Crossovers
What Are Crossovers?
Crossovers, also known as jump rope crossovers or criss-cross jumps, are an advanced skipping exercise that can add complexity and intensity to your cardio workouts.
Crossovers involve crossing your arms as the rope comes in front of your body, and uncrossing as the rope passes behind you. This skipping variation works both the body and the brain as you focus on timing, co-ordination, and technique.
The muscles worked by jump rope crossovers include the calves, quads, hamstrings, and glutes in the lower body, and shoulders, arms, and abs. Jump rope crossovers also work the cardiovascular system, raising the heart rate to boost fitness and endurance. As a full-body cardio movement, they can also burn a lot of calories which is useful if body composition is your goal.
What makes crossovers different to standard skipping is the extra challenge to your motor skills and reflexes. This makes crossovers a good training exercise for sports that need quick footwork or hand-eye co-ordination.
You could put crossovers into your routine as part of a warm-up, in a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session, or as a cardio exercise. Start with short intervals and increase the duration of your skipping as you get fitter. Alternating between crossovers and standard skips can help you skip for longer and increase the benefits of your skipping cardio.
Check out some other skipping exercises: High Knee Skips, Side Swings, Double Unders, Single Unders
Commonly Asked Questions About Crossovers
Crossovers, or criss-cross jumps, are a skipping exercise that work your brain and body. They are an intense skipping variation that trains your cardio fitness and endurance, works the lower body muscles, core, and shoulders, and also challenges your balance, co-ordination, timing, and reflexes.
Crossovers work lots of muscles, including the calves, quads, hamstrings, and glutes, the abs and core, and the shoulders and forearms. Crossovers are a full-body cardio option that challenge almost every muscle in the body from your feet upwards.
Cardio crossovers are a challenging skipping exercise, so take time to learn the technique and always warm up properly. Mobilise your joints, including your ankles and feet, and start with a few sets of standard skips before starting your crossovers. Keep a slight bend in your knees to absorb impact. And stick to short intervals as you build your fitness up.
There are lots of variations of skipping rope crossovers to try, including double crossovers (crossing the arms twice with every rope pass), and one-foot crossovers (crossovers on one foot). You could also try crossover high knees to maximise the cardio challenge of jump rope crossovers.
Crossovers Tips
- Keep your core engaged your core and gaze straight ahead throughout the movement.
- Practice getting into a rhythm crossing and uncrossing the arms before increasing speed.
- Keep the feet slightly in front of the body to avoid catching the rope as it swings beneath you.
How To Do Crossovers
Stand with your feet close together, one rope handle in each hand and the rope behind you
Start to skip, jumping with both feet to let the rope pass under your feet.
To start the crossovers, cross both arms as the rope comes in front of your body.
Jump over the rope with your arms crossed and keep the arms crossed as the rope passes behind your body
Uncross the arms as the rope passes in front and jump over the rope uncrossed.
Repeat this rhythm of alternating one crossover and one uncrossed rope jump.
If you’re not sure if any of the above exercises are suitable for you, please consult your doctor before you start it. Need guidance on how to perform the exercise? Ask a personal trainer at your gym.