This hula hoop is a nice one. It's weighted, but not overly heavy. Unlike some others have said, I had absolutely no trouble putting it together properly the first time, and I never had it come apart when it fell. I was black and blue and extremely sore the first few times I used it, but that subsides the more you work with it. I have a bruise the size of my palm on my right shin, where the hoop kept hitting when it fell, but I've learned how to avoid it when it falls.

My problem isn't with the hoop...it's with ME. I can't seem to get the hang of it. I have been practicing for hours every day for nearly a week and I have watched every "How to Hula Hoop" video on the web...but I still can't seem to keep the hoop up. It goes around 1 - 2 - 3 - then CLUNK - it falls. So I pick it up, start over and 1 - 2 - 3 - CLUNK. Pick it up start over 1 - 2 - 3 - CLUNK....and so on, over and over and over and over for hours on end. It doesn't seem to matter what I do, or how I stand or how I move...the silly thing falls after the 3rd rotation. So as nice as this hoop is, I am getting frustrated and discouraged. I know this hoop is the right size for me, so that can't be the problem. And all the "How To Hula Hoop" videos say that you should be able to do it after a few minutes of practice. Maybe I'm just too uncoordinated to use a hula hoop effectively!

I've been using this 3-4 times per week for over two years now. It stays together, shows no signs of wear, and I still love using it! I bought this because I wanted to tone my abs without doing crunches. Using this hoop, I saw noticeable results within the first month. It has improved my overall core strength. I started out at just a few minutes per day and did experience some bruising while I was getting used to it.

You need a lot of space to use this hoop! There are very few places in the house where I can use this without bumping in to a piece of furniture, a counter, or some other obstacle. If you have teenage sons, they WILL think you look ridiculous, so it is probably best to do this when they aren't home!

After using the hoop for a few months, I settled on a routine that I enjoy, that seems to work a variety of muscles. This is how I use it with an intervals app on my phone (2:40 per motion) and time goes really fast -- * feet together hoop around waist * left foot forward hoop around waist * right foot forward hoop around waist * wide stance hoop around waist * wide stance hoop around buttocks * feet together hoop around buttocks * start over again with hoop going the other direction

I didn't use the DVD because I prefer to read or watch TV while using it. Sometimes I bend my knees a little, change speed, or raise/lower the hoop slightly. Sometimes I rotate my hips, and other times I move left to right or front to back. Honestly I don't give it much thought, except when the intervals app reminds me it is time to switch my feet or hoop location.

Last week, my rebounder was already out when I was ready to hula hoop. Instead of moving it out of the way, I stepped on and started to work through my routine. WOW! I didn't think I would make it through! It works more muscles and makes it a whole lot more difficult, but still fun. I'd recommend this only after you're happy with using your hula hoop and are looking to enhance your workout.

Buy this, and have fun!

A doctor recommended that I use a weighted hula hoop for toning my core and working in some cardio. The brand she suggested cost $50 for each hula hoop plus $17 to ship it, which seemed a bit too expensive for my taste. I tried another hula hoop on Amazon which was metal and hurt to use! Having seen this particular Sports Hoop in many on line videos about weighted hula hoops, I gave it a try. Impressively, it arrived the day after I ordered it using Amazon Prime. I am not normally good at putting things together, but I had this one all assembled in less than five minutes. It was even fun to choose the order for which to place the colors. When I gave it a try, I was immediately in love with it! The hula hoop has a nice amount of padding but not too much that it makes it hard to use. I have heard that there is a learning curve to using it, which I have experienced, as it took me about a week of using it daily to finally be able to last more than ten seconds on it. However my husband and mom, who both claim that they could never hula hoop as a kid, tried it and immediately were able to use it for minutes at a time. Just a word of caution: If you are on blood thinners, it may cause big bruises. I am taking taking one, and my hips are very black and blue. However, this will not stop me from using this product, because I am addicted to using my hula hoop!

As I mentioned in a previous review, I love hula hoops. I don't see hula hoops as a form of exercise, although they are. This hoop is easy to assemble, and you can even travel with it. It is especially great for people like me, where any weight you gain goes straight to your waistline. This hula hoop really is a workout! It helps to trim your waistline, shed pounds, and strengthen your core so you can feel more confident going into activities like Pilates - if that's your thing.

Just like the arm hoops, you will feel soreness after using this Hoop since it is a weighted hoop. If you can keep up a normal hoop, you will be able to keep this one up. If you can't, well then, practice makes perfect. I find that wider, heavier hoops are easier for me to hold up. You have to work through the soreness to see results, just like you would with a regular gym workout. Start small, with short periods of time per day to get used to the Hoop, and eventually build your way up.

I really wanted the hoop that has those tennis ball-like nodules (although those are painful, I feel that those give you results over a shorter period of time if you can handle the pain) but I wasn't able to find them. This turned out to be a great substitute! I'm happy with my purchase and I feel like I'm 10 years old all over again when using this product!

I've loved hula hooping since I was a kid--I used to win blue ribbons on Field Day for keeping it up the longest. I'd recently been using a toy hoop to exercise for extended periods of time (I'd alternate clockwise and counterclockwise every couple minutes, for 20+ minutes) but I wanted more of a challenge, so I bought this weighted (3 lb.) hoop. It was, as many others have mentioned, a bit challenging to assemble it initially--it was hard to make sure that the pieces click in place properly. I just rolled back the foam on each of the pieces to make sure that each insertable end clicked into place (then rolled the foam back into place). When you try to pull the pieces apart, they should not budge at all; that's how you know it's ready to go.

This hoop is several inches larger in diameter than my toy one, so it looked a bit intimidating, but if you're familiar with hooping in the first place then you should be able to keep it up. At first it felt funny--I tried for a few seconds and it tickled so I had to stop since it was making me laugh. Once I composed myself, though, I tried again and was able to keep it up for a couple minutes. After that, it does start to feel a little uncomfortable from the pressure against your sides and ribs--on the box, it recommends no more than 3 minutes a day for beginners. Since I had been doing hooping and other core exercises, though, I tried it for a while longer (two separate 4-minutes sessions) later and found it fun and challenging. It's cool that weighted hoops actually move more slowly around than the lightweight, toys ones, so it's easier to try things like turning around in a circle as the hoop moves around you.

I wouldn't recommend buying this if you've never hula hooped in your life; it takes a certain amount of core strength and coordination to be able to keep it up, especially a weighted one. But if you are already reasonably fit and know how to swivel your hips to keep up the hoop's rotation, then this is a good product to buy to give you a more challenging core workout. It's great to do while you watch TV (you need at least 5 or 6 square feet of space to have room to use this); you can increase the duration of use weekly but it says never to exceed 20 minutes at a time. The initial discomfort of using this wore off after a few days. The day after I first tried it, my sides were so sore that it hurt to try it again that day. But I gradually built up the duration of my workouts with this, and now I often do 30 minutes a day, in ten-minute intervals, still alternating direction every couple minutes (I intersperse the 10-minute sessions with weightlifting and resistance band moves). I found it has definitely built up my core strength, and I still enjoy using this a few times a week.

Update: 11 years later and I still have this thing and use it all the time. The foam has gotten slightly dented here and there (probably from my bumping into things in my small apartment) but nothing that affects the functionality at all. It fits in my closet when I want it out of the way. Clearly it's been a great investment, since I love to hula hoop!