I got my 3lb Sports Hoop on Monday of this week and have been using it daily in hopes of getting at least a slight workout by doing this instead of sitting on my duff while watching t.v. On the first day I did it and felt the ridges jabbing at my stomach, obliques, and back fat. The next day my FAT was hurting, mind you I'm 5'5" and 145 right now. Anyhow, I've still done it daily despite the pain and today is Friday, and I did it WITHOUT ANY PAIN. Don't let the pain deceive you into thinking you can't do it. You will break into a sweat if you make the effort. They say that you should limit the time you do it, but I have no time to waste. I have measured my waist at the start of this and will continue to do so. I also am lifting light weights 3 times a week for at least 20 minutes at a time. I would like to hear if others have lost weight while using this hoop alone, or in conjunction with other exercise.

The hoop is sturdy and was easy to put together until I got to the last piece. After about 5 minutes, I got everything together and was ready to go. The hoop is sturdy and if you're hoping, the foam will not save you from the painful ridges.

Many moons ago, I used to exercise with the old traditional hoop, remember the ones that was a single plastic hoop. And i could vouch then that it was great at loosing inches around my waist along with other aerobic exercises. Now, the waist line has expanded again and i was in search of the hoop. This one is a new funky version of yester years and it is weighted with ridges. I was a little daunted when it arrived and when assembled, it was heavier than I thought. It took a few minutes to get back into the rhythm and I can see that this new hoop will loose the inches FAST! Also, it helps to massage the stomach area, which is great for digestive issues.. Loose weight and do some yoga-like massages all in one. I concur that until you get to it, the ridges do cause some initial discomfort. It will be worth it! Easy to assemble, not so easy to dissembles, though. This is definitely an exercise in itself, as I worked up a sweat after five minutes of continuous use.

The box comes with instructions for assemble, for beginners and limiting use to maximum of 10minutes twice a day that you work up over a period of three weeks. Yes, bruising can occur if over used and from initial use due to the weighted feature. Do not use if you are pregnant.

Arrived in record time...2 days! I was so excited to begin my new workout routine with the hoop. I put it together myself, with the exception of the last link. My husband figured it out and once it was together, I started to use it.

I almost didn't buy this hoop after reading some of the reviews about the difficulty of putting it together and the bruising. Since I tend to bruise just by breathing, it was a real factor to consider. I'm so glad I purchased it anyway. I have not experienced the first bruise!

My issue is that I've had it for a month now, but still can't seem to keep it spinning for more than a few seconds at a time. My record is 36 seconds. Not sure what I'm doing wrong... Even still, it takes effort to keep picking it up off the floor, so I guess I'm moving no matter what. I used to hula hoop as a kid and could keep one spinning on both arms and around my body at the same time.

With this one, I've tried the hoop with one foot forward and side-by-side with my feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart but for some reason, I can't seem to get it to consistently spin. I work at it twice a day for 3 minute intervals. I'd like to increase my time with it, but until I can hoop for more than a few seconds at a time, I find it frustrating.

I'm not giving up because I know it will work if I can get the hoop to stay up for minutes instead of seconds at a time. If anyone has any technique suggestions out there, I'm all ears.

This hoop was very confusing to put together. The vague directions are placed on the box in a place that I would have never seen if I hadn't read another review. I had put the hoop together by color, but it was still backwards. By the time I finally took it apart and tried using the opposite ends together (which worked), I was mad. Can't you put some kind of marking or diagram that shows which piece goes into which end of the other piece? Putting the hoop together robbed me of my joy and anticipation of getting the hoop.

Once I started hooping, the hoop kept riding up to my breasts (super ouch!). I'm a beginner. I never even hula hooped when I was a kid. This heavy thing is hard to keep up and it keeps going upwards to my breasts -- which I can't imagine is healthy.

I'm a prime member. I'm used to getting my products sent to me free with my membership. Not this item. I paid premium money to have it shipped to me. I feel that this product is marketed poorly to beginners. I don't think it's for beginners. I followed the instructions for choosing which one is best for me -- this heavy thing I don't believe is.

And no returns?! Wow -- this seller is not consumer friendly. I was so excited about getting this hoop. Now, I'm disappointed and ticked.

Update: I've updated my review from one star to five stars. I was really ticked off trying to put this together with so few directions. It also was very hard to hoop in the beginning. I have always been athletic, so I'm still not sure if this is a good choice for beginners. Anyhow, it really is a good workout for the torso. I was seeking something inexpensive and simple (compared to heavy machines on the market) that would help me to work on the midsection. I sit all day with my job. I was also seeking something that might be a little bit fun (exercise can be boring). Once I got the hang of it, I really started to use it and it really does work the torso. I find it best to do outside because it is a huge hula hoop (but, I have a small house). Go to YouTube and get some advice from people who are experts. They will give you techniques for hula hooping.

For me to change my rating from a one to a five is a big deal. Once past the frustration, I have found this to be an excellent, inexpensive and fun workout for the body's trunk. There are other stretching exercises that you can do with the hoop besides just hooping. Go to YouTube and check out all the fun exercises that you can do with a hula hoop. Then, customize them to suit your needs.

I got my hoop in the mail today and was super excited to start using it! Unfortunately the assembly took me a while because there were no instructions included so I figured I could just look at the picture of the hoop on the box and connect all of the colors but NO I tried to follow the picture for about 10 minutes before I flipped the box over in frustration just to realize that there is a second picture of the hoop on the box and the colors are connected in a different pattern! So I followed that pattern and finally got it together. I started my Apple Watch and began my work out. It was a bit uncomfortable at first, getting use to the ridges is definitely going to take some time but I got into the groove of things and hooped for about 30 minutes. About an house later I realized that my stomach, hips and back had a lot of bruising and was very tender. I won't let that get me down though, as a professional dancer I know that when you jump into new routines that your body is not use to and bruising can occur until your body adjusts. Overall I am still super excited to use this product I just wish it took a little less time to assemble and didn't hurt so much the first day.