I reviewed the Bodyblade Pro. I am not going to review the Bodyblade Classic because other than the size (The Classic is shorter.) and the price (The Classic is $60.00 less.) the differences aren't enough to warrant a review. However the Bodyblade Lite is different enough for me to let you know the differences starting with the price. Due to the nature of comparing products there will be some overlap in reviews.

The Bodyblade Pro comes in at $159.00 while the Bodyblade Lite is only $49.00. That is a significant difference in price so why is that?

First, let's talk about the Bodyblade

The Bodyblade is a flexible bow-type piece of equipment.

The Bodyblade is great for rehab. I have had two rotator cuff injuries requiring a year or more of physical therapy. Perhaps if my therapist (or I) had the Bodyblade I would have gotten better faster. Using it works my core, balance, strength, flexibility, speed, and coordination. The Bodyblade is a device that looks like a blade. It is thinner on the ends than in the middle. When I hold it and move it (It takes a bit of practice.) the blade moves back and forth. I can feel my muscles trying to balance the blade.

It flexes quickly making my muscles contract. Because it forces my muscles into contraction stimulating them, my muscles get tired. Muscle fatigue is what anyone looking to strengthen the body will be going for.

I wouldn't be able to use the Bodyblade  for ½ an hour as I do with weights because personally I find the Bodyblad a bit boring. Another issue is that many of the exercises require more than one blade making this a costly piece of equipment. Still there are enough exercises to do with one blade that if you want to add something to your home gym that is different and if you are prone to injuries this would be the one to add.

Comparing and using the Pro and the Lite

There is a one-year warranty on both the blades.

The Pro weighs about 2 1/2 pounds the Lite is about 1 pound.

They both come with an exercise wall chart and DVD.

A huge difference is the length. The Pro is 60 inches long and the Lite is only 32 inches long. I will get into what this means later.

The Lite only comes in yellow. You can get a black Pro.

Another significant difference is that the variable resistance level (You use your own body to move the blades.) is 1 to 5 pounds on the Bodyblade Lite while the Pro is 1 to 24 pounds. You may be wondering what I mean when I use these numbers. After all the Lite weighs only 1 pound so how would it give me 5 pounds of resistance. To help you understand it I will use resistance bands as an example. A resistance band is very very light yet it can give you "the feeling" of 15 pounds (Just an example) if, for example, you step on it and do bicep curls. The Bodyblade uses the same concept. How it is held, how fast I move it, the exercise I do translate to "a number in pounds" that you might be using if the Bodyblade were a weight.

The two models are made the same. The middle of the blade is where I hold it. I find it comfortable to hold and easy to use. I control the intensity and how fast I want the blade to go in any exercise I am doing. The Lite certainly feels different to me than the Pro.

Who is this for?

The Lite clearly targets a different audience when it comes to performance. Both are used and recommended for rehabilitation but the Lite is for seniors and children.

Some exercises with one Bodyblade

The golf sequence: Holding the blade like a golf club move through the swing but stop in stages throughout the move which will give you a core exercise as well as shoulder and speed work. 

Ab, hip and thigh: In a standing position, hold the Bodyblade vertically with both hands and the narrow edge facing you. Move the Bodyblade left and right, in front of you. The entire body is challenged with this one!
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Crunch on the floor (abs): I sit down with my heels lightly touching the floor in a crunch position but sitting up more than I normally would. The Bodyblade is in front of me so I am holding the middle of the blade and it looks flat in front of me. I raise my feet off the floor and really feel a burn.

Chest press: I hold the blade about chest high with my hands down around the middle of the blade and my legs shoulder width apart. With a push/pull motion the blade starts to pulse. I change positions going from higher to lower around my chest area.

Jo's final thoughts

I read some research while writing this review and the studies are not terrific for the Bodyblade.  I am recommending the Bodyblade Lite; however, for seniors (70 and up or however you define yourself.), children over the age of 8, and post-rehab. I think for those three populations this is a good buy. It may be something that seniors will use where as they will not use weights because they do not know how or are just intimidated by them.

A summary of the Bodyblades:

The Bodyblade comes in 3 main variations: Bodyblade Lite, Bodyblade Classic and Bodyblade Pro. The differences are the length of the blade and the resistance offered.

All my fitness reviews can be found here.


http://www0.epinions.com/reviews/Bodyblade_Lite_epi

Recommended: Yes