This $40 Smart Jump Rope Counts Your Calories and Jumps So You Don't Have to

Looking for a new quarantine hobby or a way to liven up your stale fitness routine? Jumping rope is a fun way to sneak in a workout while doing something that doesn't necessarily feel like, well, exercise. You can basically do it anywhere, and it's way easier to stash a jump rope in your home or gym bag than it is to fit another piece of cardio equipment like a treadmill or rowing machine.

Even Kourtney Kardashian and Jennifer Garner swear by jumping rope — and for good reason. Skipping rope provides a challenging, full-body workout that also improves agility and ankle mobility; the more you jump rope, the stronger your joints will become and the less likely you'll experience lower leg injuries, Nick Poulin, CEO and founder of Poulin Health & Wellness in New York City, previously told Shape. While jumping rope can help strengthen your shoulders, arms, legs, and butt, in the grander scheme of things, it's a major cardio workout that's "good for your heart and lungs, as well as your mind," according to Poulin.

What's more, it burns a lot of calories in a super short period of time. For example, if you jump rope for a full hour, you can burn an impressive 1,300 calories, according to Poulin. (For context, running at a 10 min/mile pace would only burn about 624 calories per hour.) Even if you only jumped rope for about 20 minutes (because, let's be honest, jumping rope for a full hour is no easy task), you could still burn about 430 calories. (Worth noting: The number of calories you burn during any given workout depends on your age, weight, fitness level, and other factors.)

Whether you're looking to incorporate jumping rope into your fitness routine as a warm-up, finisher, or the main event,you'll want to take note of the high-tech jump rope that Amazon shoppers are obsessed with: the Tangram Smart Jump Rope Rookie (Buy It, $40, amazon.com). What makes the Rookie special is that it connects to the free SmartRope app (available on Android or iOS devices, as well as fitness wearables), which receives and relays your workout information in real time. The smart jump rope keeps track of your daily rope count, calories, time, and goal achievement — so you don't have to. (

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The Tangram smart jump rope (which is powered by a coin battery that can last up to nine months) automatically powers on when you start to swing it. It has magnetic sensors in the handles that detect full revolutions of the rope to track each jump. The app packs tons of features: try their sample interval jump rope workouts or check your ranking among SmartRope users around the globe. You can even compete with other users or friends who also have the Tangram Smart Jump Rope — a fun way to motivate yourself and others to keep up the momentum for home workouts, even when you might rather binge Bridgerton.

Over 750 shoppers have given this smart jump rope a five-star rating, claiming that it seamlessly pairs with the app, and that they love how it counts their calories and jumps. Even better? Many customers reported that other jump ropes they've previously bought were way too long, but that the Tangram Smart Jump Rope Rookie is easily adjustable (it's 9'10" to start) and accommodates people of most sizes. (

One reviewer wrote: "I wanted to get something to do some workouts at home since gyms are all closed right now. This is easy to use and connect to the app. I like the app because it monitors how many jumps, how long you jumped for, and lets you set goals for yourself similar to how your apple watch or similar device has step goals. If you had other friends that have this product you could even compete with them using the app. The "rope" part is adjustable which is good because I am only 4'11 so the rope was superrr long when I got it. I think this is perfect for some simple at home workouts."

"The rope is adjustable, which is perfect because I bought one prior to this one and it was too long. I also love that it counts my calories and jumps. This jump rope also has the ability to make competitions with yourself and others. Overall, this is a pretty cool jump rope and a dope invention," wrote another.

While the Tangram is certainly a splurge compared to regular jump ropes (for instance, Amazon's best-selling jump rope is just $11), the tracking abilities make it worth the $40 price tag, according to reviewers. Several shoppers also noted that they took their jump roping to an even ~fancier~ level, by purchasing the brand's LED embedded jump rope (Buy It, $80, amazon.com), which actually displays your jump count in mid-air as you exercise. Cool, right? But, if you don't want to fork over almost a hundred bucks (yikes!), you can't go wrong with the simpler, yet just as neat Tangram Smart Jump Rope Rookie.