The strict Italian's lockdown is lifting a little bit. For my athletes there, that means going out for a run or a bike ride after almost two months. It has not been easy for them. At the beginning of the lockdown, they still had races planned (not many anymore), and working out was a way to stay fit physically and mentally.
But how was it possible to maintain a decent level of running fitness while they were stuck indoors? The cycling part of the equation was easier to solve, as indoor training on the turbos allowed them to maintain -- of not improve -- they cycling fitness. Running was a different issue.
I took the advice of Brett Sutton (Head coach of Trisutto and coach of 4 x Ironman World Champion Daniela Ryf) and implemented my athletes' schedule with the jump rope.
"If you are only half-competent, then 1 minute of skipping with varying rests done for 15 to 30 reps, will test the fittest of triathletes," said Brett in his blog post. "Doing 15 x 3 minutes with a 1-minute break is a workout that will have the fittest, after getting up off the floor, say 'that's one hell of a workout!'"
Brett was used to rope jumping as a professional boxer, but he kept the routine as a base training for his running fitness also after that career. The athletes he has worked with as a coach who was not able to run for a reason or the other showed significant improvements after the rope jumping implementation of their routine.
So I decided to give it a go myself and implement the jumping to my athletes' routine too. At least to those who were not able to run outdoors. I tried it one day in March, where it felt like the UK was also ready to put a lockdown "Italian style" very soon. It was a tough workout, and it took a while to get used to it. Only at the end of the session was I able to jump for almost a minute without tripping myself. And to my surprise, my heart rate was going up to a level similar to my aerobic runs. As Brett suggested, I jumped on a mat to keep the impact on my calves and tendons lower. Rope jumping can cause issues with shins splints and tendonitis if not done correctly. Luckily for me, though, we never got the same lockdown levels as they did in Italy, so I was still able to run outside. And that, of course, is always the preferred way to train your run!
But the athletes who tried for over a month had fascinating feedback to give me at the end of the intervention.
"I'm among the few not able to jump with the cord: I never practiced it when I was a kid, even if I always admired the style and the ability of those boxers in documentaries and movies," says Andrea (aka JJ). "COVID-19 became an opportunity to try it with a certain constancy. At the very beginning, technique and not fit muscles have been a major issue: after the first session, I had to stop for a few days, being barely able to walk."
Andrea said he was feeling his calves very tight and to a pain level that suggested we needed to slow down with the rope. I felt that not being used to the specificity of the exercise was the cause, but I was also confident that with a lower load, he would have ultimately got used to it.
"Once started again, I was frustrated by my technical inability and the need to maintain full mental concentration on the gesture: at the end of a session, I was almost as mentally tired than physically," he says. "After a few weeks, I'm proud to be able to jump almost uninterruptedly for up to 5 minutes, even giving sporadic looks to what happens outside the window. Next week, lockdown permitting, I'll have the occasion to test jumping benefits in keeping a basic level of fitness: I'm not running since March 11th. Ok, for the style, there is still considerable work to be done."
Even Katia had different feelings about the rope and a few tissue tightness and discomfort to go through before she mastered it.
"I like jumping the rope because it makes me feel like a child again. The exercise didn't annoy me, but in this period, I have suffered a bit of tightness in the calves and back pain," she says. "I believe it can also be connected to the period of inactivity after lockdown."
After her initial feelings of tightness and pain in the calves and back, we decided to reduce the rope jumping to get her used to it step by step.
"With the current situation, it seems an effective exercise that reminds me of running," says Mauro. "It is similar to running in regards to the heart rate values, but also for what it concerns the movements. To jump on the feet and contract the calves reminds me of the first part of the strike, and the jumping rhythm reminds me of the running rhythm."
Mauro also says that the synchronism of the rope cycle and the jump helped him with coordination, and with different rhythms, he also worked on explosiveness with the involvement of other muscles like abs, shoulders, and neck.
"It's a great exercise you can do every day together with planks, and that comes as a 15-minute session. Very quick and effective, and that relaxed me very much," he says.
The bottom line, giving our experience, is that jumping the rope was an adequate substitute for running in extreme circumstances, but it comes with some warnings.
As always, doing it step by step and slow down when it causes excessive tightness, it's the way to tackle it to have the best results.
We're now eager to see the effects of a month of jumping to their outdoor running.