Aero-Jump Ultimate Jump Rope Workout

This tape was made both as an instructional tape, plus a workout(but just a little different than you're used to). The first part of the tape is instructions on selecting ropes(how long, what kind, different styles), selcting clothing(not too bulky,baggy...etc.), warm up, water etc. Then you get to the WO/teaching sections. Each section is divided, learning a different move in each. The move is shown by a "model" with Michael giving verbal description on what to & not to do. This is only about 15-20 sec long, so it's not much of a break from one to the next and makes it like a ssmall "recovery" through out the workout. The music is low in the background(you mostly hear the ropes moving) and Michael's mic does not pick up his voice during the actual WO. The moves get progressively harder through the tape and there's even a demonstration of some tough abs at the end.

Instructor Comments:
Michael certainly enjoys jumping rope and has good pointers & helpful instructions, but he mumbles throughout the entire workout.

germaine

I bought Aerojump because I like to work out in the morning. The problem is, I only have half-an-hour. I wanted a cardio workout that would make the most efficient use of that time. This workout is it.

The tape begins with a few pointers about workout gear, nutrition, and music. Supposedly, this tape is an abbreviated version of the Aerojump workout, so you can use it as a guide to make up your own workout. That's great, but I couldn't imagine doing any more rope jumping than what was on this tape. The workout is really hard!

After the pointers, there is a brief warm up and stretching section. Don't skip it. Jumping rope is murder on your calves. I also found that it hurts the balls of your feet. I'm wondering if anyone else had that experience.

The workout itself is very tough. Michael leads you through regular jumps, downhill skiing jumps, jumping jacks, and a variety of other challenging jumps. There are brief rest periods in between, but if you're not used to jumping rope for your cardio, they're too brief. Your heart should be really pounding by the end of the first two sections.

A previous review gave most of the details so I'll just tell you that this cardio workout for anyone who wants to burn fat in as little time as possible. If you can't jump rope in your house, you could even do this without the rope and probably still get a great workout. I think I've found my favorite new cardio tape.

Instructor Comments:
Michael is pleasant and encouraging. He mumbles a little, but he seems enthusiastic about the workout, which is helpful with such a challenging routine.

Angela C.

Remember those carefree days on the playground skipping rope and playing double dutch with your friends. These are the memories I have when it comes to jump roping. Since I have purchased Aero-Jump, I now have a new perspective on the whole art of jump roping. This, my friends, is definately not child's play. This tape is for adults only.

Michael Olajide (you might remember him from Kathy Smith's Aerobox) guides you through 32 intense minutes of jump roping. He starts off with some helpful jump rope tips (determining the right size jump rope for you, proper clothing, the right music, and the proper jump rope surface). He also discusses shin splints and what to do if you get them.

This video does state that it is a condensed version of the aero-jump workout so I took this to mean that this video is suppose to be used more as a guide on how to develop your own jump roping program. This might be especially helpful for viewers that cannot jumprope in their homes. However, you can also use this video as a coach and follow along with Michael for a very intense workout just like you would any other exercise video if you do jump rope inside.

Because this is a condensed version of the workout, the warm up is very short but make sure you do not skip it. Michael demonstrates some very good warm-up exercises for the calves and shins.

After the warm-up, you go straight into jump roping. There are several different segments, each one getting more difficult as the tape progresses. At the beginning of each segment, Michael shows the type of jump first before the viewer tries it. You start off with your basic jump. After that you move on to downhill skiing jumps, jumping on one foot, aerobic running jumps, the Ali shuffle, boxer's run, and some others. For the big finish, there is the plyo jump which was extremely difficult for me but it really got the heart rate up. During the jump roping segments there are recovery moves dispursed throughout where you walk from side to side. At first I thought that this might hinder my workout in some way but after jump roping for 16 and 32 counts at a time, the recovery moves were very much welcome.

After the workout, Michael demonstrates ways to cool down and also shows you a very tough ab exercise which I enjoyed doing once I finally cooled down.

To sum it all up, this is an excellent cardo conditioning workout. The video production overall is good with the exception of the sound being a little low at times, but a high quality workout. Michael says he has two other tapes coming out soon. Aero-Sculpt and another one I can't remember the name of right now. If you are an intermediate to advanced exerciser who enjoys very athletic workouts and is looking for a very intense cardio vascular conditioning workout, this is it.

Instructor Comments:
Michael is a very good instructor. His soft spoken manner is very welcome in this type of workout as he gently encourages you and gives you that extra push to complete those last jumps when you feel like giving up. Sometimes his voice is just a tad bit too soft and I had a difficult time hearing him for instructions but I think this was mostly due to the accoustics on the video's set and because of the noise from my own jump rope. I am anxiously awaiting to see his next two videos that he is suppose to be comming out with sometime in the near future.

Tiffanee Saunders