Product Review: RX Jump Ropes

RX Jump Rope: "Inferno" (Tactical Series) - My Jump Rope of Choice

I never liked the jump ropes provided by my CrossFit box.  They have a heavy, thick plastic rope and the handles are too large for my hands.  Despite my distaste for them, I worked up to stringing together maybe 5-8 double-unders (DUs) using these ropes, but always wondered what the fancier ropes felt like that I saw everyone else was using.  At a local CrossFit competition I went to soon after I was able to string a minimal amount of DUs together, I visited the RX Jump Ropes booth and asked to try out a rope.  Standing awkwardly on a grassy slope with a thin rubber mat, I attempted and nailed 10 straight DUs on my first try!  I was so shocked that I had hit 10 DUs that I immediately stopped jumping and started talking purchase.

RX Jump Rope Cable Choices: Differing Diameter

The sales person described the different cable (rope) choices, each of which has a different diameter and corresponding weight.  Since I was still learning my DUs, I chose two cables – once you purchase one set of handles with cable, the replacement cables are relatively inexpensive (about $7.00).  I chose to start on the “Buff 3.4” cable which as the website describes, is good for mid-volume workouts (think around 10 DUs).  I also selected the next size down (the next thinner rope) for after I developed more DU skill; this “Elite 2.6” cable has a smaller diameter and is thus lighter and a little more difficult to control, but is great for almost any workout (20-50 DUs).  My friend purchased the even thinner “Ultra 1.8” which for my skill level was too thin, too light – meaning, I wasn’t comfortable with the cable and found it whipped around too fast.  However, now that six months have passed, I think I’m ready to move to this “Ultra 1.8” cable as I’m successful at stringing 40+ DUs together and am finding the “Elite 2.6” cable to be a bit heavy and cumbersome for my needs.

          RX Jump Rope Cable Options:

          Beast (Thickest) – Buff (Thick) – Elite (Thin) – Ultra (Thinner) – Hyper (Thinnest)

         http://www.rxsmartgear.com/jump-ropes/

I’ve tried some of the speed cables (think super small diameter, what elite athletes use), and when I first purchased my RX Jump Ropes 6 months ago, I was definitely not ready for these lighter/thinner cables.  After 6 months of DU work, however, I tried a speed cable the other day and found that I’m getting more and more comfortable with the thinnest ropes.

If I had to put these jump ropes on a continuum, I’d say that the heavy, box-provided jump ropes are great for beginners.  Nailing my DUs came only after I switched to a different rope (the RX Jump Rope) as I found the way the cable and handles spun made it easier for me to get faster revolutions.  I’ve worked-through the RX Jump Rope cables, starting out on the thicker cables but am currently on the thinner cables, as I think these are a perfect product on which to really solidify your DU skill.  Now I’m on the cusp of moving to the speed cables as I’m nailing 40+ DUs and find my control to have improved; I’m looking to take some weight off the spins as my forearms get toasted by my current rope.

Final Product Review

RX Jump Ropes can be a bit of an investment (around $39.00 for a set of handles + one cable), but the replacement cables are reasonably priced (around $7.00) and allow for an athlete to grow in skill – there are 5 different cable choices all ranging in diameter size and corresponding weight.  The larger diameters are great for beginners and you move down in diameter as you progress your skill.  You have to take care of your RX Jump Rope, however, as using it on concrete or asphalt WILL ruin your cable.  I also take care to wind/roll my rope up as I’ve seen others permanently kinked their cables by just throwing them in your car’s backseat.  An ideal situation might be to start and learn on only the most advanced rope (I call these speed cables), but for my needs, the RX Jump Rope was a perfect transition rope to get me confident in 10+ DUs.

Link to RX Jump Ropeswebsite (click here).