Lifeline USA Jungle Gym

I bought this from lifeline recently and it has been an EXCELLENT addition to my home gym equipment. I''m not a person who travels back and forth to a gym each day. I also do not like paying an arm and a leg for expensive pieces of workout equipment that eventually become expensive coat racks.

This workout solution is about as low tech as it can get. I agree with the previous reviews below--you could almost make this one yourself. It consists of a strip of mesh webbing--like seatbelt material; two adjustable, quick locking clips; handles made of webbing and plastic tubes; and another piece of plastic tubing that locks the Jungle Gym into place when the door is shut. The equipment is simple, but sets up in seconds. The clips adjust quickly and are incredibly secure.

It''s so simple--but it really works. The emphasis of the instruction sheet and the DVD that came along with it, is in upper body strength. You can do chin ups--by regulating height, you can work up from lifting part of your body weight to full body weight. For me, this was the best part of the Jungle Gym. My chin ups/pull ups have improved remarkably by using the device.

Body rows, push ups, and fly push ups are also possible. Using the Jungle gym, pushups take on a new dimension with a fuller range of motion (like an Atlas pushup)and given the instability of the webbing, you also get more of a core workout.

You can use the webbing for balance as well as to maintain better technique when doing squats. You can also make the exercises more challenging by using a fitness ball. You can do abdominal crunches by holding the handles and lifting your feet from the floor.

Some exercises (full body rows and dips) are difficult when attached to a door and Lifeline suggests draping the Jungle Gym over a tree limb so you can achieve a truly vertical workout. I have not yet tried using this over a tree limb... However, I was able to perform the dips with some creativity while attached to a door but it was not easy.

This is not a full fitness solution. But when used in conjunction with weights and exercise bands, it really makes the home gym complete. I have searched for a pull up bar for a long time that is removable, but none of the current offerings fit the odd sized door frames and moldings of my 99 year old house. The Jungle Gym has worked. Given the ability to do pull ups of varying difficulty, it has also improved my ability to do pull ups/Chin ups over a short period of time.

The downside of the device is that it requires a STURDY DOOR and DOOR FRAME. I would be leery of using the device if the door does not close securely AND LOCKS or if you are worried about the integrity of your house''s construction. Remember, the Jungle Gym is strong enough to hold your body weight, but the door it is connected to has to be able to do the same. If not, you will find yourself flat on your back with a new home improvement project to do. Remember too, that when your feet are touching the ground and you do pull towards the door, the weight decreases as you pull. This is not a defect of the device, it''s just the physics of the situation. (With free weights, the weight is stable throughout your range of motion. With exercise bands the weight increases as the band lengthens.) Also, this is a great device for weight/circuit training, but is not really an aerobic solution.

The Jungle Gym, along with a few exercise bands are IDEAL for travel. I used mine with three lifeline exercise bands (2 R6s and 1 R8), exercise band door attachment and the lifeline triple grip handles. This yielded a gym that weighed less than two pounds, fit in my suitcase easily and allowed for a variety of body weight and resistance exercises.

The Jungle Gym is a great item, which does everything it is supposed to do simply and with ease (well...ease of set up and adjustment, that is--the exercises aren''t that easy!). After using it I can''t imagine why anyone would pay an arm and a leg for its main competitor. If you do research on suspension trainers on the internet, you will probably find a number of people saying that the Jungle Gym is no good, and that you have to shell out for the TRX to get a decent product. Don''t be fooled by all that. With that said, there are some minor issues with the Jungle Gym that one has to get used to (if there were half stars, I would give it a 4.5). So here are my pros and cons.

Pros:

--It is a simple piece of equipment, with a very clean, straightforward design. It comes without many "bells and whistles," and this is a good thing, because it is uncomplicated and there is not much that can go wrong with it.

--It is really easy to set up. It attaches to a door or chinup bar with ease (and note that it comes with its door attachment included).

--It is easy to adjust. The buckles it uses are really well done, and make length adjustments a snap (for example, this morning I did a 30/30 interval workout on the Jungle Gym, and had no problem making the necessary adjustments during the brief rest periods).

