Excercise makes Fitness

Mr. Jackowski, who also wrote the book “Jump Into Fitness,” describes jumping rope as an intensive cardiovascular workout that has one-fifth the impact on the back and the knees as running and burns more calories in less time.

“Jumping rope for 10 minutes at 150 turns per minute is equal to 30 minutes of running between six and seven miles per hour,” he said.

Exude offers one-on-one sessions at your home or at one of its eight locations in the city, but there are other places to jump in a group setting.

Aerospace, a boutique gym in the meatpacking district, incorporates ropes in many of its classes, including boxing and sculpting. It also has a dedicated class called Aerojump offered in 30- and 60-minute sessions.

Classes start with two-foot jumps and progress to jumping jacks, arm crossovers, forward and back steps, jumping on one foot and making double turns that require exercisers to jump up and spin the rope twice before landing. The only short breaks involve the use of light weights for upper- and lower-body work. Classes, for 10 to 15 participants, take place in a spacious room.

Michael Olajide, the former boxer who teaches the classes, said that skippers of all levels were welcome and that there was no pressure to do every move.

“It’s natural to start slow and take breaks,” he said. “But eventually you will build up your endurance enough to be able to do the whole class.”

Jeremy Abelson, a 30-year-old from the West Village who works in finance, said that he had been attending twice a week for the past two years and that the program had transformed his body. “I lost more than 15 pounds right away and went from undefined abs to an eight-pack,” he said.

The Sports Center at Chelsea Piers offers two rope-heavy classes for aspiring jumpers: the hourlong Interval Box intersperses five to seven skipping sets with boxing moves, like punching in different directions, and the 30-minute High Velocity features constant skipping with stops for a few exercises for the arms, abs and legs. The instructor of both, Pamela Carton, said that she blared house music and turned out the lights to simulate the feeling of a nightclub.