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Why You Should Add A Trampoline To Your Workout

Louis Coraggio
Author:
October 20, 2015
Louis Coraggio
Written by
October 20, 2015

Trampolines aren't just for kids these days. Trampoline-based workouts have been steadily gaining popularity across the country. These high-energy workouts are skill-based. "Rebounding" is the term used for working out with mini fitness trampolines.

To rebound properly, you have to maintain good bounce control while also focusing on jump height. The goal for each bounce is to focus on pressing down versus jumping up. When bouncing up and down, jumpers interact with three forces: acceleration, gravitational resistance, and deceleration. These factors increase overall health, making trampoline training an excellent fitness choice.

If you're interested in getting started with this type of workout, I recommend investing in a JumpSport mini trampoline, which costs anywhere from $200 to $399. I use the 200-series model, and they provide an excellent bounce! All of their trampolines are designed to not flip over, and can support up to 300 pounds.

Here are four reasons why it's time to give a trampoline workout a shot!

1. It's fun.

Trampoline training is nostalgic, this playground-like environment makes fitness fun and exercises are easily adaptable for a variety of fitness levels. Gravitational force fluctuates constantly. At the top of the bounce, g-force is 0 and the body becomes weightless for a fraction of a second. At the bottom of the bounce, g-force doubles, providing cellular and muscular stimulation. The versatility of the trampoline allows new movement patterns to be constantly developed and explored.

2. You can do a variety of dynamic exercises.

Exercising on a trampoline combines a variety of movements such as kicks, jumps, squats, arm sequences, hops on and off the trampoline, and more. All of these movements can incorporate rotations, reaction time, and intervals that blend stability, balance, power, and cardio endurance. Muscular toning intervals are also utilized with body weight, elastic, and hand weights.

3. It burns fat.

High-intensity training has been shown to be the most effective way to burn fat. Trampoline workouts allow people to work large leg muscles by jumping up and down. A variety of lunge jumps, squat jumps, and fitness-based jumps can be combined in short intervals. You’ll notice training on a trampoline will allow you to push yourself a little harder!

4. It's a low-impact workout.

Training on a trampoline will preserve your joints. When rebounding, the rebounder absorbs and decreases the amount of impact sustained by the joints. This helps reduce overuse injuries often associated with running. These workouts can also be performed barefoot, which can help strengthen foot muscles.

Since many readers might be beginners, here are a few safety tips to keep in mind. When bouncing, avoid bouncing too high or out of control. Staying low will help you better control the bounce, as will keeping your head erect and the eyes forward.

Watching yourself in a mirror is a good way to practice good posture and regulate a controlled bounce technique. Focus on lifting the feet off the trampoline one or two inches by performing a small knee tuck. The knees should be tucking when the feet leave the trampoline and straightening when the feet press into the trampoline. Constant knee movement is necessary for good form, while maintaining a skiers position (hips slightly pushed back with the chest slightly leaning forward).

When landing on the trampoline focus on landing on three aspects of the foot: the heel, big toe and pinky toe area. This helps stabilize the land and distributes the weight evenly. Start with an in-and-out bounce getting a sense of your work space from right to left. Then move on to a front to back bounce alternating legs, to get a sense of your work space front to back. Follow this with jumping jacks and knee tuck taps to get a sense of the trampolines reactive force. Always focus on maintaining the control of the bounce rather than the height of the bounce. Here is a video that may help you visualize the workout a bit better:

Do not eat 30 minutes before this type of workout. If you have weak ankles or pronated feet, you should wear sneakers. Otherwise, it's a great barefoot workout. Keep your core activated throughout jumping. The average person burns 10-15 calories a minute, depending on their exertion level! Now, it's time for you to get started.

Photo courtesy of the author

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