Rigby native launches third fitness product and it’s a massive success on Kickstarter
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IDAHO FALLS — First there was CrossGrips. Then RYZE-UPS. Now there’s HYPERBELL and, by the looks of a Kickstarter campaign, the three-in-one dumbbell converter is a massive success.
Rigby native Ethan Abbott is behind all three fitness products launched within the past few years. Each is designed to “maximize your workout, while minimizing the amount of space and money you spend.”
HYPERBELL is a polycarbonate clamp that attaches to any dumbbell and connects to a bar or kettlebell handle. Polycarbonate is the same material used in bulletproof glass and police shields.
Kickstarter campaigns are used to help inventors raise money for projects. A target dollar amount is set and must be reached by a certain date for the invention to move forward. Those who donate are guaranteed the product if the goal is met.
Abbott launched HYPERBELL on Kickstarter May 18 with a goal of collecting $20,000 within 30 days. Instead, he reached the amount in 30 minutes and, as of Wednesday afternoon, a whopping $446,130 had been raised.
“It’s one of the top 1% of all Kickstarter projects and one of the top fitness products of all time,” Abbott tells EastIdahoNews.com. “These funds will allow us to move forward with HYPERBELL, launch the concept and have it out to our customers later this year.”
Abbott and his wife, Kinsee, now live in Utah and first introduced the world to their fitness products in 2018. They launched CrossGrips by Jayflex and raised $170,000 on Kickstarter. The “multi-gym fitness handles” can be used for pull-ups, sit-ups and push-ups.
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Last summer, they created RYZE-UPS – pull-up handles that fold to the size of a book and lock on to nearly any door. Nearly $250,000 was pledged within 30 days with customers purchasing from the United States and dozens of other countries. Both items have been so successful that Abbott quit his job and is now working full-time building JayFlex.
“People like our products enough that I took a leap of faith and left my corporate job,” he says. “We want to give people the tools that allow them to be fit and get all results that come through fitness.”
Abbott credits part of his success to the COVID-19 pandemic when people were forced to get creative while exercising at home. Gym equipment was nearly impossible to find and he couldn’t keep CrossGrips or RYZE-UPS in stock.
“The question was how do we use weights people have to create an entire gym rather than having to buy more plates and kettlebells and other things,” Abbott explains. “HYPERBELL allows that without needing all the other stuff.”
Early bird packages for HYPERBELL range from $39 to $159. All JayFlex products are manufactured in Utah and those who contribute will receive their items in December.
Abbott says his business is just getting started and he has a goal of creating more affordable exercise equipment that can be easy to transport and used in small spaces.
“This is more than just building muscles. I feel fitness is such a critical factor when it comes to mental health, self-confidence and discipline,” Abbott says. “I’ve been in low places mentally or in small apartments with no money knowing I wanted to work out but I didn’t have the equipment to do it. Now I want to give people the tools that allow them to be fit and get all results that come through fitness.”
Find out more about HYPERBELL here.