The strain rate-dependent finite deformation behavior of three types of rubber under tension and compression are experimentally characterized using a Hopkinson bar. Based on the measured data, a frame-independent incompressible visco-hyperelastic constitutive equation is proposed to describe the tensile and compressive responses of rubber under high strain rates. The equation comprises two parts: a three-parameter component based on an elastic strain energy potential, to characterize static hyperelastic behavior, and another with four parameters, developed from the BKZ model, to define rate sensitivity and strain history dependence. Established static and dynamic experimental techniques are employed to determine the seven parameters in the constitutive relationship. Comparison of predictions based on the proposed model with experiments shows that it is able to describe the visco-hyperelastic behavior of rubber-like materials under high strain rates. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.