Rebounding, or jumping on a mini trampoline, has become the ideal workout for people who want to stay fit but don’t have space at home for clunky exercise equipment like the treadmill or elliptical trainer. Depending on what you do with your trampoline, you can work different muscles in your body. Rebounder exercises build bone density, improve muscle tone and improve cardiovascular fitness.
Core Muscles
Your rectus abdominus, obliques and erector spinae muscles are all used during jumping movements on the rebounder. These muscles help keep you upright and balanced during the jumps and support your spine. If you perform “tucks,” a move where you bring your knees up into your chest as you jump high into the air, you work your abdominal muscles even more than you do with plain jumping.
Heart Muscle
Rebounding is cardiovascular exercise. Jogging on the rebounder works the heart and lungs as efficiently as on a treadmill, but with less impact. According to JumpSport, a 150-pound person burns 82 calories while jogging on a rebounder, compared to 71 calories burned while jogging for 12 minutes at 5 miles per hour.
Upper Body
The rebounder works the deltoid and trapezius muscles in the shoulders and upper back when you lift your arms to give power to your jump. These muscles bring your arms up over your head. When you jog on the treadmill, you work these muscles to bring the arm forward and back.
Lower Body
When you run on the rebounder, you work your hamstrings, the muscles at the back of your thighs; the quadriceps, the muscles at the front of your thighs; the calf muscles, located at the back of your lower legs; and hip flexor muscles. These same muscles are used when you jump or bounce or do tucks on the mini trampoline.
Caution
For safety reasons, never use the rebounder in socks, as this can cause you to slip and fall. If you have balance problems, purchase a rebounder with an attached safety handle. Ensure your ceilings are high enough that you will not hit your head when you jump on your rebounder, and place the trampoline on level ground.
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