups.

In the HIIE group, an average heart rate of 156 and 120.1 beats/minute was recorded during the work and rest intervals, respectively. Comparatively, the average heart rate in the MICE was about 136 beats/minute.  

After the eight-week intervention, both the MICE and HIIE groups exhibited similar CRF, with a maximal oxygen consumption (V̇O_2max) of approximately 10.5%. The post-hoc analysis revealed significantly higher V̇O_2max in both MICE and HIIE groups as compared to the control group.

No significant differences in body composition and BMI were observed in the control and exercise groups after the intervention. Likewise, no significant differences in enjoyment were observed within or between exercise groups after the intervention period.

Conclusions

Rope skipping in both the MICE or HIIE format effectively enhanced CRF and provided comparable levels of enjoyment in healthy young adults. These findings indicate that rope skipping could be adopted as an alternative for HIIE due to its low cost, as well as its minimal equipment and space requirements.