Is Jump Rope Cardio the Same as Jogging?

by Kim Nunley, studioD Google

Incorporating regular cardio exercise into your routine provides an array of health benefits, including burning calories to support a healthy body composition and improving your heart and circulatory health. Jumping rope and jogging are two common cardio activities and both are effective at burning calories and getting your heart pumping.

Calorie Burning

The more calories your cardio workout burns, the greater it contributes to fat loss. Both jumping rope and jogging are among the top activities for burning the most calories. According to, a 160-pound person will burn about 606 calories jogging at 5 mph for 60 minutes and about 861 calories jumping rope for 60 minutes. Jumping rope burns a higher number of calories because it’s a more intense activity. If the 160-pound person were to bump up his running speed to 8 mph, he would burn about 861 calories in his 60-minute workout, which is equal to what he would burn jumping rope.

Heart Rate

How high your heart rate goes when you’re jumping rope or jogging partly depends on how intensely you perform each activity. However, both can quickly get your heart rate up into the training zone. The American Heart Association endorses jumping rope as a cardio activity and runs its Jump Rope for Heart campaign in schools.


Both jogging and jumping rope are considered higher-impact activities. When you land from a jump or a jogging stride, your ankles, knees, hips and back have to handle the impact from the ground. While this impact can cause problems such as knee instability and other joint pain, it’s also effective for stimulating bone growth. With age, hormonal changes naturally cause a decrease in bone density, which causes bones to become brittle and susceptible to fracture. Impact cardio exercise, like jogging or jumping rope, signals for your body to build bone. If you have joint pain, decrease the amount of impact from jumping rope or jogging by doing them on softer surfaces, such as lawn.

Additional Considerations

Being consistent with your cardio workouts is essential for your training to be effective for burning enough calories for weight loss and stimulating change in heart health. recommends getting in 150 minutes of moderate cardio activity or 75 minutes of vigorous cardio activity every week. To jump rope, all you need is a relatively inexpensive rope and a little bit of space. You can do it nearly anywhere. Jogging, however, requires that you either run outside, which means you have to consider the time of day and current weather conditions, or that you have access to a treadmill. If you prefer to jog, having a jump rope available is a good way to still get your workout in when outside conditions prevent you from going for a run.

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