Bouncing on a trampoline seems fun. But do you know whether it’s bad or good for you? In this article, we’ll be reviewing the pros and cons of trampolines. Then leave it to your final judgment.
Just know that NASA recommends their astronauts to do rebound exercises on mini-trampoline to increase bone and muscle strength.
The trampoline offers so many health benefits. You can grab a mini trampoline and start working out in your living room. And still lose more calories in 30 minutes than jogging for over an hour.
It’s a low impact workout that benefits patients with chronic knee problems. So in a nutshell, the pros of a trampoline far outweigh the cons.
Pros and cons of trampolines
1. You will stay younger for a long time
Do you know that our skin gets a bit saggy by gravitational pull? You can counteract this effect by rebounding on a trampoline. Once you jump off the mat, your body reaches to a certain height and hangs there for milliseconds.
Then gravity pulls you down, and you do a rebound. This repeated process is beneficial for bone joints, muscle development and lymphatic system stimulation. The bottom line is rebounding on a trampoline makes your body healthy both inside and outside.
2. Keeps the screen away from kids for a little while
Screen addiction is a real thing. Kids nowadays spend more time on a smartphone than with real people. That’s why outdoor activities like swimming, hiking, fishing have lost their attraction.
Trampoline makes the kid active again. And most importantly, it’s one of the best ways to keep them occupied for a while. Once they get the hang of the trampoline, they’ll start to take an interest in other outdoor activities again.
3. Trampoline jumping prevents stress
Most of us are too stressed out and face restlessness. Too much caffeine intake can trigger these symptoms. Nevertheless, regular exercise is the key to manage these symptoms. Trampoline jumping has shown improvement of all these symptoms and even promote quality sleep according to the US national library o medicine.
4. A fun way to lose weight
Add trampolining to your daily work out routine. You’ll see an immediate increase in the result of your other workout results. And the constant rebound reduces weight loss and even increase the muscle to fat ratio.
It happens because trampolining burns more calorie than jogging. And the fantastic thing is, the weight loss continues even after the trampolining is over. The aftereffect of the workout is effective until the end.
5. Regular trampolining can reduce cellulite
Cellulitis is those lumpy substances resembles as dimples in both men and women. However, women are nine times more likely to experience them than men.
These little buggers sometimes can be seen in teenagers too. To combat the spread of cellulite, you need to add in the trampoline rebound along with healthy diets and adequate sleep.
The fat deposits which triggers cellulite is reduced by constant rebounding. It also promotes muscle mass to fortify our strength against these annoying symptoms.
6. Trampolining increase your body balance
As we start to age, our body balance starts to decline without giving us a hint. Regular rebounding one mini trampoline helps reduce this symptom and even improve the overall body balance in older persons.
While you jump on a trampoline, it’s impossible to Landon the same spot over and over again. But in time, you focus your landing spot, and it becomes muscle memory.
These random movements and balanced landing also work outside of the trampoline thanks to that embedded muscle memory we have already developed.
Research showed that regular trampolining improves the motor skill of a child significantly. They are also seen to learn quicker stay active throughout the day compared to other kids who don’t use the trampoline.
Rebounding exercise has also shown improvements in motor skills in adults by stimulating joint receptors to promote stability and prevent coordination-related falls and injuries.
7. Increases endurance
As we exercise, we build physical endurance and stamina over time. Research showed that trampoline elevates your body’s endurance more than what you get out of jogging.
A study was conducted on a group of people to see whether the claim is valid or not. They were divided into two groups. The running group saw an increased level of VO2 max at 3.02%. At the same time, the trampoline group experienced the max VO2 level at 7.82%.
This level indicates cardiovascular endurance. The higher you see the endurance number, the better athlete you become.
8. Trampoline is a low impact exercise
You might perceive trampolining is harder on the bone joints, but in reality, it’s a low impact activity that strengthens your bones and muscles.
Some people say that rebound exercises aren’t that effective because the elastic nat absorbs nearly all of the shock and turns it into kinetic energy.
But studies showed that athletes on the trampoline Rae more likely to push harder to feel the impact of their workout than those who don’t trampoline.
This extra drive to intensify the work out leads to a better result than those who try to achieve that same result out of running.
Besides I find trampolining more relaxing, fun and at home experience than hiking or biking.
9. Strengthen your heart and lung endurance
Nearly all the heart diseases are a result of some form of cardiovascular abnormalities. We develop these problems from leading sedentary lives. It also reduces your lung endurance as a result; you can’t run, jump or stay active as you used to in your childhood.
