With all the dignity a teenager can muster, I would inform them it was actually an Olympic sport, and that I’d like to see them try a double-twisting, double-somersault while nine meters in the air.

Trampolining Trend

For a long time trampolining was the purview of a select group of elite athletes, as well as a few kids whose parents didn’t mind the risk of broken bones from a backyard trampoline. But there has been a resurgence of trampolining -sometimes called rebounding – across my country of Australia, and elsewhere around the globe. Here, we have numerous centers like Bounce and Flip Out, rebounding exercise programs, bungee trampolines as rides at festivals, and many safety innovations in the humble backyard trampoline. Trampolining is now accessible to everyone.

“NASA’s research found that ten minutes on a trampoline was a better workout than thirty minutes of running.”

With that accessability has gradually come a change in the way we view the activity. It is no longer the domain of only children or elite athletes. It is now a legitimate form of exercise in its own right. Below are some of the reasons you should add a little bit of bouncing to your exercise routine.

It’s Just Great Exercise

Trampolining is both an effective and efficient way to work out. In fact, NASA recommends rebounding for all its astronauts. Their research found that ten minutes on a trampoline was a better workout than thirty minutes of running.

It’s Low Impact

A commonly held misconception about the trampoline is that because you are jumping high there is a lot of impact on the body. But in actuality, the bed of the trampoline absorbs approximately 80% of the rebound shock – sparing your joints from the impact. This makes rebounding the perfect form of exercise for growing kids, rehabbing athletes, your grandmother, and those of us with joints that complain from time to time.

It Makes You Strong and Stable

Not only will you build incredible jumping muscles (think quads, calves, and glutes), but you also have to engage your core constantly to stay balanced. Forget those plank exercises, trampolining will give you great stabilizing muscles throughout your core.

It Works Your Pelvic Floor Muscles

I know many women who say they will never get on a trampoline after having kids because they experience issues with leaking. But the trampoline is actually an excellent tool for fixing this problem. Every time you land on the trampoline, your pelvic floor has to contract to keep everything in place. While it could be embarrassing to jump straight back onto the trampoline with your kids, starting with some gentle rebounding (your feet don’t even have to leave the surface at first) can be a great way for moms to build those muscles back up.

It Creates Strong Bones

Increasing bone density works the same way as building muscles – you stress the bone, which then encourages your body to reinforce and strengthen your bones so they can deal with greater stress the next time. There are two ways to positively stress your bones in order to increase bone density: resistance training or impact training. Trampolining falls into the impact category. But unlike other impact activities like running or skipping, it doesn’t stress your joints. Add trampolining to your resistance program to build strong bones, protect against osteoporosis, and reduce the risk of fractures.

“Admit it – your inner child secretly wants to get in that jumping castle at the party, launch into the foam pit at the gymastics center, or try out a flip on your neighbor’s backyard trampoline.“

It Builds Coordination and Spatial Awareness

Jumping requires your whole body to move together in a coordinated way. We’ve probably all had a little laugh at kids who don’t understand how to coordinate their body properly – they lift their knees really high, pump their arms up and down, and move about two centimenters off the trampoline. Conversely, you’ll notice that kids with a background in gymnastics, diving, dance, or trampolining typically pick up new sports quicker than other children. This is because trampolining, especially when you add some tricks and somersaults, forces your brian to develop a new understanding of your body – an understanding of where each of your body parts is in space and of how to move each of those parts in a coherent, linked way. Qualities we commonly refer to as spatial awareness and coordination.

It Improves Your Immune System

Your lymphatic system is responsible for clearing toxins out of your body, producing white blood cells, and protecting your body from disease. Unlike the cardiovascular system, which has the heart to pump blood around the body, your lymphatic system requires movement and gravity in order to stimulate the flow of lymph fluid through numerous one-way valves. Rebounding is one of the most efficient ways to do this. Bouncing causes all those one-way valves to open and close increasing the flow of this system by as much as fifteen times.

It Makes You Smarter

A chiropractor first told me this and I have to admit to disbelief until I went and researched it. There are numerous studies that demonstrate exercise in general improves mental performance in areas such as focus, memory, and mood. Trampolining adds to this in several ways:

1. The action of bouncing aids the development of young children’s neural pathways.
2. The additional element of the spatial awareness required means more areas of your brain needs to be active compared to other forms of exercise. This means more neurons are firing in your brain on a regular basis (more neurons = smarter).
3. The effort required to keep your eyes focused while your body is in motion is linked to the ability to keep the eyes moving while the body is still. Essentially,the ability to track words when reading.

“Forget those plank exercises, trampolining will give you great stabilizing muscles throughout your core.”

It’s Fun

Admit it – your inner child secretly wants to get in that jumping castle at the party, launch into the foam pit at the gymastics center, or try out a flip on your neighbor’s backyard trampoline. Having fun and laughing are even good for you – reducing stress, improving blood pressure, and releasing endorphins.

Why Not Give It a Try?

So change up your exercise program with some trampolining. You can easily buy a rebounder trampoline, head to your nearest trampoline center (they’re popping up all over the world), buy a trampoline for your backyard, or even enroll in some lessons at a trampoline or gymnastics club.

But it’s time to get jumping – it’s not just for kids!

