Can Trampolines Help You Lose Weight?

There are two things that are consistent in weight loss: diet and exercise. Opinions and critics are rampant in print, news and social media regarding exercise tips.

Celebrity endorsements can make or break a product. When it comes to the idea of trampolines as part of a weight loss program, it is important to weed out the facts from the opinions.

Some people are skeptical about using something that resembles a child’s toy for moderate to intense exercise. I remember watching a health and exercise show on BBC America about a woman who helped obese people change their lifestyle in order to lose weight and improve their health. One of her exercise tips was to bounce on a mini trampoline. Later, I read that she regularly sold mini trampolines, also known as rebounders, in her health food store and that was her way of marketing them as part of her weight loss program. Skeptics thought she was just selling her store items instead of focusing on the person’s weight and health.

For the overweight Brits, the trampoline was fun. Considering the size of backyards and gardens in Great Britain, it was a better option than a 14-foot or more trampoline for the family. Couch potatoes, who did not want to get rid of their TV time were able to compromise by jumping on a trampoline during their 30-minute show.

In the end, the lady’s strategy to use the mini-trampoline was a stepping stone to healthy weight loss and worked their muscles in preparation for more intense workouts using other equipment.

She was certainly not the pioneer who used a trampoline for health and fitness. The inventors of the trampoline, George Nissen and Larry Griswold, had their background in gymnastics and created the equipment as part of the training in the 1930s and 1940s.

Today’s trampolines are more generally viewed as play equipment because of the element of fun. It was the children who saw that first trampoline that recognized it for its fun and springy action.

The trampoline, as intended for losing weight, is more than bouncing in place, but does not require acrobatic jumps and flips. Elements of ballet – including bends, squats and jumps – can work muscle groups and engage the core that helps with balance. Running in place on a rebounder or running in circles on larger equipment provides a low-impact, cardiovascular workout. By incorporating hands, arms, shoulders and hips, the trampoline can be part of a full-body exercise regime.

You don’t need to peek over your neighbor’s fences to see if they are using their children’s trampolines for their daily workout. The Internet lists a number of exercises for all abilities and even celebrity endorsements for the use of trampolines and rebounders. Redbook has an article about how to use a trampoline the same way Kelly Osbourne lost weight on hers.

In the last 40 years, a variety of endorsements have come from users of all ages, including actors, self-help gurus and even presidents like Ronald Reagan. Fitness centers and gyms post classes in which participants use mini-trampolines.

If you live near a gymnastics center that offers classes in tumbling and trampolines, see if they offer classes for your age and ability level. If they don’t have classes at your age level, ask if the trainers offer private lessons. These gymnasts have used the trampoline as part of their fitness regime and competed in many events on the equipment. They likely know how to target muscle groups including the core muscles for optimum performance. While you may not want to jump over 10 feet on your rebounder or larger backyard equipment, the guidance from a class can take you to the next level with additional safety features for their trampolines. A fitness center or gym may give you moves at levels that promote movement and aerobic bounce, but the gymnastics center is more likely to propel you to more strength training.

In general, bouncing alone is not going to melt away the pounds. A proper diet will give the energy and nutrients that can fuel a good workout as well as provide only enough calories needed to promote a healthy weight loss. The use of a trampoline should be used along with other means of exercise so that you don’t get bored with the equipment too soon.

When compared to other forms of exercises, such as swimming and jogging, the trampoline is proven to burn more calories in the same amount of time.

Here’s a chart that shows how many calories a 150-pound person burns when they jog for 12 minutes as compared to how much they burn rebounding for 12 minutes:

Children already know how much fun a trampoline is, but they don’t think about it as exercise equipment. Still, they are sweating, breathless and smiling. Adults, on the other hand, may need some encouragement to take their turn on the family trampoline.

How do you know that a trampoline is a great form of exercise for you? You are breathing heavier and you can feel it in your muscles. How do you know that using a trampoline for exercise is the right one for you? You are smiling and having fun.

So, can trampolines help you lose weight? Yes, definitely, but only if you stick with it, incorporate a proper nutrition and change up your routine so you won’t plateau. A mini-trampoline, such as the JumpSport Fitness Model or ReboundAir can help you jumpstart the weight loss and keep it off.