JumpSnap, The Ropeless Jump Rope - Calorie Counter, (4) Cardio Pumping DVD Workouts & Hand Weights
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Description of JumpSnap, The Ropeless Jump Rope - Calorie Counter, (4) Cardio Pumping DVD Workouts & Hand Weights
JumpSnap is the only patented ropeless jump rope. Get all the undistputed calorie burning benefits of a traditional jump rope without the interruptions of tripping on the rope. The on board computer tracks calories burned, jumps and time based on the user's height and weight. Featured in People Magazine & US Weekly as Hillary Swank and Hollywood's hot new workout. Also praised by Fitness magazine, Weight Watchers, Self, Prevention, NY Post and many more as the newest 'must have' piece of fitness equipment. Sure it might sound silly, but there is nothing funny about this fat blasting workout.Sports reviews of JumpSnap, The Ropeless Jump Rope - Calorie Counter, (4) Cardio Pumping DVD Workouts & Hand Weights
Customer Review: excellent cardio alternative
Sport shop rating: 4 Stars
Dont have 45 min to do cardio? this is an excellent alternative for a quick pick me up. Burn almost twice as many calories in half the time. Havent used the dvd's as of yet but not big on any excercise dvd product. Definitely reccomend these for anyone specifically for those with little time but want to burn as many calories in 15 min as in 45 min of walking. Gave only 4 stars due to the odor of the foam at the end of the ropes, takes getting used to.Customer Review: Exactly what I expected.
Sport shop rating: 4 Stars
It took a while to get used to the idea that I was "jumping rope" without jumping rope, but I have to say that I really like this product. The JumpSnap keeps me motivated to continue doing the exercise where a regular jump rope would routinely frustrate me from all of the trip-ups. This product is what I had expected when I ordered it.Customer Review: More like 2 1/2 stars....with improvements this could be a 5-star product
Sport shop rating: 3 Stars
I ordered the JumpSnap directly from the website, not from Amazon. I gave it a go for about 2 weeks and finally decided to return the product to receive my cheerfully refunded money back, plus shipping and handling. Two months later, I'm still waiting for my refund to show up on my credit card.
The JumpSnap itself is very well built and sturdy. There are two handles, one of which has the LCD display that helps to track calories burned, rotations of the "rope," elapsed time, and a beeper to let you know when your workout is over (if you wish to use this feature). It has a "snap" audio feature to make it sound like you are actually jumping rope. This can be turned on or off. There are removable weights that can be inserted in the ends of the handles (I never used them). The handles are rather bulky, though, so I wished that there would have been a smaller-handle option when purchasing the JumpSnap. However, overall the JumpSnap is a quality well-made product. So why the low rating?
If you look at the picture of the JumpSnap, you'll notice the ends of the handles have weighted blue balls attached to a short string to simulate the jumping rope action. They worked great as long as you are perfectly rotating the handles. If you break rhythm, change hand position, or stop, the balls will whack you in the hand. It stings! If you do a web search on this product, this seems to be a common problem with other users too.
The beginner and intermediate DVD workouts that come with the JumpSnap are incomplete. For the price of the product, I expected a complete workout including warm up, cool down, and stretching. Jumping rope is very strenuous, and properly warming up and stretching are crucial. Nowhere in the DVD intro or workouts is this fact mentioned. At the beginning of each workout, you go right into jumping. No gradual warm up. Not smart. At the end of the workout, you just stop. You should never just stop cold after an aerobic workout, especially an intense one like this! What do runners do after running? They walk around to cool down and bring their heart rates back to normal. Cooling down is VERY important, and again, nowhere on the DVD is this mentioned. Beginners or those new to jumping rope should be aware of this.
There is a separate 15-minute "Jam" DVD that features a large group of people doing an extended workout with the JumpSnap. Again, it is another incomplete workout due to the lack of warm up, cool down, and stretching. Since this workout was filmed in what looked to be a huge entryway into a museum or hall or something, the echoes from the instructor shouting instructions were annoying. Because of the echo-ey sound quality, the whole workout felt like I was being yelled at the entire time.
Tressa Campbell, the lead in the workouts, apparently uses the JumpSnap at her gym in a circuit-style class. It would have been great to have a circuit workout on the DVD that incorporated the JumpSnap. Not absolutely necessary, but for the price you are paying for the product, including another workout that you could grow with would be a fantastic idea.
Basically, with improvements made to the product, it would become a 5-star piece of fitness equipment. I think in the inventor's (Brad LaTour's) hurry to market the JumpSnap, he neglected to give it an extended test trial to iron out some problems and get some constructive feedback. Work definitely needs to be done on the handle design, and some thought should be given to improving the workouts, making them safer and more complete.
Customer Review: Reasonably good, but a bit pricey
Sport shop rating: 3 Stars
I've used the JumpSnap three times so far. (I, too, was sent the pink version when I'd ordered the blue one.) At this time, I think it's reasonably good, but it is priced a bit high for what you get.
A little background: Over the past few years when I either didn't belong to a gym or couldn't get there, I've attempted to get in a little movement by playing fast songs on my computer using iTunes and doing some calisthenics. It was dull, and it was hard to get my heart rate up (I wear a monitor when I exercise because I like the feedback.).
The JumpSnap, which I've used so far without the weights, does a somewhat better job, although it's nowhere near the workout you'd get with a real jump rope (which is fine with me, because I don't have the space or the coordination or the patience for a jump rope).
It's definitely less boring than the calisthenics I was doing. I watched the beginner video once on my own, and then I replayed it with the sound turned all the way down and a playlist I created on iTunes. ("The First Cut is the Deepest," part of the Power Music Workout series, was the perfect pace.) I did wonder if the videos are true jump rope routines; a lot of the movements seemed like aerobics with hand weights.
Conceivably, you could achieve the same effect with calisthenics and light weights. I never used them myself during my past workouts because some people overdo it and end up with shoulder problems. The JumpSnap, however, is a very focused exercise. Even if I build up over time, I can't imagine doing it for more than 15 or 20 minutes a session.
I don't take the electronic readouts very seriously: Calorie count programs usually are based on what a man would burn. The jump count is also inaccurate: I didn't jump 3,900 times in the last 10 minutes or even over the last three 10 minute sessions. Maybe it's something I'm doing; I'll try calling the company. I'm happy to hear from other reviews that the Customer Service there is pretty good.
Other issues: it was a little hard to get the battery case open (you need a very small Phillips screwdriver) and the written instructions on how to set it up were a little confusing, although in the end it didn't take that long. The handles are a little big, as another reviewer mentioned, and initially, the motion is a little odd; but I think I'm getting used to it.
I'll see how it goes and will provide an update if merited.
Customer Review: ARE YOU HAVING FUN YET?
Sport shop rating: 3 Stars
JumpSnap really does provide a good aerobic workout--if you can get past the DVD "fun" and move on to your own music. If I had been reminded one more time to have fun I would have thrown both JumpSnaps at the TV. Turn off the volume, put on your ipod and follow the leader. The three levels of training are challenging and it is easy to use your own moves, which may include staying on the floor rather than actually jumping (especially if you have bad knees). The DVD does demonstrate modified jumping. Having to use a tiny Phillips screwdriver to open the battery case is absurd and time consuming. There are no instructions as to how to hold and turn the handles to avoid wrist injury. If you rotate from the wrist you could wind up with some serious pain. Moving the whole arm or rotating from the elbow to hand seems to be the most effective way of jumping.
In spite of the annoyances it is a good concept and I will keep using it as it is portable, easy to use while jumping around the house.