Train Like a Champion: Q & A with Speed Jumper Celina Furman

By Matt Hopkins - Elite Jumps Founder

I sat down with Celina Furman, a national record holder, to learn how she trains, her tips and tricks to success and the philosophical approach she takes to the sport of jump rope. Enjoy! Hint: she uses our ropes.

Table of Contents

• Q & A
• Workout Routine and Schedule

Celina started summer camps with the Bouncing Bulldogs when she was 4 and joined the team a few years later. At 29, she now jumps with Flight Crew Jump Rope as a professional jumper. When she is not jumping, she is working towards her PhD in Social Psychology at the University of Minnesota while also working at Orangetheory Fitness.

What keeps you jumping at an older age?

There are a few factors here. I took several years off from competitive jumping in high school and college after a big move to New York. I think that time off helped me rediscover jump rope in a new way. It was a source of community through several moves and became something that I did for fun and for my health...I really fell back in love with it. Being a part of Flight Crew also plays a huge role. I get to jump rope as my job, and beyond that, I have found a home with this team. I am motivated to train so I can represent us well at competitions and in performances.

What are some of your accomplishments in Jump rope?

It doesn't get better than being able to jump rope as a career! Seriously, my 4-year-old self would have never dreamed this! Also, since we're on the topic of speed, I have a national record from 2005 for single rope speed relay...the fun thing about this record is that the age groups changed the year after, so this baby is permanent!

What is your philosophy about the sport of jump rope? 

I have a world of thoughts about this. The first thing that comes to mind is that jump rope is a complex and legitimate sport, which deserves to be treated as such. It has enormous potential.

What is your philosophy about training for jump rope?

We need to train for jump rope like we would for any other sport. We must place more of an emphasis on cross-training and recovery, and our drills need to be based on exercise physiology/science research.

What is unusual about how you train for speed jumping compared to others?

Do you have any secrets you can share about how to get better speed scores?

I don't think anything I do is really a secret. It's just a combination of consistency and being intentional with my training sessions. I think that jump rope historically has focused on building well-rounded jumpers, so most jumpers will spend a lot of time training all events. I, however, do not compete in freestyle, so I have a bit more time and energy that I can dedicate to my speed training.

What does your daily workout program look like?

• Warm-up 
• Jump to two songs (freestyle jump)
• Jump to 50 4x fast
• Tabata (20s on, 10s off x 8 rounds) at a designated BPM
• Workout
• Choose a target BPM (I have corresponding playlists)
• 6x 30s on, 15s off *2 min rest*
• 3x 1m on, 30s off *2 min rest*
• 2x 90s on, 45s off *2 min rest*
• Lift weights with a cooldown

• Weekly Schedule
• Sunday: Cardio Cross-Train
• Monday: weight training & endurance speed workout (longer intervals)
• Tuesday: weight training & sprint speed workout (shorter intervals)
• Wednesday: Cardio Cross-Train
• Thursday: weight training & mixed speed workout (combination of short & long intervals)
• Friday: weight training & endurance speed workout (longer intervals)
• Saturday: REST DAY