Hop into a skipping routine

A step and hop on repeat can help build power, agility and speed, and improve coordination, balance and mobility

- Danielle Friedman

When kids skip, it rarely looks like work. There is something playful, almost primitive, about the urge to bound yourself forward through space, your body briefly levitating with each stride. And yet, as adults, many quit.

But skipping has entered the social media conversation, thanks in part to a recent episode of Mr Andrew Huberman's podcast, during which track coach Stuart McMillan touted the activity as an overlooked form of exercise for athletes of all levels.

The enthusiasm is deserved, fitness experts told The New York Times. The movement, which is a form of plyometric training and basically involves a step and a hop on repeat, can help build power, agility and speed, and improve coordination, balance and mobility.

HOW TO MAKE SKIPPING WORK FOR YOU

When you are a kid, skipping is a key part of motor development—it helps you develop the power and coordination needed for running, and an awareness of where your body is in space, known as proprioception, said Ms Mary Winfrey-Kovell, a senior lecturer of exercise science at Ball State University.

As an adult, you can benefit from going back to these basics, she said. "You're challenging just about every muscle in your body" when you skip, she added, particularly if you swing your arms—and you are training your brain to react more quickly.