Jump ropes are not a new piece of training equipment. Although we've had modern versions of jump ropes for many years now, people have been making their own versions of jump ropes for likely centuries. Although this is true, weighted ropes and handles have not been available to the mainstream public until only a few years ago.

Jumping rope has an insane amount of benefits to the user. Somebody could gain high levels of conditioning through using nothing but a simple rope. In fact, there are many athletes, boxers most notably, that have used jumping rope as a large part of their conditioning program.

What weighted jump ropes add is the same thing adding resistance to any movement does. It forces increased:

• Focus
• Motor recruitment
• Musculature
• Stability
• Speed

If you can consistently jump rope with a 1 lb. rope, a 1/4 lb rope is going to feel like nothing. Not to mention that one of the biggest reasons people stop training is due to boredom. Adding variety in jump roping increases the chances that you'll stick with a program.

We've reviewed a LOT of jump ropes. One reason for that is because there are more companies creating jump ropes than ever before. This is largely due to the ropes increased use thanks to CrossFit, but there are more ways to use a jump rope than just double-unders.

One way to use a jump rope is for increasing strength in the movement and the best way to do that is arguably through the use of weighted cables like what are featured by CrossRope.

The set we received to review is the CrossRope Premium Set which comes with:

• 1/4 lb Agility Rope
• 1/2 lb Energy Rope
• 1 lb Intensity Rope
• 2 lb Fury Rope
• Rugged Handles

Before I talk about the ropes, I'd like to first discuss the handles. Now, my opinion on jump rope handles is influenced largely by the fact that I've used and/or own all of the top jump rope companies handles...so keep that in mind.

The Rugged Handles from CrossRope are on the lower end of the many I've used. They're also priced lower, so that must be considered, but the handles in all reality were a bit disappointing. I'll get into the ropes more later in this review, but the handles aren't on the same level as the ropes and one of the big reasons for that is the clip-in system for the handles.

A great feature of the handles is how easy it is to switch out the ropes, however, the clip for the handles although convenient, is much larger than it needs to be. The system providing the spin for the handles is ball bearings and although they spin well, there are many handles that outperform them. The overall design reminds me of one of my favorite ropes, the RX Jump Rope, however, the handles are lacking the anatomical shape and place to drive the thumb.

All this being said, I had no problem using other handles with the ropes and if you've never used a high-end jump rope handle, then the CrossRope Handles will be a big upgrade from what you have been using.

Moving on to the reason you buy the CrossRope Jump Ropes, and that is the weighted cables.

CrossRope in all reality has few competitors. There are a couple of companies making heavier ropes, but none in the way CrossRope is. Usually, when a company has the hold on a market like this, they can afford to have a substandard product. But, although their handles could see some improvements, their ropes are outstanding. Not only are the weights pretty close to the stated amounts, but they're also well made and should provide years of use.

The end of the ropes features a heavy-duty metal loop allowing you to change the ropes out easily that is both functional and attractive. To test its durability, I decided to pull on the metal loop as that would likely be the failure point and it didn't budge.

The ropes are made of a durable plastic that is vibrant and hard-wearing. I did notice that during testing if you plan to jump on typical gym mats, black coloring will end up on the ropes, however, it can easily be wiped off if that's of concern to you.

The heavy ropes provide a difficult workout that added an element to my training I hadn't had up to this point. After doing some intervals using the 1 lb rope not only was I winded, but my shoulders, wrists, and forearms were absolutely smoked.

If you haven't used weighted ropes in your training yet, I highly suggest it and can easily recommend the ropes from CrossRope.

The CrossRope jump ropes are not immune from improvements, just as any equipment isn't.

The main improvement we would like to see is in the handles. For the price, they're not bad, but they simply don't compare to the ropes. We would like to see a better spinning, smaller clip system, and better feeling handle to go along with the ropes.