Read more on jumping for fun:

• Love at First Bounce: The Benefits of Rebounding
• How to Do Precision Jumps for Distance and Accuracy
• Friday Flicks: Damien Walters
• What’s New On Breaking Muscle Today

References:

1. A. Bhattacharya , E. P. McCutcheon , E. Shvartz , J. E. Greenleaf, “Body acceleration distribution and O2 uptake in humans during running and jumping,” Journal of Applied Physiology Nov 1980, 49: (5) 881-887, http://jap.physiology.org/content/49/5/881.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Bouncing: It’s Not Just for Kids appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Fast forward to twenty years later. My partner and I went on a vacation and stayed at an amazing house we found through the Airbnb website. Not only was this home hidden in nature and surrounded by tall pine trees and mountains, but they also had a rebounder. This was serendipitous because on our drive up we had a discussion about rebounding and if it was something we wanted to try. Now we had the perfect opportunity to test it out.

By the end of the weekend, we were both hooked and decided to research a couple of the higher end models on the market. After listening to the above podcast, I knew that I wanted a rebounder that used bungee cords instead of springs. Bungee cords help to optimize the gravitational resistance that is exerted on every cell in your body as you bounce. While spring cords on a rebounder are much less expensive, they are also harsher on your joints because the shorter suspension of steel springs offers less elasticity.

So, we were left with two choices as far as rebounders: the Bellicon or the JumpSport. After doing more research, watching videos, and listening to various podcasts, the Bellicon was chosen. Some people might think we’re crazy because it costs twice as much as many as the other rebounders on the market (starting at $750), but since we had actually demoed one for a few days and heard all the amazing reviews, it was a simple choice and one we do not regret.

The benefits of rebounding are endless, but share with you the five I feel to be the most important and life enhancing:

1. Full Body Detox

Rebounding gets your lymphatic system up and running and is a great way to start each day. It is the only exercise that strengthens, cleanses, and tones every cell in the body. The lymph system works according to our movement. Without movement, the toxins, poisons and heavy metals will lay stagnant in our body. Not flushing our lymphatic system is like filling your wastebasket with trash and letting it pile up for weeks on end. That is not a pretty site! But this is what is happening inside your body if you are not consciously moving it every day.

The way rebounding flushes the lymphatic system is by the constant up and down motion. This tension and relaxation phases in the musculature are transporting lymph a little further each time, all in the same direction. According to Bellicon:

On the summit of the bouncing curve, you are practically weightless and your muscles will relax completely. On the other hand the tension and relaxation phases in the musculature are transporting lymph – as well as blood – a little further each time. The valves make sure, that lymph is always pushed in the same direction. Apart from draining the lymph faster, this also leads to accelerated detoxification of the body and improved purging of waste from the body.

2. Weight Loss

Rebounding has been especially helpful for people who are not fans of cardio workouts. The gentle and constant up-and-down motion helps release an enzyme in your muscle cells that is responsible for splitting open fat cells and converting their contents into energy. Too much cardio can have a negative effect on your metabolism and slow it down after a prolonged period of time. Conversely, rebounding is a metabolic-supporting exercise where you can breath easily while doing it and not stress your metabolism. Basically, you body is not in a fight-or-flight state, so it is still able to convert your fat cells into usable energy and lose weight in the end.

3. Easy on the Joints

Rebounding is easy on the joints while still strengthening your internal and external body. It is especially encouraged for those who have osteoporosis, are overweight, or experience knee pain. Since bone density and bone mineralization are laid along axial lines of stress, the act of rebounding causes an acceleration and deceleration that happens on each jump. Because the acceleration and deceleration impacts every cell and muscle in the body, it acts as a whole-body exercise and helps to put angular stress on every bone that is attached to your muscles. Rebounding is also used with NASA astronauts to help regain bone density lost when they are in space. You can read more about that from a study conducted in 1980.

4. Improves Stability and Balance

Having a strong foundation of stability and balance is crucial to easily move through everyday life. The rebounder helps build up all your core muscles by actively engaging your mind-body connection through use of your ocular nerves and inner ear canal. Because your body is moving in directions it cannot always predict, it helps to put your physiology in a kinesthetic state of learning and reacting. Rebounding has even been incorporated into the training for professional boxers in the U.K. to jump on in between sets while at the gym. This has greatly increased the stability, balance, agility, timing, and coordination of many boxers.

5. It’s Fun!

I absolutely love my rebounder and never miss a day of jumping. I am usually on it for fifteen to twenty minutes a day. It is one of the best exercises I have ever experienced. After my first few days of jumping, I couldn’t believe the sore muscles I had (primarily in my core). Just goes to show that if you are an athlete or yogi, you can always benefit from stability training. I also love that it is easy on my joints and perfect for those days when I do not have the energy to hit the gym or take a run through the woods. It is perfect for quick bursts of movement if you work at home or can’t get outside, too. Another benefit is that it gets your intestinal track working quickly and improves your digestion and elimination daily. (Plus, our cats love the rebounder, too.)

The rebounder is beneficial for improving your overall healthy, agility, and longevity. Adults and kids of all ages and any fitness levels can use it. This is a great tool to use as an additional supplementation for any action sport or yoga practice. It is an investment, but it is worth the cost. I highly recommend adding rebounding to your daily exercise routine not only because of the many health benefits, but also for the pure joy of jumping!

References:

1. Bellicon USA. “The Best Exercise on Earth.” Accessed on April 5, 2014.

2. Empowered Sustenance. “The benefits of Rebounding (and how to do it correctly)!” Last modified Nov. 6, 2013.

3. Extreme Health Radio. “5 Benefits of Rebounding and why you should start Rebounding Today”. Last updated Nov. 16, 2011.

The post Love at First Bounce: The Benefits of Rebounding appeared first on Breaking Muscle.