--It is really portable, and takes up very little space in a backpack or bag.

Cons:

--The handles are very sturdy, but they can get pretty slick from sweat. I am thinking about getting some grip tape for them (I don''t think it is a problem, though, that they are not padded. After all, most barbells and dumbbells aren''t padded, and it isn''t necessary.)

--As was mentioned in another review, the buckles can rub against your arms while doing certain exercises (pushups, most obviously). At first I thought this was going to be a big problem, but I eventually learned to deal with it. In the end it isn''t that big of a con--but be ready for it.

Two other points:

--This isn''t a negative for me, really, but it comes with minimal instructions. There is a small booklet that shows some basic exercises, and a dvd (with pretty low production values) that provides some minimal help. The main reason I think this isn''t a problem, though, is that there are all kinds of instructional materials that one can find on the internet for free (look up "lifeline jungle gym" or "suspension training" on youtube, for instance). Heck, you can even get a number of free videos from the TRX website--pretty much everything translates to the Jungle Gym.

--Something to keep in mind--suspension trainers in general are not, I think, really appropriate for beginners. They can make some exercises easier (for example, back rows are easier than pullups) but most exercises are made more difficult because of the extra effort required for stabilization.

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I am very pleased with the Jungle Gym. I''ve used mine for several excellent workouts during week long motel stays. No more finger pain from door pullups and no more fear of the motel room''s bathroom door coming off the hinges during the pullups. The Jungle Gym is also great for free hanging pullups, dips or pushups from a tree branch or other suitable surface. The handles are slick plastic and rotate a little against the nylon webbing with makes for a nice grip workout. The instruction sheet packaged with the Jungle Gym demonstrates several more exercises.

I most often add Jungle Gym pullups to a deck of cards workout for time (pushups, handstand pushups, situps, squats, or other bodyweight exercises with a different exercise for the four suits and jokers using the face value for the number of reps) and you can pummel yourself from top to bottom. If you are driving, it''s easy to toss kettlebells or clubbells into the fray and you''ll know there isn''t enough oxygen in the room! These workouts make any Crossfitter proud.

Lightweight, versatile, compact and it''s never caused me any trouble getting through airport security it''s one of my traveling staples. I definitely recommend purchasing one if you like being able to work out irregardless of where you are.

Read Best Reviews of Lifeline USA Jungle Gym Here

As another reviewer hinted at, it probably wouldn''t be very hard to make one yourself, it''s really just a rope with a handle on one hand and a flattened piece that fits in a closed door with a stop on it to keep it from slipping through. Here''s what I like about it: you know how fitness books always say : "Don''t let your feet get in front of your knees when you squat". You can''t do much of a squat following that rule, unless you have something like this: You can lean back while squatting, thereby keeping your shins vertical for the whole movement. Perfect technique! Even better, you can hold on with only one hand, and the effort of your core to keep in position makes this a more complete exercise,(I don''t know the weight capacity of this piece, so I won''t advise this just yet, but a one-handed grip straight-shin squat with a heavy dumbell in the other hand is an incredible exercise.) Not to downplay the other uses, but this alone is worth the price.

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This product gives one heck of a full body workout. It simply takes advantage of body-weight physics, and will really shake your regimen up. For what it costs, I would say it''s a bargain, especially since competitors like the TRX are up around 150 bucks (and that''s WITHOUT the door bracket). I love it and will continue to use it. Sturdy, and very strong. That being said, you have to watch out for a couple of small details....maybe my inexperience with the apparatus, but here goes: The length adjustment on the straps involves heavy duty metal clips. They''re positioned so that when you''re doing push-ups, or any sort of pushing exercise, they will rub against your arms and can hurt. You can position the pushup so it doesn''t happen, but you need more strength for that. Or, wear long sleeves. Also, it will take time to learn how to put your feet into the foot rests quickly. It''s a little awkward at first. Otherwise, a great product.

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