NEW YORK: It's all in the bounce when
it comes to rebounding, the group fitness class that uses mini-trampolines to
pump up the cardio without slamming the knees and joints.
And if the
equipment will always resemble a low, round coffee table, the workout can be as
versatile as the instructor's imagination. "In my class we do sprints, running,
jump rope style, lateral ski, and boxing moves, like jabs and hooks," said
Terrell Pruitt, a rebounding instructor for Crunch, the national fitness
chain.
"What I love is that it's less shock for your knees and
joints," Pruitt said. "Your workout is actually pushing down, not going up. You
bounce, you don't jump. You're pushing down, fighting gravity, abs engaged,
knees bent in a power stance."
And it's fun. "Once you get used to it
it's hard to let it go," Pruitt said. "When you can get 80- year-old women and
20-year-old girls in the same class, you know people get addicted to
it."
The name trampoline comes from the Spanish "trampolin," or
diving board. But while the mini may share a name with its full-sized
progenitor, when it comes to trampolines, size matters.
The
mini-trampoline is used for physical fitness, whereas the full-sized trampoline
was designed by gymnasts for gymnastics and acrobatics.
Pete McCall,
an exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise, says it's
important to understand, and respect, the difference. "The large trampoline is
used for tumbling and acrobatics, while the mini-trampoline is for training
aerobically," he said.
McCall said using the mini-trampoline in place
of running is a relatively safe way to reduce that force, but the full-sized
version should always be treated with respect. "Proper supervision, proper
location, proper education of instructor," he advises. "Use (large trampolines)
as part of acrobatic/gymnastic program for air awareness, for practicing the
flips and tumbles, drills and body shapes, and to aid body awareness and timing
and strength."
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