Health & Fit This Trainer Used a Weeklong Jump Rope Workout to Bring Back His Six-Pack

You might expect trainers to look absolutely ripped every single day, but that isn't the case; everybody's weight fluctuates a little. When Brandon Epstein of YouTube's Jump Rope Dudes realized he'd gained some body fat, he decided to challenge himself to get back to visible abs in the span of a week, by making some changes to his diet and working out for just half an hour each day.

"The number one thing that's going to be important in me getting those abs back out again is my nutrition," he says. For his week-long challenge he switches to a diet that's high in protein, relatively high in fat, and slightly lower in carbohydrates; so lots of eggs, fish, nuts, and green vegetables. Weighing in at 192 pounds at the start of the challenge, he explains that he is eating at a 500 calorie deficit for the week, to help reduce body fat.

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The jump rope is more than child's play; we consider it to be the ultimate fitness tool. And after trying this jump rope workout , we're convinced you will

Try this jump rope workout with strength intervals for maximum benefits! We’re bringing you another twist on the 7-Minute Workout using the classic jump rope . Stash it in your gym bag or purse for an easy way to build strength and agility anywhere!

On day one, Brandon starts with a 30 minute high intensity jump rope workout, consisting of one minute intervals on a half pound cross rope and a 1 pound cross rope, with 15 seconds of rest in between. He does this a total of eight times each, rests for one minute, then repeats for three more sets of each.

On day two he mixes it up with 10 pullups, 1 minute on the half pound rope, 30 pushups, another minute on the rope, and 1 minute of rest, then repeats the set six times.

At the middle of the week, Brandon is up to 1 minute of 30 pullups, 30 seconds of jump rope, 1 minute of 30 pushups, and 30 seconds of jump rope, which he repeats for 30 minutes. By day 6, he's doing a high intensity jump rope workout consisting of sets of one minute alternating between the half pound and one pound cross ropes.

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One of the most-asked fitness questions is whether you start with cardio or strength training in a workout. Ask a group of trainers and you'll probably receive a variety of answers, with different reasons based on your physical abilities and fitness goals. © Getty / Randy Shropshire This Is Why Halle Berry's Trainer Wants You to Do Cardio Before You Hit the Weights Halle Berry and her trainer Peter Lee Thomas did a PhitTalk, during which they they answer follower questions for her Fitness Friday posts on Instagram.

Jumping rope is a great way to bring up your heart rate and warm up your whole bod -- but you can actually use it for more than just cardio. This creative session will tone your abs and torch major calories. Sit Ups: Double your jump rope in half and lay on your back with your arms over your head.

Here are the 5 best pull up bar exercises for six pack abs. These hanging pull up bar exercises that will strengthen your core and get you a ripped six pack .

© Brandon Epstein After gaining body fat, Brandon Epstein got back to visible abs in one week by changing his diet and working out with a jump rope for 30 minutes every day. At the end of the 7 days of 30 minute ab workouts, he's cut his weight down to 184 pounds, with visibly shredded six-pack abs. "Everyone's weight fluctuates," he says. "I gained maybe five pounds of body fat, but in just seven days I was able to remove that and get back to visible abs."

He acknowledges that this might not be the case for everybody, but advises that staying consistent with the process will help you reach your goal and sustain the results. He also urges people "don't feel down if you gain some weight..."You should not be comparing your process to me or to anyone else."

Feel like trying the week-long jump rope challenge yourself? Check out the 10 best jump ropes for crushing your fitness goals.

Slideshow: These are the best exercises to burn belly fat as fast as possible (Courtesy: Prevention)
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Skipping rope: the best exercises to do with a skipping rope

1/1 SLIDES © GettyImages Skipping rope: the best exercises to do with a skipping rope Skipping rope: the best exercises to achieve

For many, skipping rope has something very childish. We remember those moments spent in the playground, wanting to do as many laps as possible. And, without knowing it, this practice allowed us to stay in good health and maintain our shape.

When we reach adulthood, while we are more and more at want to (re) take a physical activity , we do not think too often to reintroduce the skipping rope in our daily life. Yet it is a sport that has many virtues. It should be known that the skipping rope allows to work all the muscles of our body and more specifically the legs. Result: the calves are refined and the thighs musclent . In addition to the legs, this exercise also solicit our abdominal belt and thus allows to work our sheathing. Better still, the skipping rope also allows to work his cardio. Sporty or not, working with your cardio helps you stay healthy. The reason ? We will build our heart. But it is also the best way to refine. So many benefits on the body that explain why so many top athletes join the skipping rope regularly in their training.

The exercises possible with this object are numerous. And it is important to vary the postures, to solicit different parts of the body and thus obtain better results. Above all, it is important to always stay sheathed and keep your back straight to avoid any risk of injury.

After the theory, place to practice. Unsurprisingly, we first find the classic jump.

What is practical with this jump is that it is declined according to the level of the user. Indeed, the more you are comfortable with the skipping rope and the easier it will be to increase the pace, to work then more effectively.

Other exercise: the jump legs flexed. Again, even a beginner can practice this exercise without problems.

At the same time as a jump, instead of keeping our legs stretched as in the previous exercise, it will rather be to slightly bend back the legs. This posture will also allow you to jump higher, which will further strengthen the leg muscles.

To work effectively the upper body, we think of jumps with arms crossed. If during the execution of the traditional exercise the arms are already solicited, here it will allow to tone them more and to work the mobility of your members.

Of course, it is normal that it burns at the beginning. So, we do not hesitate to alternate with towers where the arms do not cross with more complex movements.

This fourth exercise requires a little more coordination and concentration. Small jumps are made by alternately positioning either the right or the left leg.

The instructions for use? The two legs slightly apart, we will put forward our right foot and back the left foot. Then, by performing our jump, we alternate.

And how about concentrating all these exercises into a sports routine to be done several times a week? This is the bet of Anna Renderer, famous American fitness coach, in a video posted on YouTube. For 10 minutes, she offers us a series of exercises to do with her skipping rope.

We then find the classic jump feet joined, jumping way "knees", hopping or jumping sideways. But let the most novices reassure themselves! The exercises are not chained and the coach shows us even how to stretch!