Double Unders

Have you ever thrown your jump rope across the room? Have you ever done 20 double unders in a row and then the next day couldn't get one? Have you ever curled up in a ball and cried after whipping yourself with your jump rope? Have you somehow misplaced your rope so somehow you couldn't do double unders? Have double unders made you want to quit CrossFit more than once?

Yup, this pretty much explains my frustration with double unders in the past. When I first was introduced to them, I was in disbelief that they wanted me to have to rope go twice under my feet in one jump. WTF?! I barely can get it to go once! Though I thought to myself this is one of the skills that just really require strength, more core, agility, timing, endurance, ahhh damn a lot.

So first thing first, GET YOUR OWN ROPE!! I tell this to everyone. It makes such a difference to have your own rope to swear at and throw across the room. I use an RX rope RX Jump Ropes and love it. Though you can get a rope from Again Faster, Rogue, and a few other places. Next step is practice, practice, practice. This is what led to all of my swears, me quitting CrossFit numerous times, and just feeling hopeless that I'll never get them. Low and behold though I finally figured them out. (I'm still no pro though, throwing of the jump rope still happens!)

I decided that I needed to not freak out when I could get any, to relax, and focus on getting them done. I got my timing and learned I needed to jump a little higher. After a long grueling couple of months, I finally could do a 100 double unders (NOT IN A ROW CRAZIES!) in less than 2 minutes. How you ask? EVERYDAY, I picked up that rope, before, during, after the WODs. SomeDays I would only get 1-2 double unders and then quit, but next day I would try again and again and again. Practice and persistance pays off and it will for you too if you can believe that you can do them and just keep at it. Its so encouraging to see how many people in our gym have got double unders now. Even if its just 10, its so much better than 0. And you will too, and just know its going to hurt...a lot, and when people ask you why you have whip marks all over you, you can be proud in saying you were practicing your CrossFit double unders. (Or that your significant other whips you, but some people can't take a joke!)

Now get out that rope and start practicing!