What Is A Rebounder Exercise?

Rebounder exercises performed on a mini trampoline offer a variety of health and fitness benefits. As you jump up and down on the trampoline, forces of acceleration and gravity stimulate your body's cells. To add rebounding to your weekly exercise routine, look for a mini trampoline with a taut surface.

Types

You can perform a variety of rebounder exercises on a mini trampoline. Beginners can bounce gently on the trampoline without lifting their feet from the trampoline's surface. This gentle bouncing motion provides many of the same benefits as more intense rebounder exercises.

Once you feel comfortable with the trampoline, progress to a full jumping motion in which you lift both feet from the trampoline at the same time. You can also jog or spring in place on the trampoline by lifting your feet in an alternating rhythm.

Try to lift your knees up high with each step or kick your feet toward your bottom for an added challenge. Start with five minute workouts on the trampoline and progress to longer workouts as you grow stronger.

Benefits

Rebounder exercises can provide a moderate intensity cardio workout. Like other forms of aerobic exercise, rebounder workouts can help you manage your weight, lower your cholesterol and improve your mood and energy levels. Rebounder exercises will also help you develop better balance, stability and coordination. Each time you land on the trampoline, you must use your leg and foot muscles to stabilize yourself.

According to Minna Lessig on the CBS Early Show, mini trampoline exercises can also stimulate your lymphatic system. A healthy lymphatic system will remove waste from your body's cells more efficiently and will thereby help strengthen your immune system. Morton Walker's book "Jumping for Health" suggests that rebounder exercises can also promote more efficient oxygen circulation throughout your body, thus promoting deeper breathing and relaxation.

Features

Most mini trampolines measure only 38 or 48 inches in diameter, and many fold up for easier portability and storage. If you like to exercise at home, the mini trampoline offers a a space-efficient alternative to larger and bulkier machines like the elliptical or treadmill. You can complete your rebounder workout while listening to music or watching your favorite tv show.

Considerations

Rebounder exercises provide a low-impact form of weight-bearing exercise. The flexibility of the trampoline's surface reduces the impact of your landing, but you must support your own weight and work against gravity as you jump. The National Osteoporosis Foundation suggests that working against gravity and supporting your own weight in exercise can help you build and maintain strong bones. Though higher-impact forms of exercise are best for building strong bones, low-impact exercises offer a good alternative for people with osteoporosis or arthritis.

Expert Insight

In a 1980 article in the "Journal of Applied Physiology," NASA published research and statements supporting the efficiency of rebounder exercise. The article states, "...for similar levels of heart rate and oxygen consumption, the magnitude of the biomechanical stimuli is greater with jumping on a trampoline than with running..."