What Is Trampoline Exercise?

Trampoline exercise? Yes, trampoline exercise. Most people don’t even know that a trampoline can be used as a workout tool or a standalone exercise. You can’t really blame them either. The media fills our heads with the notion that the only exercises worth pursuing consists of the big 3 which are jogging, gym, and bicycling (A.K.A. Spin Classes). Unfortunately, most people don’t often think outside the box when it comes to exercise. This often results in a boring workout routine in a desperate attempt to stay in shape. We all know that a boring workout routine can lead to premature quitting. Yet people often only associate these certain programs or exercise with getting desired results such as weight loss or toning. It’s a shame, but now that we have you reading this article, perhaps we can open your eyes to the wonderful world of trampoline exercise.

When did trampolining become a form of exercise? A long time ago! It all began back in the 1980’s when N.A.S.A. (Yes, that NASA) figured out that “rebounding” is a fantastic workout to improve oxygenation to the blood cells. This, along with the newly discovered benefits including improved co-ordination and special awareness, made trampoline exercise a perfect workout for pilots and astronauts. Especially those astronauts coming back from their adventures in space who needed to re-build their muscle strength and control once returning to the normal gravity of earth.

What kind of trampolines can you use for exercise? All of them! Trampolines come in all sorts of styles from backyard trampolines which offer a basic low bounce,  rebounders which can be purchased and used in the home, to high performance trampolines like the ones found in professional trampoline facilities such as Airborne Trampoline. Each type of trampoline has a different feel and provides a different experience when exercising. For example, rebounders allow the jumper to hop around in their living room, bedroom, basement or office. This workout generally consists of jumping up and down in order to improve blood circulation and lymphatic system. While easy to do, the benefits really stop there. Next we move on to backyard trampolines. These trampolines are basically just large rebounders. Some come with safety netting built around them and can be purchased at many big box stores. Jumping on these trampolines ads the benefit of an aerobic workout as they allow you to jump higher and more intensely than on a rebounder. Finally, we come to high performance trampolines. These types of trampolines are found in professional gymnastics and trampoline facilities such as Airborne Trampoline Woodbridge. These trampolines are designed for more than just hopping up and down. They offer a fantastic bouncing experience which is low impact, high energy, and very forgiving. They allow the highest bounce out of all the trampolines listed, and are widely regarded as the finest trampolines in the world.

What kinds of trampoline exercise can you do? Well let’s start with the basics. Jump! Jump! Jump! That’s all there is to it. Once you get good at that part, you can move on to plenty of other fun things. For example, Airborne Trampoline offers trampoline classes which mix the aerobic workout of trampolining with the fun of learning some impressive tricks and skills on the trampolines. These types of trampoline exercise programs can only be done in facilities like Airborne Trampoline. This is due to the certification requirements of the trampoline coaches who run and teach these fantastic programs. All of Airborne’s coaches are Trampoline Certified through Gymnastics Ontario which teaches them the skills and techniques to guide Airborne’s jumpers safely through all the amazing tricks and skills including landing on your back, bum, stomach, and flipping through the air. Adding these types of skills to your trampoline workout experience brings a new dynamic to trampoline exercise. For example…

• Landing on your back and bouncing back up to your feet is a fantastic ab workout.
• Tuck Jumps work the butt and abs without the back pain involved with crunches.
• Pike Jumps build flexibility in the legs much like yoga stretches.
• Swivel Hips works the entire mid-section of your body including abs, glutes, and back.
• Stop Bounces build strength in the legs.

If you don’t know what any of those tricks we mentioned are, jump over to Airborne Trampolines  YouTube Channel and watch some fun videos. Maybe even check out a class in Airborne’s Recreational Trampoline Class program.

That’s all there is to it. We hope to see you all jumping on a trampoline in the near future. Thanks for reading!