Cardiovascular diseases and increased lung capacity can be avoided through aerobic exercise. This involves running, jogging, hiking, cycling, freestyle dancing etc. Nearly every one of these activities mentioned is harder to do for most of us. We either don’t have enough time, space or insertion to begin with.
Trampoline is also considered as an aerobic sport. And studies showed that you could achieve an hour-long level of workout benefits from jumping 25-30 minutes on a trampoline.
You can make a whole lot of moves from jumping jacks to backflips and many others. It has also shown to be more effective at pumping blood into your heart. It even reduces and in some cases, cured varicose veins and oedema.
Our lung health also benefits from this anti-gravity exercise. Your lung becomes more active, and as a result, your blood vessels get more oxygens which strengthen the immune system.
Trampoline cons
There are very few cons of using a trampoline. But we will address them to try to stay safe. But the pros far outweigh these few cons so don’t be disheartened.
1. Risk of severe injuries
Are trampolines safe! You might think otherwise, but more than 100,000 people take treatments in the US alone from trampoline-related accidents. And the scary fact is, children are seven times more likely to eat injured from trampoline-related accidents than adults.
Folks using mini trampolines aren’t even safe from injuries. That’s why you should buy a mini trampoline with a handle. And place the trampoline away from furniture and walls to avoid serious injuries.
And those who set up a full-size trampoline in their backyard should use padded protection on the edge of the trampoline. These safety pads will protect you from those metal springs and screws that hold the surface mat in place.
Also, don’t forget to install a trampoline ladder and a complete safety net enclosure set to avoid life-threatening injuries. Trust me, these injuries are genuine and cost 100 times more than what you’re spending to make your trampoline safe.
2. Trampolining isn’t a substitute for weight training
Rebound exercise has many health benefits. But it can’t replace weight training. You do experience some strength development after rebounding exercise for a couple of months. But the outcome Isn’t as significant as you would get out of long-term weight training activities.
You can’t experience the resistance from a trampoline which you do from a weight training machine in the gym.
You can improvise and wear ankle weights while rebounding. But it can be risky. And the benefits we will get isn’t worth the risk.
Or you could switch to a mini-trampoline. They are more resistant than bigger ones. That’s why physical therapists recommend rebounding on a mini trampoline for more health benefits.
But no matter what you do, you will never replace the weight training with a modified rebound training, period.
3. Trampolines are not cheap
You won’t be able to find a right trampoline under 200 dollars. The best trampoline might cost up to $500-$2000 dollars. Although you can get away with a mini-trampoline costing around $100-$200 dollars still it’s not cheap.
If you’re planning on setting up a full-size trampoline in your backyard, then you might have to pay some premium to get trampoline insurance for homes.
So installing a full-size trampoline is like buying a mini home for your own home. They don’t come cheap. Check out our complete trampolines size guide.
What are the best trampoline alternatives
Let me be clear here; there’s no alternative of a trampoline. You won’t get the type of health benefits that you get from a trampoline. Still, here are some other options to consider.
1. A portable pool for your backyard
You can buy a portable pool instead of purchasing a trampoline. A portable pool comes in very handy in the summer.
2. Swing sets
You can install a low profile swing set in your backyard. Kids will love it. But it also comes with injury risks. That’s why you shouldn’t let your kid swing around without your supervision.
3. Bouncy castle
The kids may not get the same health benefits as they would from bouncing onto a trampoline. But it’s safer and the only backyard set up that resembles close to a trampoline.
4. Bean bag chairs
Not as fun as the trampoline but certainly safer.
5. Is trampoline Good for Pregnant Women?
Well this is a very complicated question. Sometimes it’s good for Pregnant Women but sometimes not. So I’d suggest you before jumping on a trampoline while you are pregnant consult with a doctor or health specialist.
However, we have an in depth article regarding this that you can have a look Can you jump on a trampoline while pregnant?
The bottom line
Trampoline delivers a strain-free workout that benefits our entire body.
You might not feel the intensity as you do from high-impact activities, but it still burns enough calories. You will benefit from an hour-long run from 15 minutes rebounding on the trampoline.
I would pick a trampoline rebound session any day over an hour-long hike. In this pros and cons of trampolines saga, the pros outshined the cons. As for the cons, I would say they are manageable if you take a few steps.
However, before going to buy a trampoline I’d suggest you go through this complete trampoline buying guide article. This will help you to choose the perfect one for you.
Rebounding, the best indoor exercise, ever.
