The 5 Most Brutal CrossFit WODs that have a Jump Rope

With the CrossFit Games here, what do you think is the next jump rope challenge that will appear in a CrossFit Games workout?

Whether you're a fan of CrossFit or not, testing the limits of your strength, speed, and endurance can be a worthwhile activity. Unlike running and rowing, jumping rope has additional adaptive components that are required to be able to perform at a high level.

Why is jumping rope so challenging? As first outlined in the “What Is Fitness?” article from 2002, CrossFit recognizes 10 general physical skills. They are cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy.

Jumping rope contains six of the ten adaptive components - cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, coordination, agility, accuracy, and balance.

We think that it is for this reason that you have seen the community of CrossFit adopt the use of a jump rope as a fitness tool. With that being the case, it is no surprise that the CrossFit Games has included the jump rope in their workouts going back to 2009.

Here is a look at the toughest, most difficult CrossFit workouts with a jump rope:  

3000 M Row

300 Double unders

3 Mile Run

It is one thing to perform 300 double unders when you are fresh but when you factor in the 3000 meter row before you start doing double unders and "then finishing with a 3 mile run, it takes the workout to another level. This is without a doubt one of the toughest, most brutal workouts ever conceived of. This workout broke Rich Froning who had to walk numerous times during the 3-mile run.

50-40-30-20-10 

Double-under (Drag Rope)

GHD Sit-up

5-4-3-2-1

Clean

W 185 lb. M 275 lb.

This workout is based on the CrossFit Workout Annie. Changing the variation of the rope and having to use a Drag Rope caused a lot of top contenders to stumble. If you have never used a Drag Rope before then we think that you might be surprised how challenging it really is.

 

1 wall walk

10 double-unders

3 wall walks

30 double-unders

6 wall walks

60 double-unders

9 wall walks

90 double-unders

15 wall walks

150 double-unders

21 wall walks

210 double-unders

This workout starts slow but crushes you with a huge volume of double unders sucking the life out of you that you are so grateful that this workout has a time cap. No weights are required to do this workout, it is all body weight.

10 rounds 

9 thrusters

30 double-unders with heavy rope.

M 125 lb. F 85 lb.

One simple way to make a workout more challenging is to add more weight. In addition, when the rope is a weighted rope, all the mechanics change when you perform a double under. Your entire body must be in the proper rhythm to complete the double under and most athletes will begin to notice fatigue in the shoulders and upper back. This fatigue will cause even the best athletes to miss on their double unders.

2 minutes of jumping rope

1-minute rest

30 minutes

Single unders or Double Unders (score is your total number of jumps) If our research is correct this appears to be the first jump rope workout on the CrossFit main page. Regardless of your fitness level or whether you are just getting back into fitness this workout can challenge the most elite and the beginner athletes.