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Does Jumping On A Trampoline Build Muscle & Which Are Used To Jump

Does Jumping On A Trampoline Build Muscle

Exercising on a trampoline is usually done to improve cardiovascular fitness. But does jumping on a trampoline build muscle? In this article we’ll provide a definitive answer to that question and examine exactly what muscle groups are used during trampoline exercises. Read on to find out precisely what trampoline jumping can do for your muscle building efforts. 

Yes, jumping on a trampoline does build muscle. However, it will not do so to a very large extent. Building muscle requires that your muscles are exercised against a progressively increasing resistance that places stress upon them and forces them to adapt. When you first start exercising on a trampoline, you can build a little bit of muscle if you are an untrained person. If you are using a mini trampoline for your trampoline workouts you can build more muscle by doing dumbbell exercises as you jump up and down.

Jumping: Muscles Used

Jumping Muscles Used

During a trampoline session, you will activate nearly all of the muscles of your body so it provides a full body exercise. Trampoline jumping involves several movements involving both the legs and the upper body. These include hip extension, knee extension, ankle plantar flexion and shoulder abduction.

Here is a breakdown of the muscles involved:

Abdominal Muscles

Abdominal Muscles

Your tramp workout will actively involve the rectus abdominis, along with the other core muscles. Every time you jump up, you will be contracting your abs. Then as you return to the trampoline mat, you’ll be extending them. These combined actions exercise your abdominals through their full range of motion to make them stronger. 

Many people find that they end up with tightness in the abs after an extended trampoline workout. Performing tuck jumps as part of your tramp cardio exercise is one of the best ways to engage your abdominals without placing any strain on your neck or lower back.

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Back & Shoulders

Although exercising on a tramp is not directly working the upper body musculature, your deltoids and upper back muscles will contract when you jump up and then relax on the way down. This allows you to move them through their range of motion. However, because you do not have the same resistance as you would when working out with weights in the gym, there is minimal benefit in terms of strength and muscle development.

You can add a muscle building element by holding on to a pair of dumbbells during your trampoline jumping and performing exercises like shoulder presses and dumbbell curls.

Lower Body

Trampoline bouncing will target your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps and calves. Your entire lower body will become stronger and more toned as a result of trampoline exercise. Trampoline bouncing has the added benefits of being low-impact, so there is minimal stress on the joints.

To provide an even more intense workout for your leg muscles, we recommend wearing ankle weights while you are working out.

Glutes

Glutes Trampoline

The glutes, otherwise known as the buttocks, extend the hips forward and backward. That means that they are directly involved in every jumping movement. Your glutes are the largest muscle in your body. Yet, in many people they are chronically undertrained. Exercises such as trampoline jumps are an excellent way to strengthen the glutes.

Quadriceps

Quadriceps Trampoline

Your quadriceps, or thighs, are a four headed muscle group that runs along the femur, or upper leg bone, between the hips and the knee. Their main job is knee extension. So every time you bring your knees up while doing trampoline jumps, you are working your quadricep muscles. By strengthening these muscles you will be going a long way toward supporting the knee joint and avoiding knee problems.

Hamstring

Hamstring Trampoline

The hamstrings are a two-headed muscle group that sits on the back of your upper legs, running from the hips to the knee. Whenever the quadriceps are loaded, the hamstrings are inactive and vice versa. So, when you are jumping, the hamstrings are not involved but they are on the way down.

Many people, including athletes, do not give as much attention to training the hamstrings as they do the quadriceps. This can result in a muscle imbalance that can lead to injury, such as straining a hamstring. Exercising on a treadmill can help to prevent this from happening.

Calf

Calf Trampoline

Over the course of a 30 minute trampoline jumping workout, your calves will be contracting and extending thousands of times. This will make them stronger and larger. 

Heart

Heart Trampoline

Your heart is known as a muscular organ, being made of cardiac muscle tissue. It gets an excellent workout during a trampoline bouncing session. As a result, your cardiovascular health and your entire cardiovascular system will benefit. That’s because the heart will be forced to pump blood through the whole body more vigorously, making it stronger.

Rebounding on a tramp will also help to avoid chronic edema, which results from blood pooling in the veins. Other health benefits of jumping on a trampoline include improved bone density, calorie burning, strengthening the immune system and improved functioning of the lymphatic system. Go here to find out how many calories it burns.

Conclusion

So, does jumping on a trampoline build muscle? The answer is yes but not very much. That doesn’t mean, however, that working out on a tramp is a waste of time. As we’ve seen in this article, there are many muscle related benefits to this type of exercise. It will strengthen the legs, give your core and abs a good workout and move your upper body muscles through their full range. Perhaps most importantly of all, vertical jumping on a tramp is a very good way to work your most important muscular organ – your heart.