Lifeline USA Vertical Jumper

Vertical Jumper (VJ) Review

Pros:

"Safely" provides added resistance to different jumping exercises helping to develop greater strength and power when jumping.

Used properly it can definitely be a helpful addition to your personal jump program.

Mixed Feelings

Does not feel like the advertised weight resustance. After being completely inactive for over a year to the point that I felt weak carrying my own body weight (st 200#), I was able to strap on the VJ on the first day and do more than 10 explosive jump squats with supposedly 360 pounds (r6 bands) of VJ resistance. (Not a chance!) The 360# feels more like what I would expect 200 pounds (at most) of added resistance to feel like. You barely feel any resistance at the 90 degree angle (parallel to the floor). Most of the resistance is felt in the final 15-20% of the upright position. If you consider yourself to be of average strength then the #240 (r4 bands) version will likely not offer enough resistance. Within a month of using the r6 (360#) version I already have a need to add dumbbells to provide enough resistance to keep the max reps at +-10 when performing explosive\jump squats. No question that the VJ is much better\safer than having to load a barbell on your back with 200 to 300 plus pounds and trying to perform explosive jump squats!

Cons

In their FAQ page, Lifeline recommends to replace the bands every year both for safety reasons and because the bands lose their resistance over time. However, Lifeline does not sell replacement bands for the VJ so you have to purchase an entirely new VJ at that time. The belt and foot straps account for about 80+ percent of the bulk of this product and even though they may still have much life in them beyond the life of the bands, they currently become trash when the bands need replacement as you have to purchase an entirely new set. Over time this means more money spent and more waste generated over time compared to offering replacement bands such as they do for their other products. I suspect this is also the case for their Portable Jumper.

The VJ comes with a small brochure providing very brief exercise descriptions. No instructions were provided on how to safely\correctly strap on\off the VJ which you need to play around with to figure out. While figuring this out does not require a rocket scientist, basic instructions are still expected for a product that can potentially cause injury if not used properly.

I would have rated this product 4 stars and these cons would not have been such negatives had Lifeline cared to respond to email requests for both usage instructions and for replacement bands.

This thing is damn crazy! I play a lot of basketball and I''m always looking for ways to increase my vertical so this was kind of a no brainer for me. Doing plyometrics with the vertical jumper on is intense! I''ve gained another three inches in a month using this thing during my workouts! If you want to get the edge in your game, then get this!

Buy Lifeline USA Vertical Jumper Now