Jumping on a trampoline isn’t just hours of fun, it’s also great exercise. Every jump you make helps strengthen key muscles, giving you better balance, strength and even cardiovascular health. Find out more as we deep dive into the health benefits of bouncing on a trampoline.
Trampoline jumping is vertical jumping combined with low impact landing because the trampoline rebounder cushions the return much better than solid ground. The vertical jump is a great exercise for strengthening muscles throughout the body, and by cushioning the impact with a trampoline you can do more, jump higher, and for longer.
The vertical jump is a plyometric exercise that strengthens much of the lower body. It is fast, powerful, and simple to perform. Increased heart rate that comes with jumping also improves cardiovascular function.
A jump is comprised of several movements, each with their own relationship to muscles in your body.
Imagine you are sitting in a chair and then stand up. The action that takes you from sitting to standing is a hip extension. It forms the first phase of the jump, before your feet even leave the mat / ground. It primarily activates muscles in the upper leg area, including:
With each jump you are engaging these muscles and strengthening their function.
Performed almost simultaneously with the hip extension, the knee extension is the straightening of the leg at the knee joint. The quadricep is the muscle most used in the knee extension.
The final movement of the body before leaving the mat is to ‘point your toes’. This is the ankle plantarflexion which primarily involves the calf muscle.
On it’s own, jumping is a great exercise for strengthening the lower body. By adding arm movements, you can make your trampoline jumps even more of a workout.
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Jumping on the trampoline is essentially a whole body workout, however there are a few muscle groups in particular that get special attention while jumping.
Quadriceps are located on the front of your thighs and are comprised of four components:
When you bounce on a trampoline the jumping action includes hip flexion and knee extension, which both strengthen your hamstrings.
Located at the back of your thighs, hamstrings have a similar yet opposite role to quadriceps. Hamstrings are composed of three components:
All three parts are engaged during the lowering and explosive phases of the jump, activated through hip extension and knee flexion.
Kick, repetitive bouncing on the trampoline, similar to what you might do on jump rope, can help build calf strength. Your calves are located at the back of your leg between the knee and the ankle and are comprised of two parts:
Both are activated during quick jumping, while tuck jumps on the trampoline are another good exercise for building calf strength.
When you bounce up and down on a trampoline you’re also engaging core muscles around your spine and abdomen. A strong ‘core’ is essential for stability, balance and posture.
While many other exercises place strain on your back, trampoline bouncing is low impact, with the trampoline mat dissipating much of the impact energy on the return bounce.
Strong abs usually mean hours of crunches every week, which can place strain on your back and, let’s face it, isn’t exactly fun. But jumping up and down on a trampoline rebounder mat might be just as good. Every time you go up and down, your abdominals flex, giving you a low impact exercise that’s also fun.
So much of life’s daily tension gathers in or back and shoulders. These areas can be sensitive and strengthening them without impact can be tricky. However, even a short session on a trampoline mat can activate the muscles around your spine and shoulder blades, strengthening your back muscles without placing strain on your body.
A simple bouncing exercise is fun, easy and improves health. Most importantly, just about anyone can do it. For expert bouncers, more advanced techniques like leg tucks and even flips can also help strengthen your core and improve balance. These should only be attempted with supervision and aren’t recommended for everyone.
Moderate, low impact exercise is a key element to a rounded, healthy lifestyle. Improving your well-being could be as simple as installing a trampoline in your backyard. Contact Oz Trampolines today and our friendly customer service staff will happily help you choose the trampoline that’s right for your family’s health and well-being.
