What is Rebounding?
Put simply – bouncing on a mini trampoline. Unlike regular trampolining, the aim isn’t to bounce high or perform gymnastic tricks, it is to perform a series of small, controlled movements. There's no need for special instruction, you can use your Rebounder for bouncing, jogging or dancing. Rebounding could possibly be the most perfect exercise!
Jason Vale says “Movement is life... We need to move to feel alive!"
Rebounding is a unique exercise in which a weightless state is achieved at the top of each jump and landing achieves twice the force of gravity on each bounce. This shift in gravity benefits every muscle and cell of the body and provides huge benefits to the lymphatic system.
The most efficient and effective exercise yet devised by man” - NASA
Why is Rebounding good for me?
Our bodies have a built in need for activation. The lymph system, for example, bathes every cell, carries nutrients to the cell and takes waste products away. Yet the lymph system is totally dependent on physical exercise to move. Without adequate movement, the cells are left stewing in their own waste and starving for nutrients, which could contribute to arthritis, cancer and other degenerative diseases including aging.
Vigorous exercise such as rebounding is reported to increase lymph flow by 15 to 30 times. Our bones become stronger with exercise.
Rebounding is an exercise that reduces your body fat, firms your legs, thighs, abdomen, arms, and hips, increases your agility, whilst improving your sense of balance. Rebounding strengthens your muscles over all, provides an aerobic effect for your heart, rejuvenates your body when it's tired, and generally puts you in a state of health and fitness.
Some benefits of rebounding include:
- 20 minutes of rebounding = 1 hour running for cardiovascular workout
- not hard on the bones and joints
- strengthens the heart muscle
- lymph cleansing
"Rebound exercise is so efficient in stimulating the lymph flow that Dr. C. Samuel West calls it 'Lymphocizing.' I say it is simply a miracle the way the body knows how to take care of itself. We just need to know how to help it a little and do it." – Albert E Carter
Rebounding Exercises
There are many exercises and bounces you can try on your rebounder. You can try many on your own from jogging in place to twisting there is no end. However, if you would prefer an instructional video it may be a good idea to purchase a rebounding DVD we recommend Jason Vale – The Juice Master’s Rebounding Workout. You will be sure to learn many moves ranging from Low to High Intensity. Here's a clip from the DVD below:
Back to rebounders
Who Can Rebound?
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Anyone and Everyone! Rebounders are suitable for everyone - in fact, this is one of the reasons why rebounders are such sound investments! The whole family is able to benefit from rebounding, from toddlers to grandparents. Many rebounders come with stabilisers which can help when you first start rebounding or if you are rebounding as part of a course of physiotherapy.
Getting Started
This is an easy exercise to start; there is no need for special instruction but it is important to use it correctly and start off slowly. Begin practicing by slightly moving up and down continuously with your feet remaining in contact with the mat. Build up your times from 2-5 minute sessions to 20-30 minute sessions. Once you have perfected the art you can practice bouncing and twisting your arms at the waist, jogging and jumps.
Buying A Rebounder
Like everything you will invest in for yourself and your health you get what you pay for... inexpensive models can be stiff and difficult to assemble plus they do not offer adequate cushioning and support. A quality rebounder should boast:
- A stable 6 leg design - cheaper 4 leg models are known to topple over and feel unstable
- Unscrewable or foldable legs – for easy storage
- A solid spring or bungee system – to ensure adequate support for your joints
- A non-slip mat – for those trickier maneuvres!
- Many can be folded making them easy to store and transport anywhere.
Types of rebounder
There are 2 main types of rebounder; those that have springs and those that have bungees. Spring based rebounders are the most common and have been around the longest. In terms of quality, you do get what you pay for. Many sports brands like Reebok have made very poor rebounders with cheap materials and they have a terrible bounce. At Juice Master we were so unimpressed with the quality of these cheap spring based rebounders that we have put our name to the only 2 we recommend.
The Pro-Bounce Rebounder
With 2 sizes and similar in design, The Pro Bounce is a 40 inch, 32 spring rebounder with great support and a great energetic bounce. The Pro-Bounce is 45 inch 36 spring rebounder, which has similar construction to the 40" but a larger bounce area.
The Bellicon Rebounder
In recent years a German company Bellicon have developed a brand new bungee based (instead of spring based) rebounder. The Bellicon Rebounders were originally developed for people with osteoporosis so they can do exercise with very low impact on the joints. Now the Bellicon Rebounders have gone global as the rebounding experience is fun, energetic and extremely soft on the joints.
Find more products in our rebounding & exercise category in the shop.
Safety
- As with most activities remember to start gently and build your stamina slowly
- Wear comfortable but not loose clothing
- Wear comfortable shoes or grip socks to prevent slipping
Extras
To improve and enhance your rebounding, there are a few things you can add to your bounce. Rebounding grip socks, as mentioned above, are great to improve stability whilst bouncing on the rebounder. If you want to improve your upper body workout too, you can also get some rebounding weighted gloves. Links to both are below:
