Most people think of jumping on a trampoline as a fun activity to be enjoyed on a sunny afternoon. And whilst it certainly is that, what you may not realize is that trampoline jumping is also a fantastic form of exercise. A 30 minute session on the trampoline will burn as many calories as running for the same time at 10 kilometers per hour. At the same time, it works every muscle in your body without the impact problems that come with so many alternative exercise options. In this article, we reveal the many benefits of jumping on a trampoline.
Table Of Contents
- 1 Trampoline Exercise & Health Benefits
- 2 Low Impact Cardiovascular Exercise
- 3 Which Muscles Get A Work Out
- 4 How It Improves Flexibility And Strength
- 5 Oxygen Circulation And Lymphatic Flow
- 6 Benefits For Coordination, Balance & Posture
- 7 Other Health Benefits Of Trampoline Exercise
- 8 Frequently Asked Questions
- 9 Conclusion
Trampoline Exercise & Health Benefits
A session on the trampoline provides an excellent aerobic workout – you will burn a lot of calories while you’re bouncing up and down. According to a NASA study, working out on a treadmill is 68% more beneficial than jogging, and the study showed that, for the same level of exertion in terms of VO2 and heart rate, there was a significantly greater level of biomechanical activation on the tramp. Check here how long it takes to walk 3 miles.
Trampoline exercises provide a low impact way to get in your workout. It also increases the body’s lymphatic flow, helping to remove toxins from the body. Your muscles will also become stronger and you will increase muscle mass. At the same time, your flexibility, balance and coordination will all improve as a result of your tramp sessions.
Working out on a treadmill is a fun, engaging way to get in your workout. That’s important because the more you look forward to your chosen exercise type, the more consistent you will be with it. And don’t think that you have to invest in a large family-style trampoline to benefit. Those small rebounder type tramps will also give you an excellent workout.
Low Impact Cardiovascular Exercise
When you jump on a trampoline the spring in the tramp mat absorbs the impact of your body weight. That’s huge because it eliminates the shock absorption which is part of the territory with any type of aerobic exercise that you do on solid ground. The impact on your ankles, knees and hips will be greatly reduced when you choose the tramp as your cardio workout choice.
Trampoline exercises have been shown to burn roughly the same number of calories as running for the same length of time. However, when you start adding extra exercise to your routine, you will burn even more calories. Start off with star jumps and then throw in such moves as tuck jumps, high knees and flips.
Jumping on a treadmill will also improve your cardiovascular system fitness.
Which Muscles Get A Work Out
When you jump up and down on a trampoline you are working your entire body. The leg muscles get worked more than the upper body, with an emphasis on the quadriceps and calves. Secondary work is taken by the glutes and hamstrings. When you’re on the trampoline, you are performing many more repetitions per minute than you would be with any other form of exercise. This repetitive action will strengthen and tone and build muscle, while also giving you stronger bones.
Working out on a treadmill provides you with a very good core workout, engaging your abdominals, as well as the external obliques and intercostals, especially when you do twisting moves. Even when you land, you will also be working your abs and your erector spinae (lower back) muscles.
Simply jumping up and down will not do a whole lot to engage your chest, shoulder and arm muscles. You can get them involved by using a pair of hand weights to perform such exercises as curls and chest presses as you are jumping.
How It Improves Flexibility And Strength
Improving your flexibility is usually not a lot of fun. When you perform trampoline exercise, however, increased flexibility comes as a bonus. Your session will improve the range of motion of your calves and quads as well as improving hip mobility.
You can get even greater flexibility from your tramp by using it as a surface to do stretching on. The elastic nature of the trampoline mat provides the give required to maximize your stretching exercise session. Begin by doing gentle static stretching exercises where you hold a contracted position for 10-15 seconds. Add in dynamic stretches where you move a limb through its entire range of motion.
The constant repetition of the jumping movement on the trampoline will make the muscles of your lower body stronger. This will especially engage the calves and quads. After a few months, however, your body will be used to that level of resistance and will have no need to get any stronger. To compensate for this, you should wear a weight vest or hold hand weights while you are exercising on the trampoline.
Oxygen Circulation And Lymphatic Flow
Your body’s ability to take in oxygen and utilize it in the body will be greatly improved when you exercise on a tramp. This increased oxygenation will improve your immune system, making you less likely to come down with a cold or the flu.
Working out on a trampoline will also improve the functioning of your lymphatic system and boost your blood flow. That’s the system that regulates the balance of fluids in your body. It gets rid of toxins and other waste products as well as releasing lymphocytes into your bloodstream. These lymphocytes will enhance your body’s immune system. The jumping up and down that happens on a trampoline will open and close the lymph valve, increasing the release of lymphocytes into the bloodstream
Just ten minutes of exercise on a trampoline has been shown to triple the amount of lymphocytes circulating in the bloodstream.
Benefits For Coordination, Balance & Posture
Your posture will improve when you exercise on a tramp. You will strengthen your abs and lower back, which will help you stand more upright. This will help to correct the hunched over posture which is a common side effect of our computer based lifestyles.
The more time you spend on a tramp, the more confident you will be with controlling the movement of your body – this is known as proprioception. As a result, you will have greater agility and balance. This will help you if you begin to fall, allowing you to correct yourself and prevent an accident from occurring.
Because exercising on a tramp works your entire body as a complete unit, this type of workout will also enhance the ability of your muscles to work together.
Other Health Benefits Of Trampoline Exercise
Jumping on a trampoline can bring a whole host more to your whole body.
Weight loss
In addition to the health and fitness benefits already described, jumping on a tramp will help in losing weight. The energy expenditure that you get from a half hour workout will burn a lot of calories, while also bringing on the enhanced post exercise oxygen consumption (epoc) effect that increases your post exercise metabolism. That will help you achieve the daily negative calorie balance which is the key to losing weight.
Eye Muscles
An unusual benefit of exercising on a trampoline is that it will increase the strength of your eye muscles. That’s because the increased G-force that is generated will improve the quality of the eye lens cells. Exercising on a large or mini trampoline will also strengthen your ocular nerves.
Pelvic Floor
Exercising on a trampoline will strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. These are the muscles that control the bladder, the bowels and, in females, the uterus. Among them are the sphincter, which controls the activity of the bladder. Sexual arousal is also controlled by the pelvic floor muscles. As we age, our pelvic floor muscles become weaker and less efficient. Spending time on a tramp will go a long way to reversing this. The constant jumping up and down that happens when you rebound causes the pelvic floor muscles to contract multiple times. That provides a workout to those muscles that makes them stronger.
Bone Density
Rebounding exercise will also enhance your bone density. As we age we lose bone density, making the gentle exercise of tramp jumping ideal for seniors needing to boost their bone mass.
Energy
A final benefit of exercising on a trampoline is that it will actually increase your energy levels. The mitochondrial count in your cells will be increased, providing more available energy to be used by the body.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Is Jumping On A Trampoline Good For You?
Jumping on a trampoline is good for you because it does a great job of working your cardiovascular system while being joint friendly. It also burns a lot of calories, improves your flexibility, strengthens your muscles and boosts your oxidative and lymphatic systems. On top of all that, trampolining is a fun, engaging activity.
Does Jumping On A Trampoline Count As Cardio?
Yes, jumping on a trampoline definitely counts as cardio. Tramp jumping works your cardiovascular system while also burning calories, which are the key requirements of cardio. Trampoline jumping is a preferred cardio activity for some as the springs eliminate shock absorption which reduces impact on your joints such as knees and ankles.
Is Trampolining Better Than Running?
Trampolining could be considered better than running if your goal is to get a good low impact cardio workout that burns plenty of calories. Trampoline exercise is more friendly on your ankles, knees and hips than running while burning the same amount of calories. It can therefore be considered a good weight loss activity.
How Long Should I Jump On A Trampoline To Lose Weight?
You should set a goal to burn about 250 calories through exercise per day for weight loss. To do that you will have to exercise on the tramp for about 30 minutes every day. The exact amount of weight loss you will experience is down to a lot of different factors – but trampoline exercise can definitely help.
Does Trampolining Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor?
Yes, jumping on a trampoline will strengthen your pelvic floor. Every time you rebound on the tramp, your pelvic floor will tighten. The repeated contraction that you get with a trampoline workout will therefore strengthen and tone the pelvic floor muscles over time. There are other ways to strengthen your pelvic floor alongside trampolining.
Conclusion
The trampoline is a fantastic workout tool for cardiovascular health. Whether you’re jumping on a family sized tramp or a small rebounder, a daily tramp workout will improve your cardio fitness, help you to lose weight, boost your flexibility and coordination, help with blood flow, increase bone density and enhance your body’s immune system. Add trampoline sessions to your workout routine to revamp your workouts and enjoy the many benefits of jumping on a trampoline.
