7 Health Benefits of Using Trampolines for Fitness

Indoor fitness trampolineI remember as a kid visiting friends' homes and getting excited seeing the indoor rebounder trampolines. We didn't have a trampoline, but I loved using them. I couldn't believe there were indoor versions.

Little did I know they were purchased for my friends' parents so they could get in shape.

Indoor fitness trampolines aren't nearly as popular as treadmills or elliptical trainers, but they can be very effective at providing excellent workouts offering the same conveniences as other indoor fitness equipment (i.e. avoid bad weather, workout any time).

What many people don't realize is that rebounders can be used for more than just bouncing. Moreover, they provide more health benefits than merely cardio vascular benefits.
7 health benefits of using rebounders

1. Cardio

Bouncing is a good workout. It's also fairly low impact (not as low impact as an elliptical trainer ... but lower impact than running).

But, you aren't restricted to bouncing. You can walk-on-the-spot, run-on-the-spot, do jumping jacks ... much more than merely bouncing as people tend to do on a trampoline.

2. Detoxing

It's been reported that bouncing movement can be good for flushing toxins out of your body, especially from the lymphatic system. This can deliver an excellent detoxifying effect.

3. Balance training

It's hard enough standing on one leg on stable ground. Try it on a trampoline. You can easily incorporate many balance yoga poses into a rebounder workout.

4. Interval training

Interval training is simply a mix of high intensity and low intensity efforts during a workout. Like most fitness equipment, interval training is easily doable on a trampoline.

5. Core workouts

Most rebounders offer sufficient surface area for doing core/abdominal exercises. In fact, the flexi-surface offers an additional element to an abdominal workout. Moreover, it's comfortable. In a nutshell, rebounders are great for crunches, boat pose (soft on the buttocks), V-sit-ups, leg raises, bicycle crunches ... all with a little bounce and a lot more comfort.

6. Skipping

If you're into doing rope work, rebounders offer an interesting alternative to jumping rope on solid ground. It keeps you on your toes with different timing and because you stay in the air longer, you can experiment/practice with more complicated hand rope movements.

7. Martial Arts practice

If you're into martial arts, practicing kicks, blocks and punches work well on a rebounder. The bouncing surface helps you with balance and you can work on your control while in the air.

As you can see, there's quite a bit more to a rebounder than meets the eye. You can buy a rebounder for under $100 such as this one or go for a longer-lasting model such as this one.