One of the biggest joys of childhood that I can remember is whenever I got to go to someone’s house who had a trampoline in their backyard. There’s nothing quite like bouncing as high as you possibly can, enjoying a moment of weightlessness, and then free falling back down just to do it again and again. And as fun as it was, it was great exercise too. Rebounding takes the joy of trampoline bouncing and makes it convenient for adults to get the same benefits of this form of exercise, either from a rebounding class or the comfort of your own home. (Youtube has lots of free rebounding workout videos to follow along with!)

A rebounding trampoline is a mini trampoline that’s easy to store under a bed and doesn’t take up much space. And just a 15-20 minute rebounding session, is a great cardio AND weight bearing workout, will burn calories, promote lymphatic drainage, and is easy on the joints making it a great option for most people regardless of age or fitness level.   

Cardio and Muscle Building Effects

Usually an exercise with great cardiovascular benefits doesn’t have optimal muscle building effects when done alone and vice versa. But rebounding has both because as well as getting our heart rates up, it’s also a weight bearing activity which means we’re building up the muscles in our legs, core, back and shoulders. It’s a great way to tone up and burn calories at the same time!

Weight Loss

If shedding pounds is your goal, studies suggest that rebounding is even more effective at burning fat than running! And because you’ll be building muscle at the same time (because rebounding is also a weight bearing exercise), you’ll keep burning calories even off of the rebounder. This means it’s a more effective workout for losing weight than just cardio or strength training alone. 

Lymphatic Drainage

In a nutshell, lymph fluid is a colorless fluid that drains from our organs and contains all of the garbage that our body is trying to get rid of. This includes damaged cells, germs, and even cancer cells. White blood cells are also transported by lymph fluid which helps us fight infection. But sitting all day causes lymph fluid to become stagnant which means all of the garbage in the fluid is trapped in our bodies. Not good. Rebounding is a great way to get our lymph fluid moving so that the garbage can drain and we can feel our best. 

And the most effective way to make this happen isn’t even by rigorously jumping fast and high but what the rebounding community calls the “health bounce.” This is gentle bouncing with your feet staying on the mat for 2-3 minutes at a time and then gradually working your way up. Eventually you can increase to higher jumps but your feet should never be more than 6 inches off that mat. 10 to 15 minutes a day is all it takes to promote lymphatic drainage and boost your immune system. 

Easy on the joints

Lots of muscle building and cardio exercises like weight lifting, running, HIIT, and crossfit can do a number on our joints. Anything that puts a lot of impact on our ankles, knees, hips and so on is known to eventually cause pain in the long run. Rebounding, however, is a muscle-building cardio workout that is very low-impact. That means that the strain on our joints is minimal when rebounding and pain should never be the outcome.

All of these reasons are why I make rebounding a regular part of my workout routine. It’s quick, it’s fun, and I can do it while watching TV! The benefits are absolutely worth investing in a rebounder or taking a local class to get healthy and feel like a kid again!