Death by jump rope

Death by jump rope is a rising EMOM. Every minute on the minute, you do a set number of jumps and rest for whatever’s left of that minute, and the number climbs each minute until you can’t reach it. Death by 20 +10 starts at 20 jumps and adds 10 every minute. The first minute where you miss the target ends it, and your score is the last minute you completed. If you jump at 100 to 160 a minute, expect it to end somewhere between minutes 7 and 12. It suits any level: it stops where your speed runs out.

How it works

• Minute 1: 20 jumps. Each minute adds 10: 30, 40, 50, up to 130 in minute 12.
• Your rest is whatever’s left of the minute. The faster you jump, the longer you rest.
• The first minute you miss ends the session. If you never miss, it stops after minute 20, which asks for 210 jumps.
• Your score is the last minute you completed.
• The total climbs fast: 20n + 5n(n − 1) jumps after n minutes. That’s 350 after minute 7, 650 after minute 10 and 900 after minute 12.

The rest shrinks every minute. At 120 jumps a minute, minute 1 takes 10 s and leaves 50 s of rest. Minute 5 takes 30 s and leaves 30. Minute 10 takes 55 s and leaves 5. The minute whose target matches your pace leaves no rest at all: at 120 jumps a minute, that’s minute 11. Your 1-minute test score is a hard ceiling: you can’t finish a minute that asks for more.

How to do it

1. Warm up fully, with the warm-up or a few minutes of easy bouncing. The session ends at your top speed, so get there warm.
2. Jump the early minutes at a steady pace, not your fastest. Extra jumps don’t carry over, so stop at the target and rest.
3. Use the long early rests to settle your breathing: slow breaths out, loose shoulders, a few steps.
4. Be ready before each minute: rope behind your heels, hands at your hips, first jump as the minute starts. A late start costs seconds you’ll want later.
5. When the rest drops to 10 or 15 seconds, stop pacing: go to your fastest rhythm from the first jump.
6. Keep the jumps small and the wrists relaxed: late in the session, one trip can cost you the minute. If you trip, start again at once. Reach the target before the minute ends and it still counts.
7. Hold your form to the end: light on the balls of your feet, wrists turning the rope, elbows close to your sides.

Make it easier or harder

To make it easier:

• Climb slower, with 5 more jumps a minute instead of 10.
• Start lower, at 10 jumps.
• Alternate feet, like jogging in place, to share the work between your legs.

To make it harder:

• Climb faster, with 15 or 20 more a minute.
• Start higher, at 40 jumps.
• Use a heavy rope: the targets stay the same, and every turn costs more.

Compare scores only with the same start, step and rope.

In the app

In Jump Rope Protocol, Death by 20 +10 is one of the workout presets on Today, and its length reads Until you miss. The app counts every jump with your AirPods, Powerbeats or Apple Watch, so it knows when you hit each minute’s target, and the session ends at the first minute where you don’t. A countdown puts you on the rope, and the voice calls each minute and the time left. It also tracks your cadence, your longest unbroken streak and your trips, and saves the session to Apple Health. You can adjust its settings before you start. The presets are part of Pro, paid once, with no subscription.

This page’s timer runs in your browser: it keeps the minutes and shows each target. A browser can’t count jumps, so you count, and tap Missed the first time a minute runs out before you reach its target.