If you think skipping rope is only for the playground, think again—it’s your best bet for staying in shape this fall
When I signed up at a boxing gym earlier this year, I hadn’t skipped rope since first-grade P.E. I remember the girls being better at it than the boys, and I filed the activity in the same mental category as hopscotch and pattycake. But before getting my hands wrapped on my first day at the gym I was sent to the back of the room where another would-be pugilist was jumping rope before a big panel of mirrors. He skipped quickly and nimbly while old Young Jeezy played over the speakers. As I grabbed a speed rope and tried my best to jump it, I looked at the photos of famous fighters above the mirrors and thought about how quickly some of those dudes might rearrange my face if I told them skipping rope is for little girls in pigtails.